My journey to get better rest

If you find yourself struggling through the day, you may want to look at your sleep pattern first.

When we feel like we are struggling, I wonder why it is that we look at everything else other than our sleep. When in reality our sleep is the biggest factor to our overall mood. We always want a quick fix. So we try every short term fix we can think of. Caffeine, pills, little mood boosters, every fix that people will tell us will make things better.

The thing we don't realize is that sleep affects every aspect of your life. That is because sleep is our body's time to recover from everything we put ourselves through. So, without a good night's rest, our body can recover.

I was finding that I was struggling with my sleep. Not getting a good night's rest was impacting my life in many ways, including my mood and energy levels. So I went on a journey to get better sleep.

Changing your sheets and pillowcases

Everyone says that satin pillowcases are better for your skin and hair. And that may be true. So, of course, I was happy to try it. It may be better for your skin. But when I tried to sleep on them, I was surprised to find that I would wake up many times throughout the night. When it first started to happen, I wasn't sure why. It took me some time to realize that it was because of the pillowcases. One night, I happened to sleep on my regular pillow's, and was surprised to find that I didn't wake up throughout the night. Maybe I felt like I was slipping off, and that made me wake up. I'm not sure. However, if you are not sleeping well, look at your sheets and pillowcases. It might be an easy fix that will change your sleep totally. You should feel comfortable so that you can relax and recover.

Taking a sleeping supplement

A sleeping pill doesn't have to cost a lot, or be something that you need to get from the doctor's. If you are looking for something inexpensive, then look at getting melatonin. It is the cheapest way to help you sleep when you need it. Melatonin is a way of telling your body to relax and get ready to sleep. If you need something stronger, then you can get sleep aid's from most health supplement companies. Make sure you do your own research before getting anything. I tried a sleep aid, and I found that it helped me have a better quality sleep. The struggle of course with taking these is that, once you start you can't really stop. If you stop taking them, then your sleep will go back to how it was before you started taking them. So really consider all your options before you go down this road. If you have tried everything, and nothing is wrong, then this can be the next step before you go to a doctor.

Look at your environment

I know that for me, my environment really impacts my sleep. So I have a small one bedroom with my daughter. That means that I sleep in the living room. My bed is right up in front of a window. As I have gotten older, I have noticed that I can wake up more than I use to. For a really good night's rest, I need total darkness. Living on the first floor that is hard to do. Between cars coming in and out, as well as the lights from the building next to mine. So I sleep with a sleep mask. I know that it is important for me. So if you find that you wake up in the night, change up your environment. Light gives our body a signal that it is time to be awake. So staying in total darkness can help you not just go to sleep, but to stay asleep as well.

Have a bedtime routine

When we have kids, we hear a lot about the importance of a night routine. As we become adults, that really goes away. But it is just as important when you are older than when you were young. Having a bedtime routine gives your mind signals that it's time to relax and go to sleep. Stopping your day suddenly, it can be very hard to calm down your mind to be able to sleep. So make a night routine. Meditate or read to calm yourself down. Have a night skincare routine as well. It's the routine that is important. So make sure that you do it every night, so that your body will know that you need to go to sleep. Write in a journal or notebook, and plan out the next day. Whatever is going through your mind, get it out before you try to go sleep. Going to sleep with things still in your mind, can make it very hard to calm yourself down. It can make your mind keep racing.

Turn off your phone and TV

I know that this is a hard thing for most people. But there is something about the blue light that can make it hard for some people to sleep. By turning it off, even a half hour before you go to sleep, it gives a signal to your mind that you are going to sleep. So make it a part of your nighttime routine. Even just a half hour before you try to go to sleep. It is a journey that I am still on. I know that it is important, but it is easier said than done. Being a single parent, nighttime is my time to relax. And for me, that means going through my phone. Some days I do it, but not always.

I hope that these tips can help you on your journey to get better rest. We really don't recover our bodies as much as we should. We live in a world where we are just going all the time. So really taking time to relax and recharge can be difficult. But it is so important, and can really make a big difference in your life. A lot of people will give you a lot of different tips to improve your sleep. Everyone is different. So try different things until you find a schedule that works for you.

-T