14 Ways To Get Better Sleep To Feel More Productive & Energized
Do you ever wake up in the mornings and wish you were able to get better sleep?
Maybe you feel like you toss and turn all night or your brain just doesn’t shut off.
One of the worst things that can happen when you know you have a busy day ahead of you is to feel tired, fatigued, and unenergized.
If you work at a performance-based job where you always need to be on your A-game, getting no sleep can be so detrimental to your career because it could mean getting fired!
Along with that, always being tired affects your energy levels which ultimately affects your productivity.
If you’re a busy person and you have a million things to do in a day, you know how important it is to feel awake and ready to work to get stuff done.
14 Easy Tips To Sleep Better Every Night
Sleep is so important so if you’re having trouble drifting into dreamland, here are 14 best sleep habits to follow.
You’ll feel more energized, focused, and ready to take on the day, every day.
But before we begin, you’ll want to check out my Sleep Well Journal that will help you build great sleep habits. Use this journal conjunction with the rest of my tips in this post and watch as you start reaching your sleep goals.
1. Get Daily Exercise
A great way to set yourself up for sleep time is to get enough exercise during the daytime.
When your body is exhausted and tired, you’ll have a much easier time getting more restful and deep sleep.
If you work at a 9-5 desk job where you aren’t very active and you sit all day, that means making extra effort that you slot in enough time to exercise during the day.
Whether it’s going to the gym at lunch, walking around the block during your breaks, or going to the gym before or after work, it’s important to make exercise a priority in your life.
Just make sure you avoid exercising a few hours before sleeping.
Working out too close to your bedtime will actually keep you up instead of making you more tired.
You an always add this to your morning routine if you find it disrupts your sleep.
Start Getting Into Better Sleep Habits Today
Grab your free checklist of ways to start sleeping better every night – straight to your inbox!
2. Take A Warm Shower Or Bath
Another great way to fall asleep faster is to take a nice, warm shower or bath to help yourself feel more at ease, relaxed, and comfortable.
This little ritual of mine always helps me get better sleep and I also fall asleep so much faster.
Taking a nice hot bath is also so helpful if you live in a cold place because taking one can really help to warm you up. It’s a lot harder to go to sleep when your feet and hands feel cold.
3. Read A Book
Do you ever start reading a book and end up drifting off because it’s either so boring or it makes you want to just fall asleep?
Use this to your advantage!
Start reading a book right before bedtime so it can help you expand your knowledge at the same time as aiding you to fall asleep.
Here are 25 books to read this year for personal growth.
4. Stop All Electronic Use 1 Hour Before Bed
A big reason why many of us are sleeping later and later these days and getting lower sleep quality is due to our extensive electronic use before bed.
We are so connected nowadays with social media and the internet that we just can’t put our phones and laptops away and this negatively affects us in so many ways.
Not only does it affect our sleep, it also affects our body posture and eyes.
If you want to feel more sleepy, try to put your electronics away an hour or so before bed so your body has enough time to wind down and feel tired.
F.lux is also a great app to install on your laptop and phone which changes the screen’s display to adapt to the current time of day.
Start having Better Mornings In Just 5 Days
Join the free email challenge to transform your mornings in just 5 days.
5. Use Essential Oils & Aromatherapy
A wonderful natural way to sleep better is to use essential oils to relax.
I always enjoy spraying some Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Pillow Mist in Eucalyptus Spearmint on my pillow before I head to bed and this helps me get ready to slip into dreamland.
If you like reed diffusers, you can check out this Lemongrass Eucalyptus Reed Diffuser Oil. Not only is it a great way to relax, it’s a great little decor piece to add to your room.
Another great product you can check out is the Sage deluxe diffuser which is great to infuse large spaces for more energy and calmness.
6. Avoid Alcohol
A sure way to get light, disrupted sleep is to drink alcohol before bed so limit alcohol if you want better sleep.
You might feel super tired after that bottle of beer or shot of tequila but your actual quality of sleep you’ll get that night won’t be deep and restful.
I personally find I often sleep a lot less after drinking and also constantly wake up during the night.
Feel More Energized Every Morning
Get your free checklist of ways to get better sleep every night for more energy.
7. Keep Your Bedroom Dark
Another thing that’s often overlooked that might be disrupting your sleep is if your room isn’t dark enough.
Being in a dark room that is almost pitch black can help promote deeper sleep and you’ll feel more energized and ready to take on the day in the morning.
If you have curtain or blinds that you leave open overnight, the light that seeps into the room both at night and in the mornings can be really disruptive to your sleep.
And if you’re not an early riser, having to experience the sun shining on your face at 6 am can be just downright annoying especially when you’re not ready to get up yet.
If your mornings are always interrupted, a great way to counter this is to install blackout curtains in your bedroom to help keep the unwanted light out.
You can also try wearing a sleeping mask to cover your eyes. For myself, blackout curtains are such a home essential.
8. Log Your Sleep
If you’re still having a really hard time getting good sleep every night, a good way to keep track of your sleep and constantly improve on it is to keep a log of your sleep quality.
Every day, quickly jot down the details of how your sleep was from the night before so you can see how external factors may have affected how well you slept.
Try to change things up and test new methods to see what works and what doesn’t work for you.
Better Sleep Is Within Reach
Start getting better sleep every night with the Sleep Well Journal.
9. Beware Of Your Caffeine Intake
If you’re caffeine sensitive, you’ll know what I mean when I say to avoid intaking anything that as a lot of caffeine well before you to go sleep. This includes sodas, tea, coffee, and even chocolate.
For me, I need to have finished my coffee or black tea by 2 or 3 pm or I risk rolling around the entire night. Everyone is different though so find a time that ultimately works for you.
Stick to drinking decaf coffee or herbal teas like the Twinnings Chamomile, Honey & Vanilla Tea (this is my favorite bedtime tea) instead and skip out on caffeinated teas and coffees when it’s late in the afternoon or night.
10. Relax & Meditate
A great way to get better sleep is to meditate and refocus your thoughts.
Sometimes our minds can start racing from one thought to another because we’re always so busy, stressed about our jobs, and there’s just too much going on at once during the day.
Because we’re always in ‘go’ mode during the day, it’s so important to take some time out of your night to clear your mind and slow things down.
You can use techniques such as mindfulness or practice yoga to help clear your head and relax your body.
When you’re alone in your own space, close your eyes and try to put all of your focus on your breathing.
11. Don’t Eat Before You Sleep
Have you ever had a huge meal right before you went to bed and then felt awful because your stomach didn’t seem to sit right or you were extremely bloated?
An easy way to avoid this is to stay away from eating before you go to sleep so that your stomach has enough time to digest the food properly.
You’ll also avoid adding on pounds because you aren’t hibernating right after you eat.
So keep the late-night meals and snacks away and your sleep schedule and body will thank you in more ways than one.
Doing all of these things can definitely help you feel more relaxed so that you’ll be ready for bed and you’ll have a better night’s sleep.
12. Use A White Noise Machine
Do they have trouble sleeping without having at least some noise in the background?
Or if you live right in the heart of the city where it’s really noisy or in an apartment where the walls are thin, a white noise machine can be super helpful to help you fall asleep faster.
This white noise machine plays 6 different natural sounds and even comes with a handy timer so that it’ll shut off after a certain time period if you don’t want it running all night.
Transform Your Mornings In Just 5 Days
Join the free email challenge to start having better mornings in just 5 days.
13. Get Comfortable
Overall, you need to feel super comfortable in order to have a good night’s sleep.
If you find that you’re not sleeping well, it could mean that your mattress or pillow may need to be changed because it doesn’t fit well with your body or it’s getting old.
I find a memory foam mattress topper really helps make my mattress a lot more comfortable and I usually get a really solid night’s sleep with it.
If you’re looking for a company mattress, I recommend these mattress companies because you can 100% try them out and see if they’re right for you:
Another way to get more comfortable and create an optimal sleep environment is to lower your room temperature.
When the room is too hot, it can be hard to fall asleep and no one wants to toss and turn in a sticky, hot bed.
14. Don’t Take Naps
Lastly, don’t take naps even when you’re dead tired.
Napping disrupts your sleep and you’ll end up having a much harder time going to sleep at night and getting deep, uninterrupted sleep.
And plus, sometimes when you tell yourself that you’re just going to take a 20-minute nap, you end up feeling groggy after and even worse than before you took the nap.
If you’re always really tired after work or halfway through the day, try your best to avoid taking naps so you can get better sleep at night.
Build Healthier Habits In 30 Days
Want to start living a healthier and happier life in just 30 days?
Start feeling more positivity and happiness and build better habits with my 30-Day Self-Care Habits Journal And Workbook.
Inside this 52-page journal and workbook, you’ll find:
- Tips on how to create a healthy and clear space at home to facilitate a clear mind
- Two lined journal pages (print as many times as you’d like)
Click here to check out the 30-Day Self-Care Habits Journal And Workbook.
Conclusion
Better sleep habits will help you be more productive and energized during the day.
Be sure to try test different strategies out to see what helps you sleep better and what deters sleep from happening.
I hope some of these tips for restful sleep helped you.
If you find that you’re still having a lot of trouble sleeping, it’s probably best to go see a sleep professional to get it checked out.
More Wellness Tips
- How To Go To Sleep Earlier (Even When You’re A Total Night Owl!)
- 15 Self-Care Habits That Will Inspire Joy & Happiness In Your Life
- How To Drink More Water Every Day For A Healthier You
- How To Stay Healthy And Sane When You Work At A Desk Job
- How To Relax After Work When You Have A Stressful Day
What are some good sleep habits you follow every night? Feel free to share with me in the comments!
This is such a great post! I’ve been struggling with getting to sleep recently, so I’ll be trying some of these for sure. I really need to stop using my phone before bed, as that is not helping haha!xx
Hannah
Thanks Hannah! I have a really bad habit of using my phone before bed too and it’s a huge time suck. Trying to sleep earlier is definitely hard!
These are all great suggestions. The only one I have to disagree with is the reading before bed. I love to read so I end up doing the “just one more chapter” thing and before I know it it’s past midnight. I also can’t sleep with out a white noise machine. I love it. The problem is when traveling and I can’t take it I have a hard time falling asleep.
Maybe you can try choosing a topic that isn’t as interesting to you? Something that really makes you just want to fall asleep 🙂
These are all great tips on sleeping better! I agree about the alcohol, when I have a glass of wine I find I don’t get a full night rest.
Lee
Thanks Lee! I feel the same way!
I’ve been having a hard time sleeping lately, and I’m glad I found this post! I am guilty of using my phone before going to bed. I need to work on that! I have the pillow mist from Bath and Body Works, and it’s such a life saver! I need to look into a humidifier next.
Eating before sleeping is also bad where it causes weight gain as well! Two reasons why that’s a no-no XD. Thanks for sharing 🙂
It’s definitely a hard habit to kick to the curb! Thanks for reading Nancy!
These are all great tips! Most of them I know, but I just haven’t been putting them into practice lately… so this was a really good reminder, thank you!! I especially needed to see that one about exercise in black and white. 🙂
Sometimes all we need is a reminder to get us back on to track ? Glad you liked these tips, Melanie!
Great tips on getting a better sleep. It’s been a struggle lately I hope not due to aging! Lol! These are all very helpful and good mention about the white noise machine. I just move in near the city and I think I should give this a try while I’m adjusting with the environment. Thank you for sharing!
A white noise machine is awesome to drown out outside noises. Thanks for reading Lily!
I needed these tips–my sleep lately has not been good. Can’t wait to try some of your suggestions.
I hope these tips help your sleep quality!
wow thanks for sharing theses tips! I needed this! beautiful post !
You’re welcome!
Getting myself light blocking curtains was the best thing I ever did for my sleep routine. It makes a world of difference. The body truly does adjust its sleeping pattern to be in sync with the light that it detects.