Tips for Getting Good Sleep
Here is a cheat sheet for giving yourself good opportunities to sleep well.
- The Bedtime Ritual - about 20 minutes or so before bed choose 3-5 specific activities you complete each night, to prepare your mind and body for sleeping
- Create a good sleeping environment
- lighting
- preferred sounds (using a fan for background noise, relaxing music, silence)
- temperature control (air temperature, # of blankets)
- the texture of the blankets you use
- comfortable bed and pillow
- pleasing aromas, or at least no yucky ones
- Once in bed, mentally review the day you had in no more than 30 seconds
- Mentally consider the first activity you plan for tomorrow (only the first!)
- Close your eyes and pay attention to your breathing: how it sounds, feels, the rhythm.
- After a few breaths, mentally attach a count of 3 to each breath (In-2-3 . . . Out-2-3 . . .) and repeat several times.
- If you are not asleep at this point, determine the primary thing that’s keeping you awake, whether it’s something about the sleeping environment, one thing you forgot to do before bed (putting the milk back in the fridge, locking the front door, etc.), or a restless mind
- Deal with that primary thing, and then pay attention to your breathing again
- Consider the term “falling asleep”, which is a letting go of consciousness. Many of us seem to forget this and try to mentally “jump asleep” and then get more frustrated when we are still awake. Let go mentally, and then it will be easier to fall asleep.
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