Tips to Beat Insomnia and Get Your Best Sleep Ever

I probably don’t need to tell you how important sleep is. Despite this being common knowledge, few of us get enough. At least 30% of adults suffer from short-term insomnia. Lack of sleep comes with a number of health problems. These tips and hacks will help you get back to sleep in no time.

Do a Bedtime Yoga Practice

While you probably know yoga is a great way to wake up, you may not know that it’s also great for bedtime. Of course, your night-time practice will be different from your morning practice. Consider restorative or yin yoga instead of power yoga. You can find many bedtime yoga routines for free on YouTube.

Take a Bath with Lavender Soap

If you have a bath-tub (jealous), baths at night are amazing to help relax you at the end of the day. Taking a bath an hour or two before bed will lower your core temperature which signals your body that it’s time for sleep. There are tons of soaps out there with Lavender to help you fall asleep. My personal favorite is the Sleepy shower gel and lotion from Lush. If you want to really beat insomnia think about adding their Twilight bath bomb and their sleepy massage bar to your bath and spraying with the twilight body spray after. This isn’t a sponsored post for Lush. I just really LOVE their products. 

Have A Nightly Skin Care Routine

One of the weirdest tips I have for beating insomnia is having a nightly skincare routine. Make sure that your evening skincare routine is different from your morning one. You have to be consistent about it as well. When I do my nightly skincare routine I know it is time for bed. It is all apart of my winding down process. Even right now when I am working midnights so I do my “nightly” skincare routine before I go to bed in the morning, and my “morning” routine when I wake up in the afternoon.

Read about my cheaper skincare routine: Here

Meditate in Bed With the Lights Off

This insomnia-busting tip goes along with yoga. A lot of times I will do yoga, wash my face, and then get in bed and meditate. Meditating can seem scary at first. I know it used to freak me out. The important thing to know is that there is no right or wrong way to meditate. There are a ton of free guided meditation apps or videos on youtube for beginners.

Consider Taking Melatonin Only if Necessary

I try not to rely too heavily on melatonin because it can mess up your natural sleep rhythm, but sometimes you just need a little help. Considering I work the swing shift, I frequently need to change my sleep routine. Sometimes I need to go to bed at 10 pm when I’ve been going to bed at 7 am the past few days. My favorite melatonin to take is the Zzzquil extended-release caps. I take a capsule about a half hour before bed and usually start to fall asleep in no time.

Listen to A Bedtime Podcast

Did you know that there are podcasts specifically to help you fall asleep? There are so many from bedtime story podcasts to meditation and nature sounds to even scary bedtime podcasts (lol I only listen to these before a daytime nap).

Love Podcasts?: Check Out: Podcasts That Will Make You Smarter

Wash and Change Your Sheets Often

Is there any better feeling than getting into bed with freshly washed sheets? I know sometimes life gets busy and it slips our minds (especially if you don’t have a washer and dryer at your apartment like me), but it really is an important part of our sleep quality. Plus washing/changing your pillowcase really helps your skin.

Stop Drinking Caffeine 5 hours before You Have to Sleep

I used to think caffeine didn’t bother me until I started doing this. It’s incredible how much more soundly I sleep. I used to feel super tired even after I woke up, but I find myself experiencing that a lot less frequently.

Limit Your Alcohol Consumption

We’ve all been there. Drinking a glass of wine while enjoying the latest episode of some reality show, and before you know it the WHOLE bottle is gone. While alcohol tends to make us feel sleepy, it doesn’t usually result in great sleep. I know the past few times this has happened to me I felt tired, but just laid in bed all night unable to shut my mind off.