They say that practice makes perfect, but the truth is, practice makes permanent. Start the night with good sleeping habits to get the right amount of Zzzs to power you up for the next day.
British author William Makepeace Thackeray once said, “Successful people aren’t born that way. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don’t like to do.” And one of those habits? Sleeping. Good sleep. In fact, successful people average at least 6 hours of nightly snoozes. Surprised? The “sleep is for the weak” adage – coined just recently by an anonymous speaker – may not be factual. Science has proven it: sleep makes you strong, and creating habits for it is one way for you to succeed at life.
So how do you create sleeping habits? Here are 13 ways to start.
Clock in your sleep. Time check, it’s 9:30 p.m., and you should be in your room right now, taking your hot bath. Getting your sleep scheduled may seem impossible, but just like everything else in life, you need to commit to it. When the clock hits 10 p.m. – or whichever your preferred time is – you should practice hitting the sack. Keep at it for two weeks and you’ll be surprised to gain a new habit of sleeping on time.
Restrain your nightly activities. Advised to hit the gym at 7 o’clock in the evening? Might not be the best idea. Such activities release cortisol, a.k.a. the stress hormone, keeping you pumped up to face the challenges, but also pushing your brain to be much more awake. Instead of strenuous activities, try stretches and yoga instead. That way, you can get your share of exercising – especially if you only do it at night – minus forcing your body to stay awake.
Use your bed for sleep only. The bed is not where you work. It is not the place where you open your laptop, lie on your belly, and read your social media notifications. Tread your bed like a sacred spot where you lie down and get your snoozes. Or your much-needed babe time. But that’s it. This is one way of teaching the brain to do the work elsewhere, prompting you to sleep when it’s time.
Be like a vampire. And by that, we mean no lights, please. You don’t have to walk through the dark to get to your room, but minimize exposure to artificial light, especially the harmful screens off your gadgets, which takes away your body’s natural desire to sleep. What you could do? Prep your bedtime with an eye mask if you can’t block out the light from your room.
Switch your gadgets to books. Instead of constantly swiping up, down, left and right with your iPad, how about using a real page turner? Books help your mind settle down to a new kind of quiet – one that calms you while giving you information. Grab a romance fiction or get on the edge of your seat with a thriller; either ways, you get to improve your vocabulary skills, mental world building, and solid amusement, minus too much light.
Avoid binge-watching. Yes, your favourite drama is on Netflix, but that doesn’t mean you can watch all 24 episodes of it in one sitting, especially after-work. We understand that you need to treat yourself after the day’s hustle, but your eyes get tired too. Plus, you won’t get to enjoy the scenes when your head is drooping down the couch.
Don’t sleep elsewhere at home. Mentioning droopy eyes on the couch, perhaps it’s also better not to sleep on anywhere else, especially for naps late in the evening. Naps could affect your body’s circadian rhythm, which will lead you to feeling more awake later in the night. You can take naps during the afternoons, from 1 to 3 p.m., but when the time hits 4 o’clock, it’s better to reserve your sleepy feelings for a one-time, big-time, quality doze-off.
Skip the proteins. After a long day’s haul, you might be tempted to dig into a nice slab of pizza, but don’t do it; instead, head to the fridge and grab yourself some yogurt and crackers. It’s important to eat light before you sleep, as you body needs to keep awake to digest them. Plus, indigestion the next morning could cause you problems.
Reduce fluid intake. A glass of water will suffice to keep your body hydrated as you go through several stages of sleep, but that’s it. No need to overdo on the fluids, or else you will be waking up every now and then to relieve yourself of it. Also, thinking of sipping a glass of wine or a cup of coffee? Might not be a good idea. Skip the alcohol and caffeine for daytime intake.
Soak into a hot bath. Here’s the thing: cold baths wake you up and keep you feeling energized. Hot baths do the opposite: they calm you down, help you ease your stress, and allow better blood circulation which will help you achieve better sleep at night. Plus, the steam from the shower helps you open your pores, allowing you to absorb the nutrients from your daily lotions! Now, you get to have a real beauty sleep.
Inhale sleepy scents. Your sense of smell does wonders in aiding your slumbers. Did you ever wonder why peeling an orange gives you that kick of joy and mirth? Or the lingering sound of vanilla triggers that sensual, romantic in you? If you’re having a hard time sleeping, open a lavender-scented candle, and you’re off to good dreams.
Tip: You'll find more of these scents in our shop.
Give your pillows a good plumping.Just like the school bell ringing, teaching your body signals when you’re going to sleep is helpful. One way to do that is prepping your bed for that one giant nap. Make sure you have the right pillows you need according to your sleeping traits – if you sleep on your back or stay like a log, you’ll need a specific pillow to support your head, neck and spine.
Change into your sleepwear. Just like above, you need a mental signal of sleep, and one way to do that? Slipping into your favourite silk pyjamas. Your instincts tell you that you can’t spill on it or shower it with pastry crumbs. It’s a natural phenomenon, but this silky sleepwear is your best napping armour, so get yourself cocooned in a coordinate (or two, for spare), and sleep tight.
According to research, new habits become automatic within two months of keeping at it. Maintain these sleeping habits and get the best sleep your body needs – and deserves.
