Go to Sleep! Secrets to Super Sleep at Night for You and Your Family

Winding down at night brings about an extreme challenge to even the best of us at times. Following a day filled with family, friends, events, appointments, meetings, deadlines, and responsibilities, sleep should come easy at the end of it all. Unfortunately, falling asleep is not always as simple as snuggling under the covers one our heads hit the pillow. Preparing ourselves for a good night's sleep is possible with the help of Healthy Sleep Tips shared from the National Sleep Foundation. Try these secrets to super sleep at night for you and your family.

Thank you to Pillow Pets and their promotional team for the  courtesy of providing complimentary product for editorial content purposes. *Healthy Sleep Tips reposted from the National Sleep Foundation.

Secrets to Super Sleep at Night for You and Your Family

Just when I thought sleep training was a thing of my parenting past, long weekends, summer schedules, and occasional family vacations create a sleep cycle that only a teen would love. Helpful and huggable, we used Sleeptime Lites by Pillow Pets, as a timed night light and soft plush animal, to get back on schedule. Illuminated with a gentle rainbow starry display in 3 multi-colored light display modes, Sleeptime Lites feature a 20-minute timer that helps my son settle in to slumber each night.

Healthy Sleep Habits

©2018 NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Healthy sleep habits can make a big difference in your quality of life. Having healthy sleeap habits is often referred to as having good sleep hygiene. Try to keep the following sleep practices on a consistent basis-

1- Stick to a sleep schedule of the same bedtime and wake up time, even on the weekends. This helps to regulate your body's clock and could help you fall asleep and stay asleep for the night.

2- Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual. A relaxing, routine activity right before bedtime conducted away from bright lights helps separate your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety which can make it more difficult to fall asleep, get sound and deep sleep or remain asleep.

3- If you have trouble sleeping, avoid naps, especially in the afternoon. Power napping may help you get through the day, but if you find that you can't fall asleep at bedtime, eliminating even short catnaps may help.

4- Exercise daily. Vigorous exercise is best, but even light exercise is better than no activity. Exercise at any time of day, but not at the expense of your sleep.

5- Evaluate your room. Design your sleep environment to establish the conditions you need for sleep. Your bedroom should be cool – between 60 and 67 degrees. Your bedroom should also be free from any noise that can disturb your sleep. Finally, your bedroom should be free from any light. 

6- Check your room for noises or other distractions. This includes a bed partner's sleep disruptions such as snoring. Consider using blackout curtains, eye shades, ear plugs, "white noise" machines, humidifiers, fans and other devices.

Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows. Make sure your mattress is comfortable and supportive. The one you have been using for years may have exceeded its life expectancy – about 9 or 10 years for most good quality mattresses. Have comfortable pillows and make the room attractive and inviting for sleep but also free of allergens that might affect you and objects that might cause you to slip or fall if you have to get up during the night.

7- Use bright light to help manage your circadian rhythms. Avoid bright light in the evening and expose yourself to sunlight in the morning. This will keep your circadian rhythms in check.

8- Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and heavy meals in the evening. Alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine can disrupt sleep. Eating big or spicy meals can cause discomfort from indigestion that can make it hard to sleep. If you can, avoid eating large meals for two to three hours before bedtime. Try a light snack 45 minutes before bed if you’re still hungry.

9- Wind down. Your body needs time to shift into sleep mode, so spend the last hour before bed doing a calming activity such as reading. For some people, using an electronic device such as a laptop can make it hard to fall asleep, because the particular type of light emanating from the screens of these devices is activating to the brain. If you have trouble sleeping, avoid electronics before bed or in the middle of the night.

10- If you can't sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel tired. It is best to take work materials, computers and televisions out of the sleeping environment. Use your bed only for sleep and sex to strengthen the association between bed and sleep. If you associate a particular activity or item with anxiety about sleeping, omit it from your bedtime routine.

11- If you’re still having trouble sleeping, don’t hesitate to speak with your doctor or to  find a sleep professional. You may also benefit from recording your sleep in a Sleep Diary  to help you better evaluate common patterns or issues you may see with your sleep or sleeping habits.
©2018 NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Pillow Pets are convenient for home and travel, the soft plush stuffed animals have a strap to easily transform them from pets into pillows. Available on Amazon (affiliate).

As the owner of this blog, niecyisms by Creative Learning Center Studios, I am compensated to provide my opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. This blog may contain affiliate links. Even though, as the writer/owner of this blog receiving compensation for posts or advertisements, I will always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs or experiences on those topics or products. This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. I believe in the honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.