7 Life-Changing Habits For Deeper, More Restful Sleep

Sleep is an underrated form of self care. If you don’t get enough of it you are risking serious mental and physical health issues. From agitation to a weakened immune system, there are a lot of concerns to look out for. That and more is the reason why I decided to start working on using habits for better sleep. Here are seven habits that I started doing to improve my sleep. 

7 Habits For Better Sleep

The following habits range from simple changes to more involved ones. I’m sharing my experience so that you can improve your own sleep health. Figure out which ones would make the most difference in your life, and then start there.

1. Creating A Night Time Routine

To start my journey to better sleep I thought it was finally time to create a night time routine. There are many ways that you can go about this. Here are the things I decided on.

• Take medication/supplements
• Brush teeth
• Do my skincare routine
• Do my haircare routine
• Prep for the next day
• Read/wind down

I may not get it perfect every night, but ideally these are the activities I want to do before going to bed.

2. Spraying Lavender Pillow Mist

I’ll be honest, I don’t think lavender has a strong effect on me, but I still like spraying this pillow mist. To me it’s more about setting the intention that I’m ready to relax. Plus I just really love the smell of lavender. It’s a simple way to signal that it’s time to get some shut eye soon.

If you are considering starting this habit for better sleep, maybe look into various scents if lavender is not relaxing to you. There are so many ways to add a helpful scent so don’t forget you can explore candles as well as essential oils too.

3. Getting a Better Pillow as a Better Sleep Habit

I never realized how much having the right pillow can affect your quality of sleep. I recently bought this weird shaped pillow from Amazon. Not only is it a cooling pillow, but it also helps by removing the possibility of those morning pains (like headaches, stiff neck, and shoulder pain). The design of the pillow helps to support your neck if you are a back or side sleeper. It’s even comfortable for stomach sleepers as well. 

I’ve been using this pillow for about a month as I’m writing this, and I have noticed differences. I feel like I get comfortable/fall asleep faster and have definitely woken up in the mornings with less aches and pains.

4. Eliminate Distractions as a Habit for Better Sleep

I touched on this a bit earlier, but the best way to get to sleep fast is to eliminate any distractions you may have. This may mean turning the TV off at night, moving your phone across the room, and even shutting your bedroom door. It may be harder to eliminate mental distractions, but you do have power to eliminate your physical ones.

5. Use an Actual Alarm Clock

Another recent purchase that I’ve made to help increase the quality of my sleep has been an alarm clock. Before I used to just use my phone for my alarm clock. This wasn’t ideal as a habit to get better sleep for two reasons:

• It made it easier to get distracted on the phone at bedtime and as soon as I wakeup
• It makes me wake up instantaneously, not taking into account what stage of sleep I’m in.

This Sunrise Alarm Clock has several great features. The best one is that it gradually wakes you up with both light and gradual sound. You can choose from various colors of lights as well as alarm sounds. I have mine set to a bright pink and an ocean sound.

I’ve also been using my new alarm clock for about a month and it has been a game changer. Sometimes I even wake up before the sound comes on just from the light. I wake up with much more energy now. We’ve got a review for a similar alarm clock on the blog as well. Definitely check that out if you are looking for a new alarm clock.

6. Trying to Drink Most of My Water in the First Half of the Day

One of the surefire ways for me to feel tired when I wake up in the mornings is if I had interrupted sleep the night before. The most common suspect is having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

I started realizing that this doesn’t happen as often if I drink more of my water during the day than in the evening. So I’ve been trying my hardest to keep up with that so I have fewer interruptions at night. This habit for better sleep means I’m having longer stretches of, and therefore better, sleep.

7. Making Sure I’m Getting Enough Sleep

The last point I want to make/a habit you should adapt is getting to bed earlier. All of the habits that I’ve shared on this list will do you no good if you aren’t getting enough sleep. This may mean you have to cut evening activities short or instead plan around some things. It can be helpful to set an alarm for 30 minutes to an hour before you want to be asleep so that you can wind down. 

The way I figure out when to go to bed is to work backwards. So if I know that I need to wake up at 6:00AM, then I’ll want to be asleep by 10:00 PM so that I get enough sleep. Which means I’ll want to start winding down around 9-9:30PM.

And That’s a Wrap on Better Sleep Habits

I’ve had a lot of success adding these habits to my life. Implementing these night time habits can help you drift off to dreamland faster and for longer too. Let me know in the comments what you do to get good sleep.

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