I have a terrible relationship with sleeping. You could call me an experienced expert on this subject. There have been many times I struggled with getting a good night sleep. Over time I learned what worked wonders for me. During this time I developed my top ten ways to sleep better.

The last one helped me to get better sleep at night. Number ten also stopped me from overthinking and puzzling at night! I can’t tell you how much better that made my life. Overthinking was a part of me, and I’m glad I got rid of it once and for all.

My top ten ways to sleep better at night

1. Total Blackout

The first one that improved my sleep significantly is blacking out my room. This means you have to cancel out all light sources. Usually, the most light comes through your windows. Buying some blackout curtains is the first logical step to creating a completely dark room.

Another method I use myself is a sleeping mask. Using a sleeping mask is a way cheaper option than changing your curtains. Unfortunately not all sleeping masks out there completely cover up all light. Therefore I still advise to black out the whole room for at least as much as possible.

2. Cancel out noise

One of the things I’ve been doing for a couple of years is sleeping with noise canceling earplugs. Even though I sleep on my side, they don’t bother me. I use two types of earplugs. One of them is a foam one the other is a soft one.

The foam one is better for sleeping on your side. I don’t have trouble with the soft one though. Apart from the foam one being better for sleeping on the side, I believe the other one is better at canceling out the noise. Of course, your experience could be different. The soft ones are usually a bit more expensive but hardly lose their effectiveness.

A more expensive option would be to get molded earplugs these are a lot more expensive but will fit your ears perfectly and cancel out noise in a very effective way.

3. Develop a bedtime routine

In calisthenics, it’s essential to have a workout routine to reach your goals. When it comes to going to bed, this is just as important. Remember as a kid you always followed the same pattern. Bath time, brushing teeth, a bedtime story and then lights out to sleep.

This principle is fundamental because it gets the mind mentally ready for sleep. It will allow your body to start creating the right hormones (melatonin) that will help you fall asleep. To create a bedtime routine try to include some suggestions I will give you here.

4. Get enough exercise

Ever seen those uptight dogs in your street that keep barking and never shut up? Usually, the main reason for these dogs being so uptight is because they don’t get enough exercise. The same applies to us humans; we are not made to sit behind a desk all day.

Calisthenics athletes probably don’t have any problem with this tip. You are probably working out for around four times a week maybe even more, good! You will have no problem crossing this step off for a better night. Be careful though working out close before going to bed could make your night worse.

Exercising pumps up the heart rate. By doing this, your body is getting more active and will not be ready for a proper night sleep. Make sure you keep enough time between exercise and sleep

5. Don’t drink right before going to sleep

In this first part, I’m not referring to alcohol but any liquid even water. Not all of us have a big blatter and therefore have problems with drinking anything right before going to bed. Unfortunately, most people who drink close before going to bed will be waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.

Apart from what a lot of people believe drinking alcohol before going to bed gives you a worse night sleep than it might seem to provide you with. Sure, after going to a party you drank so much you fall asleep right away. This sounds like a perfect thing, especially for people that have trouble getting to sleep.

Even though you fell asleep quickly, the quality of your sleep is terrible. Your REM sleep will be shorter than usual. The chance that you are snoring is a lot bigger; this could harm your rest because of the amount of sound you are producing. Did you know you can create noise around 80 – 100 decibels! That equals the amount of sound produced during the movie theater or a concert!

Make sure there you don’t drink anything for at least one hour before going to bed.

6. Stop snoozing!

Most of the ways mentioned here are about being able to fall asleep. Did you know having a proper morning routine also benefits your energy levels during the day? Since we are talking about sleep, I will not go into the morning routine. Instead, I will focus on the part that includes a sleep pattern, and part of it is waking up. I’ll mention one of the most significant problems people have nowadays, snoozing!

Why is it so bad to snooze you ask? When you wake up your body and mind needs some time to adapt. So by going back to sleep using the snooze button you are confusing yourself. The more you snooze, the more you get confused. That’s why you feel so horrible after snoozing a couple of times.

Bad habits die hard they say, so go on and get that habit out of your system. Start by setting your alarm at a time you have to get up and get up at the same time every day. This will teach your body and mind to get up and make it easier over time.

7. No caffeine

This one might be obvious since most of us know what caffeine does to the body. Caffeine stimulates the body into more activity and therefore should be avoided long before going to bed. Apart from coffee, there is a lot of soft drinks that have caffeine, and even some teas have caffeine in them.

8. No electronics

A lot of us use electronic devices right before going to bed. Unfortunately, I am the same and should stop doing it. Electronic devices such as tablets, TV, Laptops and mobile phones emit artificial blue light. Instead of getting your body ready to fall asleep you are postponing this process.

Having this habit and doing it daily can seriously harm your sleep at night. It will have an adverse effect on your mood and energy levels.

Try to change your habits and try to read a book, for instance, preferably fiction. If there is no way you can’t stop using devices right before going to bed (liar!), make sure you lower down the brightness and use night mode whenever possible.

9. Keep the room temperature cool

It is essential you keep your room temperature moderate. The room temperature should not be more than 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit). It is scientifically proven that a moderate temperature will improve sleep significantly. Make sure your room is not to warm but also not too cold. Both could leave you restless and therefore intervene with quality sleep.

10. Meditate

This one I’ve used in the past which helped me a lot with both sleeping and getting relaxed. Meditating is the word I use, but I don’t do all the fuzz around it like some people do. I sit or lie down entirely still and close my eyes. First I try to focus on just one thought. Usually, I try relaxing all my muscles.

What happens is that your body will relax and lowers its heart rate. Both these things will get the body and mind ready to sleep. The last step is just to let the current focus go into a natural relaxation. Before you know it, you’ll be asleep. You will not remember obviously!

Does this work? Yes, it does, I was skeptical too, and it does require some practice but give it a try. Within a week you’ll get the hang of this. Sometimes I still use it if I have trouble sleeping or whenever I’m trying to relax.

Conclusion

There you have my ten ways to sleep better at night. One extra tip and one of the best is whenever you lie down in your bed don’t think about getting to sleep. This will counteract to the thing you are trying to achieve.

Please tell us the ways you’ve managed to improve your sleep in the comments below. So all of us can benefit!