***
This afternoon we’re chatting about sleep… Something I’ve been told a time or two will start to slowly vanish from my life when we bring our newborn baby home from the hospital in the coming week or two!
What I didn’t expect to experience was a lack of sleep before our baby arrived. I read and heard all about women feeling uncomfortable during pregnancy, but for some reason I didn’t think back pain or feeling achy would really impact my sleep too much. (Ha! Ha! Ha!)
A few weeks ago, as you may remember me stating in one of my pregnancy recaps, I truly began to dread going to sleep at night because I knew I’d wake up a million times and feel incredibly uncomfortable. And then I’d start to play mind games with myself… “If I fall asleep right now and wake up at 6 a.m., I can still get seven hours of sleep…” Oh joy!
Well, after several weeks of lackluster sleep, I’ve come up with a handful of tricks that will often work for me and help me fall asleep at night or help me drift back to sleep after I’ve woken up for the 1,000th time to pee. I’m teaming up with Sleep Number to share some of them with you guys today and also offer you a pretty stellar sleep-themed giveaway at the end of this post!
Tips For Better Sleep
- Read Before Bed (Or When You Can’t Fall Back Asleep!)
Reading is a go-to for me when I am feeling restless and wide awake at bed time. There have also been a handful of times during my pregnancy when I’ve ended up falling asleep and then waking up around 2 a.m., unable to drift back to sleep. After a few nights of tossing and turning for more than an hour, I decided to try reading in the middle of the night. I turned on my light (thankfully Ryan was willing to wear an eye mask and didn’t seem to care!) and read for about 30 minutes until my eyes got heavy. I was able to fall asleep much faster than the previous nights when I just laid there thinking about all the sleep I was missing. Reading is key!
Also, Sleep Number recommends using a reading light that does NOT have a blue light, as blue light wakes you up more since it mimics daylight. Opt for a night light in more of a warm orange tone, which mimics sunset.
- Keep Phones Out of Reach from the Bedside
I used to keep my phone on my nightstand, but all too often I’d find myself checking emails or scrolling through Instagram before bed. There’s something about a phone screen that is just about the least soothing thing to look at before bed and once Ryan and I started keeping our phones out of reach from our bedside, we found ourselves reading more, talking with each other before bed and sleeping better. We started doing this years ago in Ocala and it’s a big one for us now!
According to Sleep Number, watching TV or using computers or phone before bed stimulates the brain and the blue light from screens makes it harder to get quality sleep. In a survey conducted by the company, Sleep Number found that people from California and Utah use electronics in bed the most, while those from Oregon and Iowa use electronics in bed the least!
- Get Into Bed an Hour Before You Want to Fall Asleep
(Pic from our baby’s nursery!)
I know busy schedules and to-do lists can make this one a challenge, but whenever possible, Ryan and I try to get into bed an hour before we actually hope to fall asleep. I looooove crawling into bed at the end of a long day (it’s seriously one of my favorite parts of every day) and when I know I have an hour to just hang out with Ryan, read a book or cuddle up with Sadie before I really feel like I need to fall asleep, I am much more relaxed and likely to drift off to sleep earlier than intended.
- Keep Your Room Temperature Cool
Two weeks ago, Ryan and I had our upstairs air conditioning fixed. (Hallelujah!!) Prior to that, we could not get our upstairs below 80 degrees at night and it was miserable. I could not stop sweating and eventually pointed a little space fan directly at my face and slept that way until we had our air fixed. We still don’t keep it as cool as I think we’d both like it because air conditioning is expensive, but at least a lot of the humidity is gone from our bedroom and sleeping in 70-something degrees is much nicer than 80+ degrees, that’s for sure! (Especially when you’re in your third trimester and can’t stop sweating as it is!) According to Sleep Number, the ideal sleeping temperature is 65 – 67 degrees.
- Exercise
I don’t think it was a coincidence that during the time I was experiencing intense sacroiliac pain, I slept the worst I have in years. Yes, I am sure a lot of this had to do with my inability to get comfortable in bed, but I also felt so incredibly restless and almost antsy. I feel like a lot of this had to do with the fact that I just wasn’t moving much during the day. My body wasn’t physically tired! I definitely sleep better on days when I am active and make it to the gym!
- Use Relaxation Techniques
Okay, this tip is a little strange, but I swear it works! Ryan actually taught it to me years ago when I was complaining about not feeling tired at all before bed one night. (Apparently he learned it in a yoga class years ago!) Focus on relaxing every part of your body starting from the very tips of your toes, moving all the way up to the top of your head. Concentrate on releasing tension from everywhere… Your ankles, knees, hips, every finger… By focusing all of my attention on relaxing my body, I cannot help but feel more calm (and, to be honest, a bit bored, which helps me feel more tired, too)!
- Track Your Sleep
This is a bit of a double-edged sword for me. Sometimes I can psych myself out if I feel like I’m getting too little sleep, but for the most part tracking sleep and figuring out what time I need to go to bed to get 8 hours of sleep helps me feel more motivated to get into bed at a reasonable time. There are tons of sleep trackers on the market these days that you can use and Sleep Number also created SleepIQ® technology that works with any new Sleep Number bed to track and monitor your sleep for you without requiring you to wear anything fancy. (Crazy, right?)
Giveaway
And now it’s time for a sleep-inspired giveaway! It’s a good one and I really hope it catches your eye, especially if you happen to be struggling to get a good night’s sleep!
One PBF reader will win the following sleep-themed prize pack:
- Two Sleep Number Pillows
- Comfortable Slippers
- Satin Eye Mask
- Anthropologie Personalized Mug (for evening tea)
- Lavender Candle
To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment on this post telling me about one trick you use to help yourself fall asleep at night.
I will randomly select a giveaway winner on Friday morning. Good luck!
Disclaimer: White this post is sponsored by Sleep Number, I am personally sponsoring the giveaway portion (though Sleep Number is providing the pillows). Thank you so, so much for your continued support surrounding sponsored posts. I truly appreciate it!
For more tips on how to sleep better, visit Sleep Number.
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I love that you mention screens because this is a huge thing for me. I know to put down my screens (tv, phone, computer, etc) well before I want to go to bed.
Reading helps me fall asleep! But now that I am 14 months pregnant I find myself waking up in the middle of the night to pee once or twice! Then I struggle to get back to sleep, so this giveaway would help out so much!
Meant to say 14 weeks!
I often use guided sleep meditations that I find on Youtube. There are a lot of them there that send me right to sleep. Another thing to look for on Youtube is Yoga Nidra. It’s supposed to just put you in a deep meditation and not put you to sleep, but I fall asleep every time.
I work the night shift in a hospital so I use every trick I can! Really cold room, read before bed, and no caffeine after 3 (am haha). Those pillows and that eye mask look incredible!!
I started wearing earplugs when I had 3 (!) roommates in my dorm freshman year. I still wear them now years later when I can’t fall asleep and the softening of street and neighbor sounds makes all the difference!
Great giveaway! I count backwards, silently from 100. TOTALLY works.
I try to avoid electronics i.e. watching TV, using my phone 30-40 min before going to bed and instead read a book. I also find that on days when I have a hard workout, I have no trouble falling right to sleep!
I’m a big fan of reading before bed. Bonus points for being able to spend a lot of time there, like you said! I need a fan or white noise too in the background.
I love drinking tea before bed! It’s soothing and relaxing!
I read until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.
I take a bath with Dr. Teal’s Chamomile Epsom Salts. I look forward to it every night!
Great post! I have really been struggling with sleeping for a while now. I recently started using Lavender essential oils mixed with lotion that I apply on my feet and neck before I go to sleep. It seems to help sometimes!
Sleep sounds! My husband and I downloaded an app called “Rain, Rain” where you can create your own custom mixes (waves, wind and light rain – yes please!) – it really helps us drift off!
Reading definitely helps me fall asleep! Sadly. sometimes too quickly! I’ll have only read 3 or so pages and my eyes start getting heavy, haha!
Avoiding media/social media before bed is most helpful for me!
I do multiplication tables in my head (1 x 1= 1, 1 x 2= 2, etc.) I think it’s so boring it puts me to sleep; I never make it to 12 x 12!
I love drinking tea before bed! Bedtime yoga helps a lot too.
I always take a few calming breaths and make sure my to-do list for the next day is complete!
Thankfully I have never had any issues with falling asleep. I like to think that is in part due to exercising!
One of my favorite tricks is to put on my yoga playlist and do a bedtime yoga sequence. It helps to relax my mind AND body. Then I crawl into bed and read for 15-20 minutes until I feel drifty. That is when the reading lamp goes out and so do I! (;
Oh gosh this giveaway looks delightful! Being a mommy to a super happy/full of life 6 year old & 7 months preggers… sleep is one thing I LOVE but is a bit hard for me to do so comfortably these days. I LOVE your tips & all these goodies sound AMAZING btw, thanks for the super sweet chance!
My one little thing that helps me sleep is a fan… the being cool & the sound really helps!
I just try to clear my head and imagine a peaceful place. It usually puts me right to sleep!
No caffeine after 3pm, an early dinner and light snack before bed are my sleep tricks! Though I rarely have issues falling asleep, chasing after a toddler and all the running I do make me so excited for bedtime. 😉
Reading almost always helps me fall asleep!
I turn on the fan and count in my head! Usually works!
I listen to relaxing tracks to health myself fall asleep
I tell myself a bedtime story–it sounds cheesy, but it totally works, and usually results in happy dreams!
Reading always does the trick for me along with no caffeine in the afternoon.
I love Ryan’s technique that he learned in Yoga. I’ve heard of something similar, and use that strategy a lot. In addition, sometimes I try counting backwards really slowly from 100 and doing one deep breath per number. Sounds weird, but it seems to work!
I usually read before bed and that seems to help me out.
We use white noise in our room. We don’t have a sound machine but we run a fan that wasn’t advertised as “quiet” haha
Loving your blog – just stumbled upon it a few weeks ago before the baby was born 🙂 Congrats!
Reading before bed does the trick everytime!!
I always take a nice deep breath and exhale as I lay down on my pillow. It relaxes my muscles and gives me that “ahhh” feeling, which helps solidify the fact that a long day is done and it’s time to unwind!
Reading in bed! I typically can only make it a couple of pages before I’m passed out, haha.
I usually put the TV on until I’m tired enough to fall asleep.
I’ve been having a hard time falling asleep/staying asleep lately! Reading before bed and not going near my phone seems to help!
Well, I have a 10 month old, so it’s usually easy for me to CRASH into sleep (till he wakes us up again, that is!). But… I’ve recently started using lavender essential oil before bed and have found it easier to relax, and thus, sleep. Putting the cellphone/laptop away helps too.
If I’m having trouble quieting my mind – stress affects my sleep SO much – then I’ll count or repeat a phrase over and over again. It sounds so weird, but it’s one of the only ways that I can turn my brain off when I’m trying to fall asleep. Works like a charm!
This is an amazing giveaway! I would definitely use all of these! I have found that a nice cup of herbal tea or a warm bath will put me to sleep immediately
Reading always puts me into a sleepy mood, but to ensure I don’t go to bed wired, I always sign-off my computer at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
I use a little bit of lavender essential oil on my pillows. The smell is just so relaxing. I also use Ryan’s yoga technique of “conscious relaxing” (as I like to call it). My last resort is to try and play back a movie in my head and see how much I can actually get through.
i like to take a warm shower and read before bed
I always find reading in bed for a little while helps me fall asleep.
I am going to try to exercise more, in the afternoon though so I dont affect my sleep negatively by too close to bed
If I can’t get to sleep I use a relaxation technique really similar to the one you described. It’s called progressive muscle relaxation- essentially you focus on tensing then releasing different muscle groups. It definitely helps me relax and drift off to sleep!
I will do everything I can to fall asleep. One thing that has helped a lot is a cup of hot water and lemon. It makes me so relaxed!
I love to unwind by reading a bit before bed!
Reading works like a charm for me whether I am trying to fall asleep in the beginning of the night or if I wake up restless in the wee hours of the morning!
I really enjoy drinking green tea in bed and reading a bit!
I need these things! I’ve been having a hard time sleeping lately!