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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.
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Reading and/or talking to my husband right before we fall asleep always helps! I need to try and not concentrate on anything before I close my eyes or that’s all I’ll be thinking about.
I always read before bed…works like a charm!
I always read before I go to bed and NO TV! It’s tough but it helps!
I try to keep my cell away from me as well and also have been using relaxation techniques before climbing into bed.
I always find that keeping my bedroom extra cool helps me to sleep better – I can never fall asleep or stay asleep when I’m too hot!
I love running my diffuser with some of DoTerra’s lavender or serenity oil through the night. The sound the machine makes and the smell sends me into a deep sleep.
I am currently working the night shift as a nurse so getting enough sleep is a big issue! Sleeping during the day after nights I work is tough…some tricks I use is keeping my fan on, listening to a noise app on my phone with headphones (to block out lawn mowers, dog barking, etc.), and using room darkening shades. I definitely took sleeping at night for granted before I started working this shift!
When I am in bed and cannot sleep, I try to remind myself that anything I am thinking of can wait. I deserve a good nights sleep and can deal with anything tomorrow. Seems to work most nights.
It’s all or nothing for me when it comes to sleep, either I’m out once my head hits the pillow or it’s a total struggle. I’ll use a sleep or meditation app if things get really bad, but would love to get away from relying on technology for a good nights sleep!
Reading before bed always does the trick for me. I agree with keeping electronics away from the bedroom too. Good luck getting sleep with that adorable little guy.
I always have a mug of pure peppermint tea! Every night, always, and it always works!
getting up early to get my workout in before my day starts always makes me super sleepy at night. I also have a cup of tea.
I read by Kindle in bed, and I find it very relaxing, but even better is when my boyfriend reads TO me before going to bed 😀
Blackout curtains! I just got some and they’ve made a ton of difference!
I listen to a book on tape when I can’t sleep in the middle of the night, While it breaks the “no electronics” rule, it does the trick 🙂
I love diffusing Lavender essential oil next to my bed for relaxation before falling asleep. But if that doesn’t work, my grad school text books sure do 😉
I love washing off my makeup, and taking my hair down before I climb into bed!
I turn on a TV series that I have seen a million times, that way I don’t have to concentrate on what’s going on and can just mindlessly watch it to relax. It usually only takes 10-15 minutes before I’m ready to fall asleep!
Reading definitely helps me!!
These are all great tips! I swear by a glass of warm milk before bed and a great book. Works every time! 🙂
I use a meditation technique where I count up to ten and with each breath imagine a wave bringing that number to the shore. So I breathe in and think of the number one coming in on a wave, and breathe out. Then repeat up to ten and back to one again.
I’m a huge fan of no cell phones near the bed! I use to wake up in the middle of the night and scroll through instagram when I couldnt fall back asleep.. it was a terrible habit! Also, drinking a non caffeinated herbal tea before bed also helps me a lot!
Like you said, I can definitely tell I do not get good sleep if I don’t exercise. If I can’t fall asleep I listen to relaxing music, it works great!
Definitely turning off the television and reading help me fall asleep quickly. And total darkness!
I just open up my biochemistry book in bed.. Knocks me out right away!
Reading before bed always does the trick!
I love to read before bed…after about 30 minutes I fall asleep so easily!
Reading! It puts me to sleep anytime
A nice lavender scented candle and some deep breathing.
My trick is to take melatonin! 😉 I do take melatonin, but I also try to be careful to avoid my phone near bedtime and read a book instead.
I have to sleep during the day most of the time because I unfortunately work night shift at the hospital. So, I’ve had to do a lot of things to get decent rest, including wearing orange safety glasses to block light as soon as work is over, leaving any electronics out of my bedroom, using a very thick eye mask (the Tempur-Pedicure sleep mask is expensive, but awesome!), wearing ear plugs to block daytime sounds, using two fans for cool air & white noise and reading for a few minutes when I go bed.
I read before bed and it always puts me to sleep.
I struggle to fall asleep every night and my husband is asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow which makes me so jealous! The only thing that helps me is reading!
i also keep my phone out of sight when i go to bed. it really helps!
I exercise in the evening take a calming bath and then reas
Reading before bed is definitely a big one, but I also love lying on my bedroom floor and stretching! Also, putting a dab of lavender oil on my wrist and taking a few deep sniffs always helps me to slow down and prepare for sleep 🙂
I always try to read for a few minutes before going to bed. This usually works unless it is a really good book which means I don’t get much sleep that night!
I shower before bed
Cuddle in a whole lot is blankets!
I like to relax each part of my body to help me sleep!
Sleepy time tea helps me unwind before getting into bed.
Read!! I try to tell people this all the time when they tell me they can’t go to sleep. It works like a charm for me. Especially on my Kindle because I don’t have to worry about losing my place when I fall asleep, and it will turn off on its own after a period of time. It distracts my brain so I can’t think about everything else.
Great tips! Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night and am having a hard time getting back to sleep it is because of low blood sugar. If I get up and have a small carbohydrate containing snack it usually helps me get right back to sleep.
I usually will read a book to help me fall asleep.
Imagining waves crashing on the beach helps me every time!
I roll on a lavender-based essential oil blend (on my wrists and back of neck). Smells wonderful and helps me fall asleep quickly!
Fluffy blanket + sleepy time tea is a go-to for me during any season!
Hard mattress and white noise does it for me!
I swear by melatonin! However, these days my new job is keeping me pretty exhausted!
A trick I learned googling sleep tips years ago has been a lifesaver…
It is a breathing technique. While laying in bed, close your eyes, and breathe in through your nose only for 5 seconds, then blow your breath out like your blowing up a balloon for 10 seconds, from the depths of your belly (the idea is to breathe out for double the time you inhaled through your nose)
Repeat this 5 times and you will begin to feel like you are about to nod off. This is also a nice stress reliever during the day, but only repeat one or two times, so you don’t get too sleepy 🙂
Sleep is so fascinating and quite complex.