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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 is my go-to. Works every single time!
Reading before bed!
I use a lavender and mint foot creme that soothes and tingles my toes as well as relaxes me. I also love sleepytime tea!
Reading before bed helps me fall asleep
I like to focus on taking deep, even breaths! It helps!
I try to read and have some sleepy time or chamomile tea before bed. But I often have trouble falling asleep if I’m tired or stressed.
When my fiance and I are together, we take turns rubbing each others’ head. Something about head rubs just helps put us right to sleep! Although we always fight over who gets to go last 🙂
I’m a TERRIBLE sleeper! I have restless legs a lot. I recently started elevating my legs on pillows and it’s made a huge difference in my sleep.
I love reading before bed and also imagining myself on a beach ! Makes me so relaxed!
Snuggling with the pup and husband always help. Hand or head massage can knock me right out!
Reading will put me to sleep every time!
I love reading before bed to help me fall asleep! It backfires at times when my book gets too juicy and I keep saying one more page!
Reading before bed works for me!
I love your tip of reading before bed. That always works for me, too!
I pray and then think about the best part of my day or what I’m looking forward to, which helps me to not worry about anything that may be a current stressor. I also do a bunch of your tricks – phone far away, get into bed early, and read. Some nights it goes better than others!
Reading really helps me fall asleep, sometimes with a mug of tea.
I make sure to follow the same routine when I’m getting ready for bed. I think that helps my body realize it’s time to go to sleep. I also don’t watch tv in bed so I think that helps my body understand that bed = sleep!
I notice reading before bed definitely helps me!
I love reading at night before bed, it’s the only way I can sleep!
I have to read before bed, even if it’s just a paragraph. On nights I’m really struggling I’ll take melatonin – but that’s usually hit or miss. I do charge my phone next to my bed and I think I’ll try your advice on not keeping it there. There’s been plenty of times when I’ve been woken up by a text message coming in. I go to bed fairly early before my day shifts, and unfortunately my friends and family aren’t always able to keep track of my schedule and don’t realize I’m already in bed. Thanks for the great advice:)
Reading is key for me to relax and get sleepy in bed! I’m newly pregnant and find that reading in the middle of the night, if I wake up and can’t fall back asleep, is a great trick too.
I aim to get in bed an hour before I want to be asleep. It gives me enough time to wind down from the day.
4-7-8: Inhale to the count of four, hold breath and count to seven, exhale to the count of eight
Reading and sleepy time tea usually does the trick.
Hot herbal tea in the winter. I read in bed all year long!
I found this random tip on Pinterest a while back that involved counting up while you took a breath in, then counting as you breathed out. By drawing long breaths you are supposed to get more oxygen into your system, which makes it easier to fall asleep. Works for me!
i have some kind of noise or sound in the background before i fall asleep.
Reading always makes me fall right to sleep, however, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is! If I try reading in the afternoon, I’m bound to fall asleep!
I like to have a fan on in my bedroom. The sound it makes helps me sleep.
My sister and I have been using that relaxation trick for years — love it!
I definitely will read before bed! Such a big help in getting me to sleep. I also take magnesium for muscle recovery, but know that is suppose to help with sleep as well. I’ve been getting better about NO phone as well. Now if only I could convince my boyfriend that watching TV isn’t helping him…
I feel like you covered the biggies for me (reading and exercising). Another is stretching. There have been times where I haven’t been able to sleep due to the knots throbbing in my legs and IT bands. On days where I train hard I make sure to do a deep stretch or foam roll before bed so that I don’t cramp up.
I turn my ceiling fan on. Even if it is chilly. I sleep much better with some air flow. Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
Erin
ErinLoves2Run at gmail dot com
Massage from the hubby! Works every time!!
I sleep with a fan and a noise maker! And you are right, reading does seem to help quite a bit.
Not having my phone with me!
I like to keep bedroom temperatures low so that I am cold enough to want to snuggle up in my blankets which helps me fall into a deep sleep!
I read every single night…even when I get to bed late. It helps relax me and turn my mind off of whatever is bothering it! 🙂
Hot herbal tea and a book. I’ve never had a television in my bedroom!
Drinking tea always works well for me to help me relax after a long day!
I sleep with the fan on all year. If I notice my brain won’t shut off when I get in bed I get out of bed and walk around or go to the bathroom and then go to bed..like a do-over!
I like to take a nice hot shower to relax those muscles!
I like to have some tea before bed. Hut not too close to sleepy time or I have to get up and go pee in the middle of the night!
oil diffuser! I use a mix of lavender and Thieves oil.
I like having a cup of tea and reading to help myself relax and fall asleep. I still need to work on keeping the phone out of bed though!
I turn my air down to 62 degrees and that helps me sleep.
Well, since I never have any trouble getting to sleep myself, I had to get this tip from my husband who works nights as a police officer. He finds wearing a sleep mask very useful, and he agrees with your tip that exercising and making sure you body is tired is a must!
I really need to buy an alarm clock & avoid using my phone as my alarm. I love the idea of having it elsewhere for the night. I always am telling my boyfriend to put his phone away before bed so I think this tip is really useful.
Body pillow, reading, and staying away from caffiene too late in the day!
I don’t drink anything that’s caffeinated past a certain hour.