How to boost your sleep (at zero cost)
Despite the freely available information and general knowledge on its importance, sleep still has a very undervalued role in our lives. It is intertwined with a multitude of areas in our lives. It heavily influences our physical health, social interactions and relationships, cognitive functions, and overall sense of comfort and well-being. If this is not convincing enough, you can find plenty of good reasons why you should care about it here and here. The tricky part is – the more we lack it, the less able we feel to do something about it. Today, I would like to show you there are plenty of options that are readily available to you, without needing to spend a single cent.
Therefore, without further ado, here are a few tips that are very easy to apply and that work like magic for me whenever I want to get my sleep in check:
- Prep the bedroom. This should not be an emergency go-to but rather an everyday staple: make sure your sleep space is a silent, well-ventilated, darkened room. The most suitable and recommended temperature to keep it at is between 16 to 19 degrees Celsius. I highly recommend this to become your basics checklist.
- Consistency. I cannot stress this one enough. Developing a consistent schedule, for me personally, is half of the success overall. I am sure you've already heard about the term 'biological clock'. While it is hugely driven by the circadian rhythm (more on that shortly), you can train your body to follow your own specific rhythm as well – but consistency truly is the key.
- Controlled light exposure. There are many ways to take more control and get more aligned with your natural circadian rhythm throughout the day as well, but right now, let's focus on what you can (and should be) doing to optimize your sleep between sunset and bedtime. The spectrum and proportionality of wavelengths that sunlight consists of changes during the day. Apart from us "knowing" whether it is morning or night, it is precisely the "structure" of the light hitting our skin and eyeballs that informs our bodies about that time of the day it is. At sunset, the blue light that is naturally contained in the sunlight during the day fades away, and our bodies are starting to prepare for sleep by triggering melatonin production. Except… it doesn't really fade away since we keep supplementing it artificially through all the screens we keep staring at, right? Winter is especially tricky since the sun sets very early, which creates an extended period of time when biologically, we should be sleeping or getting ready for it. Still, we want to keep functioning for a couple hours longer. As a minimum, try to avoid screen time at least an hour before bed to allow your body to adjust to the "new phase" of the day and get ready for nighttime and rest.
- Evening rituals. The following recommendations may sound contraindicative, but keep on reading and hear me out. If you need help with winding down, make sure to make either a relaxing warm bath or a cold shower as part of your evening routine. The effects of taking a warm bath to wind down seem self-explanatory, but ending your shower with a minute of cold water can be equally beneficial (let alone all the other benefits it brings). Cold water relaxes your muscles, releases tension, and improves physical recovery, and thanks to that, it is an excellent addition to the nighttime routine, even if a more surprising one.
- Brain dump. In case it is not your body but your mind keeping you up, do a brain dump. I definitely remember nights when even though I was really, really tired, my brain kept pulling off a night shift and generating thoughts and to-do list items at the speed of light. If that is the case, the most foolproof method is to make an actual note or set up a reminder so your mind can let it go. Of course, having a pen and paper on your bedside table would be the best, but a note (or even a voice memo) on your phone will do.
All of these options are literally available to everyone at zero cost at all. And if you are willing to invest a tiny bit, here are two low cost bonuses:
- Herbal tea or almost any non-caffeinated warm beverage of your choice. This one sounds like a no-brainer, but I think that while many people are aware of the claimed benefits, only a very few actually really go for it. Chamomile and lavender are for sure very popular ones; however, I honestly am not the greatest fan of the taste of either. When it comes to nighttime drinks, my personal fave and absolute evening routine champion is this cocoa by Four Sigmatic. On top of the fact that it is cocoa (and my inner child is giggling with pure joy every time I'm making it), it contains reishi - a mushroom, that is - among other benefits - known for supporting stress reduction and improving sleep.
- Lavender oil. If falling asleep is feeling particularly difficult on some nights, I put a little bit of lavender essential oil on my wrists. Even if everything else from above was absent that night, the smell is so deeply relaxing that I fall asleep in minutes.
Are there any you are already using, or maybe some other you would add? Let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!
