Hey there incredible human! My name is Chloe and I'm an award-winning Certified Life Coach and writer with a background in psychology, based on the Mornington Peninsula (Victoria, Australia)

My mission (the quick version) to to help you get the most out of your one infinite life. I do this through writing articles, my weekly(ish) emails and The Infinite Collection, 1:1 coaching and guiding people through 28 days of gratitude.

I hope you find something here that makes your day (or life!) better than it was before.

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Do you have trouble sleeping? Then this post will be helpful for you.

Ever since I can remember I have had trouble sleeping.

For the past few years I have dedicated myself to working on improving my sleep. Even though I still go through stages where I have difficulty sleeping, overall I now sleep better than I have in my entire life.

Through trail and error I have determined what works best for me when it comes to sleep, so I’m going to share with you everything I do to help myself sleep better…

11 ways to help you sleep better:

 

1 // Meditate. I used to take hours to get to sleep nearly every night, so my Grandad taught me how to meditate. At first it was difficult, however once I got the hang of it I realised how effective meditating was to help me relax and calm my mind. I now meditate myself to sleep every single night, and even if I’m having trouble sleeping I find that I still remain relaxed and don’t get as frustrated (like I used to).

 

2 // Start winding down early. After dinner I try my best not to do anything too stimulating like school work, writing blog posts or sending emails. Instead I try to use this time to do things that make me feel relaxed. Such as drinking tea, watching a movie or a tv show that I enjoy, reading, having a bath, putting on a face mask, painting my nails, doing yoga and stretching, and meditating (I especially love this chakra clearing meditation at the moment).

 

3 // Eat earlier. I like I eat dinner relatively early most of the time (when it’s possible). I try to eat a light or a small dinner as I find feeling too full or bloated before going to bed makes it harder to sleep. I also tend not to eat anything after about 8pm and I find this helps me fall asleep better.

 

4 // Turn the lights off. After dinner I turn the lights off (or at least dim them a little) and use my rock salt lamp instead. I find this creates a really nice environment which helps me to relax and wind down.

 

5 // Don’t check social media. I find by turning my phone onto airplane (or do not disturb) mode around 8 or 9pm at night ensures that I don’t spend time mindlessly scrolling my social media feeds. This helps me to not be overstimulated and also gives me the time to do things that help me wind down and relax.

 

6 // Turn off the electronics. I try not to use my electronic items as much as possible before bed. I find by not using electronics even 1/2 an hour before bed really helps me to fall asleep much easier. As I mentioned above I turn my phone and other devices onto airplane mode at about 8 or 9pm which helps me to not use it.

However if you need to be able to be contacted I recommend putting your phone onto the ‘do not disturb’ function (and not airpane mode) because in this mode you can modify the settings to allow calls from certain groups of contacts.

 

7 // Be conscious of what you consume. And how it effects your sleeping. At the moment I don’t consume any alcohol and most of the time I avoid refined sugar. I also don’t consume caffeine or lots of sweet things before bed. All this has helped me fall asleep easier and improved the quality of my sleep a lot.

 

8 // Be consistent. I find that going to sleep and waking up at the same time (as much as possible) is incredibly helpful for regulating a decent sleep/wake schedule. This requires a lot of ongoing patience and persistence, however I find it to be extremely beneficial to helping me sleep better overall.

 

9 // Take supplements. If you feel like you need some extra assistance with sleeping I highly recommend taking some herbal supplements. I personally have tried every brand that has a natural sleeping supplement that I could get my hands on. However at the moment the Pretorius homeopathic melatonin supplement works the best for me. I also often take a magnesium tablet before bed as I tend to get restless legs when I try to sleep.

As everyone is different I highly recommend trying different kinds of herbal supplements to find what works best for you.

 

10 // Tapping. Each night before I go to bed I do a few rounds of tapping (also known as EFT or the Emotional Freedom Technique, you can find out more here). I find it is an effective way to relax and calm myself down.

 

11 // Progressive muscle relaxation. When I go to bed (and before I start trying to meditate myself to sleep) I like to do progressive muscle relaxation exercises. To do this you systematically tense parts of your body, for about 10 seconds then relax, you repeat this starting at your toes and working up towards your head. I find this helps to relax me and allows me to ease into meditating myself to sleep.

A few extra tips for you:

1. ∞  I find keeping my phone (and all other electronic items) out of my bedroom when I’m trying to sleep to very helpful.

 

1. ∞  I highly recommend investing in an awesome pillow that you find super comfy and supportive.

 

1. ∞  Lying with my legs up the wall is a great way to relax and wind down at night time. This activates your parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for calming the body down, and I personally feel way more relaxed after I do this.

 

1. ∞  Reading is a great way to relax before going to bed. However if you have trouble sleeping I recommend reading a book you’ve already read before, so you know what to expect (so you don’t get too surprised) and also so you also don’t get caught up turning page after page long into the night.

 

1. ∞  Drink herbal tea is really relaxing for me. At the moment I am particularly enjoying having the T2 sleep tight tea at night time.

 

1. ∞  I like to shower in the dark (it’s super relaxing) before going to bed.

 

1. ∞  After showering I like to dab some essential oils on my wrists. At the moment I’m loving the Perfect Potion chakra balancing balm.

 

1. ∞  I like to sleep with a humidifier on (especially if I have a cold) with a relaxing scent like lavender or peppermint.

 

1. ∞  I find that sleeping with my blinds cracked open has really helped me to regulate my sleeping rhythms over time. I also find this helps me to wake earlier in the naturally. I also like to sleep with my window open a little as the fresh air helps me to fall asleep better.

 

1. ∞  I much prefer sleeping in a room that is as dark as possible, however because I like to have my blinds cracked open I tend to sleep with one of those (glam as) eye masks on.

 

1. ∞   I find that exercising everyday and eating well really helps me to sleep better overall.

 

1. ∞  I love to wash my bedding with a relaxing essential oil like lavender and I also like to spray my bedding and pillow with the Perfect Potion pillow spray before sleeping.

 

1. ∞  Also, before going to bed when I’m winding down I will usually take some Rescue Remedy to help me relax.

So there we go. This is a collection of everything I do to help me sleep better.

When trying to improve your sleep I suggest being proactive about trying different things to see what works best for you, and most importantly be patient and persistent.

I would love to hear from you in the comments below: what are your best tips to help you sleep better?

Wishing you a good nights sleep!

 

 

PS. You might also like: 8 ways to reduce anxiety, where I share my tips on how I reduce anxiety and stress and promote relaxation and calmness, which can be helpful for having a better sleep too.