Do you toss and turn tirelessly during the night? Do you lie awake in bed when you should be sleeping? Does your mind start racing right when you hop into bed keeping you awake?

This is common for a lot of people. Lack of sleep is not a new topic for us in the 21st century. According to the Better Sleep Council, about 80% of Americans agree that a lack of sleep causes problems like difficulty concentrating and increased stress. Use these 7 tips to increase better sleeping habits for yourself.

1. Have a sleep schedule. Go to bed every night around the same time, and wake up around the same time in the morning. Your body will adjust to this routine and learn to rely on it.
2. Assess your caffeine intake. Drinking a cup of Joe in the afternoon might be why you aren’t ready for bed when you need to be. You won’t need that afternoon “pick me up” if you get enough sleep, so start by limiting your caffeine intake after 2pm.
3. Don’t go to bed hungry. Try to eat a good size meal a few hours before you plan to sleep. Don’t eat right before bed, but also don’t eat your last meal like 10 hours before you plan to sleep.
4. Develop a bedtime routine. Wash your face, brush your teeth, drink a glass of water, take a hot shower. Figure out what puts your mind and body in a relaxed state, and do this before bed.
5. Keep a journal by your bed. Use this to write down those things that pop into your head right as your trying to fall asleep. We all have those million little things we are trying to remember while we sleep. Write them down, and forget about them until morning.
6. Remove all electronic distractions. This is not going to be easy for some of us (myself included!). Break the habits of Facebooking in bed, watching late night tv shows, and keeping your phone where it wakes you up with every notification.
7. Say a prayer and breathe. In those first minutes when you get into bed, wind down by saying a prayer. If you don’t pray, then breathe deep breaths and get into a relaxed state avoiding thoughts about what you need to do when you wake up.
   

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Wishing you all sweeter dreams with these tips. They only work if you use them. You’ve read them before, and you’ll read them again. You must apply them to benefit from them.

-L