Try incorporating these easy tips to make the most of the extra hour of sleep this weekend!
With Daylight Savings just around the corner, my friends at Beautyrest® Brand challenged me to show you how to take steps towards being a healthier, more well-rested you.
For me, that really starts with a good night’s sleep. That’s something that we all want (and need!) that, unfortunately, most of us don’t get enough of. According to a Beautyrest® Brand survey, a third of Americans (33%) say it’s been 6 months or longer since they last woke up feeling energized. 1
That is not good, folks.
And boy can I relate. As first-time parents, we spent most of our first year wandering around like zombies because we were waking up every hour and a half to two hours. The same still happens when your little one is popping a tooth or gets sick. Now that Brexton is finally sleeping through the night (and actually sleeping 12 hours a night – mommy victory!), to be honest with you, my quality of sleep was still pretty bad. Whether it was staying up late to read a book, playing on Pinterest, browsing social media or staying up to catch up on emails, I found my baby was sleeping like a baby … however, I was not.
Getting a good night’s sleep is so important because it affects your overall health and well-being. Lucky for us, with the time change this weekend, we get a whole extra hour of sleep (woohoo!). So there’s no reason not to incorporate some of these easy habits into your routine so you can wake up feeling your best!
Wake up at the same time each day.
First, let’s start with wake up time. Thanks to Brexton and his trusty internal alarm clock, we are up at almost 8:00 AM on the dot every morning. This is actually a great thing because waking up and going to bed around the same time has been shown to help you sleep better. Now the going to sleep part I’m still struggling with, but we will get to that later.
Workout early in the day.
During the day, I like to get my workout done early. Right after breakfast is my favorite time or during Brexton’s nap time. I find that if I work out after dinner or after Brexton has gone to bed that I can’t get myself to wind down as easily and fall asleep.
Limit your caffeine intake, especially later in the day.
When I got pregnant with Brexton, the smell of coffee literally made me sick. I guess that’s a good thing, though, because I used to love drinking coffee and giving it up like that cold turkey has allowed me to not start drinking it again. I drink a cup of chai tea every morning and (yes, yes, yes, I know it’s terrible but …) a diet pop with lunch. I’m trying so hard to break that habit because I know how bad diet pop is for you; so I’m slowly cutting back from one full can to three quarters and I hope to give it up all together. My goal is to have green tea for a bit of caffeine because it is a lot healthier. In general, after 3 o’clock I will not touch any caffeine because it messes with my sleep. For me, I also feel like anything more than a glass of wine affects my sleep. I can fall asleep fine but find myself tossing and turning all night.
Catch up on social media and emails outside of the bedroom.
I like to try to be asleep by 11:00, which, for me, is good because this night owl used to stay up ‘til 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning reading! The hardest part for me is when I get to bed, like everyone, I reach for my phone. It’s easy to lose so much time scrolling through social media when you should be catching up on good sleep. One thing that has helped me is looking through social media and emails while sitting on the couch before bed and not looking at my phone at all once I’m in bed. I have found that drinking a sleepytime tea while doing this helps me fall asleep quicker and more soundly when I do actually get to bed.
Give yourself time to wind down before falling asleep.
I still have to read a book before bed. It helps me relax and is literally the only way I can fall asleep. I read on my tablet and have found that putting it on the night setting so that it’s not very bright has made a big difference with being able to fall asleep quicker. When I remember, I also put a touch of bedtime essential oils on and the scents help to relax me.
Create the right sleep environment.
You don’t always think about it, but it’s important to set the right temperature in your room for sleep. When we were researching what temperature to set Brexton’s room to as a baby, I read that it’s best to sleep in temperatures between 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit – so all of our bedrooms are set there now. It’s also important to limit noise and light distractions that can keep you awake. We don’t have a TV in our bedroom, and we have blackout shades that block all light from coming in.
Invest in a good mattress and pillows.
Do you ever walk through the pillow aisle and wonder what the difference is between all of them? Well, I learned how important it is to know what type of pillow works best for you. Everybody is different in their needs, but I am a side sleeper and recently bought a contoured pillow from my chiropractor to provide me with additional support. I have noticed a major change in my quality of sleep. I was surprised at what a difference just having the right pillow made!
We all struggle with sleep for a number of reasons, but we sometimes forget that it could be the mattress that’s keeping us from getting a good night’s rest. Everyone has different preferences, but I like a firm mattress for the support, and Kyle and I try to flip ours every year or so. My friends at Beautyrest® Brand also recommend replacing your mattress about every eight to ten years.
The Beautyrest® Mattress assortment is available at retailers nationwide and also online. For additional information, to find the mattress that is right for you, and to find a retailer near you, visit Beautyrest.com.
I hope these tips help you #GetYourBeautyrest – especially with the extra hour this weekend! Let me know if you have any other tips to share!
I am proud to be a Beautyrest® Brand-sponsored blogger. Opinions are my own and additional products used in this post were selected by me.
1 Wakefield Research conducted between March 31 and April 7, 2016, among 1.029 U.S. men and women ages 18 and older. The margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level is +/- 3.1 percentage points. Survey sponsored by Beautyrest® Brand.