Improve Your Sleep with a Food Blanket!
You’re lying in bed, tossing, and turning, just waiting for your brain to calm down enough to fall asleep. We have all been there at least one time or another — those restless nights where there are too many things on our minds, and we can't fall asleep with ease. So, instead of letting those restless nights get the best of us, let’s talk about some methods to combat those nights. Some of these methods may be helpful and others may be irrelevant to your predicament. Each person is different, and each sleepless night may have a different cause. So, based on what you are feeling, sift through these 3 things and apply the ones to your routine that you feel are best for you.
Create a Comforting Environment
When it comes to going to sleep, you shouldn’t think of it as being just a chore. Instead, view it as a precious space and time to take care of your mind and body. When you start to think of going to bed as something to cultivate space for, then your mind can begin to choose it as something to value instead of just something to cross off on your to-do list.
One way to create space for sleep is to create a safe and soothing space. Bring down the temperature of your room so it’s cold and make sure everything is nice and dark. This will create a cave-like environment so your body has a reason to cuddle up under the blankets and there will be no lights to distract you.
Speaking of blankets, make sure that you have comfortable cuddle blankets around you to help soothe you to sleep. Whether that is something fuzzy and soft, large and chunky, or perhaps something fun like our popular donut blanket and pizza blanket - these food blankets are designed to create a cozy atmosphere and make sleep more exciting, something for you to look forward to!
Along with temperature, light, and warmth, another thing to consider is — how messy is your room. If you have things that need to be de-cluttered in your space to help you sleep better, then take ten minutes before going to sleep to organize and tidy so you can fall asleep in a clean environment. There are many other ways you can enhance your sleeping environment which you can find here Create a Peaceful Sleeping Environment with a Food Blanket.
Write Out Your Emotions
Life can be messy, full of anxiety, riddled with stressors, and can keep us up at night more than we would like. Maybe it’s that scenario you are replaying in your mind over and over again wondering if you said the correct thing. Perhaps you are trying to problem-solve something that you couldn’t figure out at work and it’s robbing you of precious rest. Whatever the emotion, problem, or stressor may be — the bottom line is that it’s keeping you from much-needed sleep and that’s not ok.
If stress, worry, or a problem is something that keeps you up late at night -- try writing it down. Consider keeping a notepad next to your bed with a pen and write down the things that are bothering you. If you are stressed out about finances, write down all the emotions that go along with that stress. Then, after you have logged those emotions and stressors, verbally say things that you are thankful for. This way you are verbally replacing the negative with something positive.
Have a problem that has you running scenario after scenario in your brain? Address the problem. Write the ideas that you have on how to solve it. Then take a deep breath and remind yourself that you can solve this problem tomorrow with the ideas you wrote on paper.
There is a mental connection that happens with our emotions when we process them by writing them down. So by writing out your thoughts, in a way, you have released them from your mind and this should help you to allow your brain some sense of peacefulness.
While this technique may not work every time, or for every circumstance, it can be very helpful in day-to-day life. Try it out for a week and see if it’s beneficial for you.
Put The Phone Away
After many studies have been done, it’s been proven that looking at your phone before you go to bed will more than likely keep you up later at night. Sadly, it’s a trained habit for most of us at this point. You’re ready for bed, laying down under the covers and you just want to check your notifications before setting your alarm. Sometimes that’s all it is, and you can go straight to sleep, while other nights you're going down the rabbit hole of social media.
Our phones are always in constant reach for us and throughout the day we are overwhelmed with the knowledge that it brings. But, when it’s time to sleep — it’s time for the information download to pause and our brains to rest.
There are two major reasons looking at our phones before bed is harmful. The first one is the blue light transmitted from our screens. The blue light that our screens emit inhibits the melatonin (the hormone that helps you sleep) in our bodies which makes it harder to fall asleep at night. The reason you sleep soundly is due to your circadian rhythm and when the blue light interferes with that circadian rhythm, you don’t sleep as well which leaves you more tired in the morning.
The second reason looking at your phone is harmful is because it will usually leave you more alert. If you opened your email and saw something discouraging, you’ll be thinking about that email instead of going to sleep. Or perhaps you saw something on Facebook or TikTok that made your blood boil, now instead of the peace and serenity needed for quality sleep, you’re angry and going to be distraught for a while until your body finally caves in and fall asleep.
While there are many benefits of technology, it doesn’t benefit our sleep. So, try and make a habit of putting your phone away 30 minutes before you go to sleep. Set your alarm, turn on some white noise, put the phone away, and don’t look at it. Try this for at least two weeks and allow it to become a habit and then watch as you wake up more rested than you were before.
Relax Your Body
Having tension in your muscles won’t help you fall asleep at night. When your body is relaxed, your mind can slow down, and then you can drift away to dreamland. But, if your body isn’t relaxed, it will be significantly more difficult for you to sleep.
Either before getting into bed or while you are in bed, take a few deep breaths, unclench your jaw, and let your shoulders drop down. Allow your body to release the tension and the stress that has been stored throughout the day (or even just the last hour).
Another great way to release the tension in your muscles before going to bed is to utilize yoga poses or just general stretching. Use a neck massager to work out any tightness that has accumulated from stress throughout the day. Whatever you feel is the easiest thing to do to allow your body to move without restraint — do that.
These are just a couple of different tricks and tactics to help quiet your mind and improve your sleep. Each one is beneficial no matter who you are, but in regard to which one will help you more at the moment is up to you and your circumstances. If your insomnia is due to overanalyzing your to-do list, then maybe create a comforting environment with a food blanket and put your phone away so you are not distracted. If you can’t sleep due to stress, then get a relaxing massage to ease your body and mind.
All 3 sleeping tips can be used alone or in a combination with others. The bottom line — is better sleep is calling your name and it’s time to answer! So get cozy, get relaxed, calm your mind, grab your comfy retreat food blanket, and let’s get some zzz’s.
