How long has it been since you last had a good night’s sleep? The funny thing is that sometimes, sleeping can become a nightmare in itself. It can be a real struggle finding the perfect position – leaving you tossing and turning all night.

To add more to that, there's the endless snoring of your partner, the barking of your dogs, and a lot more that hinders you from getting good sleep! Then, we wake up feeling more exhausted than when we went to bed.

Surely, everyone sometimes finds sleeping a really difficult thing to do. According to an article, only 33% of the Australians surveyed believe that they are getting enough sleep. So 67%, a really large percentage, believes that they aren't getting enough or decent sleep.

As much as we don't want to assume you are one of them, the possibility is that you could be having difficulties in sleeping, as well. So here are 5 tips from an expert, psychologist Rosemary Clancy, not a professional boxer or a martial artist but she'll surely KNOCK YOU OUT!

Source: Andrea Piacquadio, Pexels​

1. Using the Sun to Help You Sleep

The best way to train our bodies to go to sleep at the right time is by using the sun. When it’s bright outside, our bodies produce more of the hormone cortisol, which makes us feel alert. At night, when it’s dark, our bodies produce more of the hormone melatonin, which makes us feel sleepy.

So how can you use the sun to help you sleep? By making sure that you get enough sunlight during the day. Go for a walk in the park, or sit outside in the sun during your lunch break. This will help to keep your rhythms in check and make it easier for you to fall asleep at night.

Source: iStock​

2. Keep daytime naps to 30 minutes or less

Napping during the day can be a great way to boost your energy levels and make up for lost sleep. But if you nap for too long, you may find it harder to fall asleep at night.

Aim to keep your daytime naps to 30 minutes or less. This will help you to avoid feeling groggy when you wake up and make it easier to sleep at night. You want to avoid borrowing hours of sleep from your night sleep schedule!

Using phones on bed is discouraged Source: Oscar Wong/ Getty Images​

3. No daytime activities when you’re in bed

It's becoming a common practise nowadays to use electronic devices in bed before we go to sleep. I'm sure you're guilty, because who's not? But psychologists want us to abandon our phones elsewhere before we jump to bed, as our phones are keeping our bodies in ‘day-time activities’ and are stopping our bodies from preparing for sleep.

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Let's just say, there are only two things allowed in bed: sleeping and well, we are all grown ups here, sexual intercourse. That’s it. If you’re in bed and you’re not doing either of those things, you’re training your brain to associate your bed with being awake. So if you’re in bed and you’re not sleepy, get out of bed and do something else until you’re ready to sleep.

Source: Alaska Sleep​

4. There is no ‘perfect’ sleeping environment

We all have different preferences when it comes to our sleeping environment. Some people like it to be cool and quiet, while others prefer it to be warm and a little noisy. There is no ‘perfect’ sleeping environment, so find what works for you and stick to it. Because if you just continue to fantasise about a 'perfect' sleeping environment, you'll create performance anxiety that might hinder you from sleeping. It's better if you don’t cling to that idea. Instead, set your expectations to be realistic and flexible.

Just get out of bed. Source: Tetra Images/Getty Images​

5. Get out of bed when you can’t sleep

“We need to get out of bed when we’re unable to resume sleep in 20 minutes, or if our emotion is over 60%, whether that be fear, frustration, anger or even longing for sleep,” she explains.

If you’re lying in bed and you can’t sleep, don’t lie there tossing and turning. Get up and do something else until you’re feeling sleepy. It’s important to train your brain to associate your bed with sleep, so if you’re not asleep, get out of bed and do something else until you’re feeling tired.

There you have it, folks! Five tips from an expert on how you can get better sleep at night. So what are you waiting for? Try these tips tonight and see how they work for you.

You can also learn 8 more reasons healthy sleep should be non-negotiable by watching the video below:

Video Credit: Mayo Clinic​

 

[Benjonas9385]

Thanks for sharing, I would like to add one thing which is you must empty your bladder before going to bed.

 

[Ricci]

Luckily I have never had any problems getting to sleep. I always read in bed, some nights just a paragraph, other times a chapter or two but as soon as I feel sleepy out goes the light, I turn over and it's morning!

 

[Zoya]

My problem is going back to sleep after a washroom visit.