A good night’s sleep can be difficult to achieve, especially when you have anxiety. How many nights have you laid there, wide awake, with your mind racing? How many mornings do you wake up feeling completely exhausted? I used to be this way too, and then I really started to focus on getting a good night’s sleep, despite the anxiety. So if you’d like some help sleeping with anxiety, keep reading!
How to get a good night’s sleep.
So how do you start getting a good night’s sleep with anxiety? Well, the simple answer is to start a bedtime routine. I’m not talking about a “10 minutes before bed” routine either. The things you do hours before you go to bed affect your sleep! So, here’s what helps:
Turn your phone on night mode.
If you have an ios device, program your phone to turn onto “night mode” three to four hours before you goo to bed. This will add more of a warm tint to the screen to help with blue light. Here’s how to do that:
Settings -> Display & Brightness -> Night Shift
Just program the times you’d like it to turn off. I have mine set from 7 pm to 7 am.
Turn your phone on Do Not Disturb.
Along with night mode, you’ll want to turn your phone on do not disturb. This keeps your notifications from waking you up throughout the night. Don’t worry though, your alarm will still wake you up!
Shower/ bathe at least two hours before bed.
This may sound like a weird one but there’s a really good reason for this. Did you know you sleep deeper in cooler temperatures? If you shower right before you crawl in bed, your body temperature is too high for you to sleep as well. Give your body time to cool down after a shower or bath before you hop in bed.
Put away any electronics an hour or two before bed.
While your phone may be on night mode, scrolling through apps like Instagram and TikTok will keep your mind buzzing and engaged. It can also trigger your anxiety if you’re prone to comparing yourself to others or if you end up on a post that’s toxic. Instead, if you’re looking for an activity to do, reading is a great one. I have a post dedicated to some great self-help books if you want to check that out here.
Do nighttime stretches.
Did you know there are stretches you can do to prepare your body for sleep? I didn’t either until a few months ago. A quick google search will show you which ones to do.
Lay in bed and listen to sleep meditation
You can find plenty of sleep meditations on youtube, but I’m really loving the ones on the Calm App. Not only do they have sleep meditations, but sleep stretches and sleep stories.
My night-time routine:
- 6 pm – Eat dinner
- Tidy the house/ throw in a load of laundry/ chill out
- 8 pm- Shower/bath
- Put my pj’s on and a small amount of sleep oil and spray sleep spray on my bedding
- Watch some TV for an hour
- 9/10 pm- Make a cup of sleepy tea
- Lay in bed and read for an hour
- 10/11 pm – Sleep stretches and meditation.
- Asleep by 11/12 pm.
Tools that may help you sleep
There are a few items that can help you fall asleep, let’s talk about them!
Melatonin – This has it’s pro’s and cons. Don’t get me wrong, melatonin is a great way to fall asleep but it should only be used when nothing else has worked. Taking melatonin regularly can mess with your own body’s ability to produce it naturally.
Sleep-promoting scents – I love lighting a sleep-promoting candle while I get ready for bed. Lavender is proven to help relax and calm the body.
Eye masks – If you are someone who NEEDS to sleep with the tv on, it’s a great idea to get yourself an eye mask. These Bucky eye masks are super comfortable and don’t press down on your eyes.
Weighted Blanket – I’ve been sleeping with a weighted blanket for years! It really helps to calm the internal jitters you may get and help the restless feelings. Here is a great option!
Sleep alarm clocks – I use Phillip’s Smart Sleep Wake-up Light and I love it. While this is mostly used for an alarm clock, it does have a setting for sleep. It mimics a sunset, and it’s helpful for making you feel sleepy.
I hope you found some helpful ways to fall asleep with anxiety! If you found this post helpful, it would mean a great deal to me if you shared it! Don’t forget to use the images below to save it on Pinterest. What’s one thing you cannot sleep without? Let’s chat in the comments!
xo J
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