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This afternoon we’re chatting about sleep… Something I’ve been told a time or two will start to slowly vanish from my life when we bring our newborn baby home from the hospital in the coming week or two!
What I didn’t expect to experience was a lack of sleep before our baby arrived. I read and heard all about women feeling uncomfortable during pregnancy, but for some reason I didn’t think back pain or feeling achy would really impact my sleep too much. (Ha! Ha! Ha!)
A few weeks ago, as you may remember me stating in one of my pregnancy recaps, I truly began to dread going to sleep at night because I knew I’d wake up a million times and feel incredibly uncomfortable. And then I’d start to play mind games with myself… “If I fall asleep right now and wake up at 6 a.m., I can still get seven hours of sleep…” Oh joy!
Well, after several weeks of lackluster sleep, I’ve come up with a handful of tricks that will often work for me and help me fall asleep at night or help me drift back to sleep after I’ve woken up for the 1,000th time to pee. I’m teaming up with Sleep Number to share some of them with you guys today and also offer you a pretty stellar sleep-themed giveaway at the end of this post!
Tips For Better Sleep
- Read Before Bed (Or When You Can’t Fall Back Asleep!)
Reading is a go-to for me when I am feeling restless and wide awake at bed time. There have also been a handful of times during my pregnancy when I’ve ended up falling asleep and then waking up around 2 a.m., unable to drift back to sleep. After a few nights of tossing and turning for more than an hour, I decided to try reading in the middle of the night. I turned on my light (thankfully Ryan was willing to wear an eye mask and didn’t seem to care!) and read for about 30 minutes until my eyes got heavy. I was able to fall asleep much faster than the previous nights when I just laid there thinking about all the sleep I was missing. Reading is key!
Also, Sleep Number recommends using a reading light that does NOT have a blue light, as blue light wakes you up more since it mimics daylight. Opt for a night light in more of a warm orange tone, which mimics sunset.
- Keep Phones Out of Reach from the Bedside
I used to keep my phone on my nightstand, but all too often I’d find myself checking emails or scrolling through Instagram before bed. There’s something about a phone screen that is just about the least soothing thing to look at before bed and once Ryan and I started keeping our phones out of reach from our bedside, we found ourselves reading more, talking with each other before bed and sleeping better. We started doing this years ago in Ocala and it’s a big one for us now!
According to Sleep Number, watching TV or using computers or phone before bed stimulates the brain and the blue light from screens makes it harder to get quality sleep. In a survey conducted by the company, Sleep Number found that people from California and Utah use electronics in bed the most, while those from Oregon and Iowa use electronics in bed the least!
- Get Into Bed an Hour Before You Want to Fall Asleep
(Pic from our baby’s nursery!)
I know busy schedules and to-do lists can make this one a challenge, but whenever possible, Ryan and I try to get into bed an hour before we actually hope to fall asleep. I looooove crawling into bed at the end of a long day (it’s seriously one of my favorite parts of every day) and when I know I have an hour to just hang out with Ryan, read a book or cuddle up with Sadie before I really feel like I need to fall asleep, I am much more relaxed and likely to drift off to sleep earlier than intended.
- Keep Your Room Temperature Cool
Two weeks ago, Ryan and I had our upstairs air conditioning fixed. (Hallelujah!!) Prior to that, we could not get our upstairs below 80 degrees at night and it was miserable. I could not stop sweating and eventually pointed a little space fan directly at my face and slept that way until we had our air fixed. We still don’t keep it as cool as I think we’d both like it because air conditioning is expensive, but at least a lot of the humidity is gone from our bedroom and sleeping in 70-something degrees is much nicer than 80+ degrees, that’s for sure! (Especially when you’re in your third trimester and can’t stop sweating as it is!) According to Sleep Number, the ideal sleeping temperature is 65 – 67 degrees.
- Exercise
I don’t think it was a coincidence that during the time I was experiencing intense sacroiliac pain, I slept the worst I have in years. Yes, I am sure a lot of this had to do with my inability to get comfortable in bed, but I also felt so incredibly restless and almost antsy. I feel like a lot of this had to do with the fact that I just wasn’t moving much during the day. My body wasn’t physically tired! I definitely sleep better on days when I am active and make it to the gym!
- Use Relaxation Techniques
Okay, this tip is a little strange, but I swear it works! Ryan actually taught it to me years ago when I was complaining about not feeling tired at all before bed one night. (Apparently he learned it in a yoga class years ago!) Focus on relaxing every part of your body starting from the very tips of your toes, moving all the way up to the top of your head. Concentrate on releasing tension from everywhere… Your ankles, knees, hips, every finger… By focusing all of my attention on relaxing my body, I cannot help but feel more calm (and, to be honest, a bit bored, which helps me feel more tired, too)!
- Track Your Sleep
This is a bit of a double-edged sword for me. Sometimes I can psych myself out if I feel like I’m getting too little sleep, but for the most part tracking sleep and figuring out what time I need to go to bed to get 8 hours of sleep helps me feel more motivated to get into bed at a reasonable time. There are tons of sleep trackers on the market these days that you can use and Sleep Number also created SleepIQ® technology that works with any new Sleep Number bed to track and monitor your sleep for you without requiring you to wear anything fancy. (Crazy, right?)
Giveaway
And now it’s time for a sleep-inspired giveaway! It’s a good one and I really hope it catches your eye, especially if you happen to be struggling to get a good night’s sleep!
One PBF reader will win the following sleep-themed prize pack:
- Two Sleep Number Pillows
- Comfortable Slippers
- Satin Eye Mask
- Anthropologie Personalized Mug (for evening tea)
- Lavender Candle
To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment on this post telling me about one trick you use to help yourself fall asleep at night.
I will randomly select a giveaway winner on Friday morning. Good luck!
Disclaimer: White this post is sponsored by Sleep Number, I am personally sponsoring the giveaway portion (though Sleep Number is providing the pillows). Thank you so, so much for your continued support surrounding sponsored posts. I truly appreciate it!
For more tips on how to sleep better, visit Sleep Number.
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I’m in the middle of third trimester sleep problems. I love listening to guided relaxations and also reading to fall asleep. Now if only I didn’t wake up every hour to use the bathroom!!
No electronics in the bedroom & lots of exercise during the day!
My best trick is to get into bed way before I ever plan on falling asleep and start reading or using my iPad. I usually fall asleep within 30 mins or so.
If I watch TV right before bed, I make sure it’s something that’s comforting but that I’ve seen before. Watching reruns of Friends is perfect because I absolutely love it but I’m not so invested to find out how the episode ends! This makes it easier to shut off and transition to sleep.
This would be phenomenal to win. I could not tell you the last time I purchased new pillows. Ten years ago? Ugh!
To go to sleep I take deep breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth. Sometimes, I put on a guided meditation or affirmations and fall asleep to that! 🙂
I dab calming essential oils on my pillow before I go to sleep which helps.
i have a 3 month old so it isn’t a problem! When it was before my husband and I would do foot rubs!
Whenever I have trouble falling asleep is usually due to distracting noises so I use the Sleep Pillow app for ambient noise. My favorite is the falling rain!
I try to focus on my breathing and ONLY my breathing when I’m having a hard time falling asleep. If I do that, it keeps my mind from wandering in a million directions!
I actually do what Ryan told you about. My old hockey coach would tell us to relax every single part of our body starting with the toes and I got so bored it made me pass out during our team stretches/yoga!
I count…(wait for it)..flying pigs. I know, it’s weird. But instead of sheep, these little flying pigs materialized when I tried the old counting sleep method one day. In addition, they fly over a fence that is on a small pond and they do acrobatic tricks in the air. I guess I had a big childhood imagination!
I prepare myself a cup of soothing tea! I sleep like a baby afterwards! 🙂
Considering I have a 6 week old and a 20 month old, all I have to do is close my eyes right now and I’m out. But when sleep does seem to be eluding me, reading always seems to help.
Trying to clear my mind by focusing on my breathing
I meditate for 15 min before I go to sleep….. calms my mind and makes me grateful for the day.
I love using an aromatherapy pillow mist that I spray on my pillow before bed! The eucalyptus spearmint scent is so calming and relaxing, it helps me fall asleep right away!
We keep it incredibly cool in our house- around 68/69 degrees. And we always keep our fan on.
This is so weird but I decorate imaginary houses. It helps my mind wander to non-stressful things and before I know it I am asleep.
Even though I know it’s ill-advised, if I wake up in the middle of the night I’ll grab my computer to watch a tv show. Usually what wakes me up is street noise and the noise from my computer helps block that out until I fall back to sleep.
I spray lavender on our pillows! I think it really helps.
Until college, I didnt realize that it wasn’t normal to need at least an hour to fall asleep! So needless to say, I know insomnia. Sometimes moving to the living room chair somehow helps. ..I’ll intend to read but end up falling asleep fo r a bit and then returning to bed and sleeping more. A good mattress helps too !
The picture stinks but this is the only book light that let’s me see well while my husband falls asleep…tons of light for me and good coverage but no light escaping and dark for him. I thought it might feel awkward but it sits comfortably on my chest or belly.
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Light-Rechargeable-Booklight-convenient/dp/B004D9TPOQ
I always close my eyes and say my prayers. It calms me and is a sure fire way to help me get to sleep.
I wear ear plugs and keep my window open for a cool breeze 🙂
I write in a gratitude journal each night which helps me put my stress into perspective 🙂
I love reading before bed and if I happen to be too tired to read, all the better 🙂
This might not count as a “tip”, but being so active and busy during the day makes falling asleep at night the easiest thing!!
When I can’t sleep, I have started to read which helps. I also used to do a late night yoga class in college that worked like a charm! I am failing right now though since I am on my phone responding to this as I can’t sleep…ooops
Can I be excited about this giveaway when it’s suppose to make us all calm & sleepy? I hope so 🙂 And I also LOVE getting in to bed awhile before I plan to go to sleep, it’s so great just relaxing and unwinding!
Reading for sure!!!
If I can’t sleep, I put some lavender essential oil on my pillow and drink herbal tea
I’ve really been trying to avoid using my iPad before bed. I find myself staying up later just to watch a clip or browse a site. Instead I’ve been reading or completing a word search puzzle.
Reading before bed really helps me sleep!
Aaaah, im so guilty of the bedside phone. My best sleep is when i am in Half Moon Bay driftong to sleep by the sound of the waves crashing. But when imnot on the coast, i love diffusing lavendar oil and making sure there is a cool breeze on me (window open or if too hot, just a fan).
I sleep the best after physical activity- if it doesn’t work reading might help. For sleeping well I shouldn’t be wide awake nor too tired. But as I’m working 24 hrs shifts it’s sometimes hard to get a schedule- which really helps for me too.
Shower!
I usually read but I also just bought an adult coloring book called “color me calm” that I want to try too!
The thing that helps me fall asleep the fastest is a recording my boyfriend and I made of the ocean and night sounds in St Johns. I put that on and I’m instantly transported and relaxed and I fall asleep in no time.
Ok, so I don’t know why this works but for me it does. every night I go to bed and I lay on my back with at least one arm over my head and let my thoughts wind down until I start to drift off, and because I am on my back I always snore. So when I fall asleep after a few minutes I always wake myself up with that first snort, which is my cue to turn onto my side where I immediately fall back asleep. So strange, I know, but if I try to skip straight to sleeping on my side i can never fall asleep.
Nothing gets me to sleep quicker than reading and when I’m really feeling the effects of a busy mind I turn to Enya 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway. I try counting down slowly from 100. It’s pretty rare that I make it go zero.
Definitely reading before bed!
I listen to calming music on my iPod.
Have a baby and then anytime you get the chance to sleep, you will quickly fall asleep! 😉 I also like to read a bit before bed to help me fall asleep.
Exercise! When I started taking HIIT classes 3 times a week my sleep got SO much better – somehow exhausting my muscles myself also keeps my brain from working in overdrive at night!
I actually don’t have to get up too early, so I go to bed pretty late. When trying to fall asleep I focus on relaxing my mind and my thoughts, and def. not going through any “to-do lists” in my head while in bed!
Reading works well for me
I listen to rainfall/cricket white noise and spray lavender linen mist on my pillow.
I am such a culprit of using my phone before bed and your tip of keeping your phone across the room is one I am going to have to use. Usually I don’t have too much of an issue falling asleep, but when I do, I love to pickup my book!
I’ve tried Ryan’s suggestion before and it works great! If i can’t sleep i will try to put myself to sleep starting with my toes and working my way up to my head. i focus on relaxing every part of my body until I eventually find myself awake the next morning and I don’t remember falling asleep!
Reading works well for me.