General Sleep Better Tips
- Limit your blue light exposure (basically anything with a screen) at least 45-60 minutes before bed. I use f.lux which changes the hue on my screen at certain times to remove blue light late at night.
- Meditate before bed to help shut down your mind.
- Limit alcohol intake, while it may help you get to sleep, it also decreases the amount of REM (the deep restorative) sleep you get.
- Sleep in the darkest room possible, get blackout shades or an eye mask if needed, ESPECIALLY if you are doing shift work which requires you to sleep at times of the day other than 10 pm to 6 am.
- Do the between the sheets tango. The release of certain hormones, including prolactin, may help you get to sleep a little easier.
- Using a netty pot with distilled water can help clear nasal passages potential helping you sleep better.
- Keep the bedroom for sleeping, making it more likely your body with trigger sleep hormones more readily when you climb into bed. If it’s used to working in the bedroom that could be difficult.
- Create a routine. Get your body used to a schedule and stick to it as best as possible, experts believe the most optimal pattern is 10 pm to 6 am.
- Limit caffeine after 2 pm. Look for hidden sources of caffeine.
- Drink herbal tea at night. Tea can have a relaxing effect and help you create a bedtime routine that triggers the release of the appropriate hormones and chemical messengers.
- Try Natural Calm to help you relax at night.
Cortisol Balance
Other Considerations for Sleep Disturbances:
- Wonky or imbalanced levels of sex hormones.
- Nutrition deficiencies.
- Incorrectly timed supplements. (For example, Vitamin D is suspected of throwing off the circadian rhythm if taken at night.)
- Sleep apnea.
- Sinus problems.
52 Healthy Habits E-Course
Did you miss this series or wish you could repeat it? No problem!
I’ve put all the posts together in an e-course that directly corresponds with the healthy habits series! By focusing on one healthy habit per week you’ll be able to master the skills needed to successfully improve your health, increase your energy, and drop those unwanted pounds. The best part is, you’ll do it while barely even realizing it. These 52 habits are the habits I review with almost every single Hungry Hobby RD client. These habits are the backbone of getting off the diet train and getting the results you wanted! What are you waiting for??????
The e-course will provide supportive information such as tips and tricks to help you ingrain each healthy habit as part of your permanent lifestyle.
Cost of the automated series is $26 dollars (just 50 cents per week) for the whole year, which helps me cover the cost of automating the emails through my server. Thanks!
( Want to really plan to succeed and save money? What To Eat? Meal Plan subscriptions also come with this E-Course as part of the subscription! They also come with a supportive facebook group and a ton more goodies, check them out!)
52 HEALTHY HABITS IN 52 WEEKS SERIES:
The 52 Healthy Habits Series is about ditching the diet mindset and making small changes to improve health overall naturally leading to a healthy body composition, increased energy and improved health. Please follow along and check out the past weeks!
- Week 52: Healthy Habits Wrap Up
- Week 51: Nightly Reflection
- Week 50: Limit Harmful Chemicals
- Week 49: Find Your Tribe
- Week 48: Cultivating Positivity
- Week 47: Healthy Thanksgiving Tips
- Week 46: Check In
- Week 45: Mobility – Foam Rolling
- Week 44: HIIT Training
- Week 43: LISS or Steady State Cardio
- Week 42: Limit Alcohol
- Week 41: Eat White, Wait What?
- Week 40: Eat Blue & Purple
- Week 39: Eat Green
- Week 38: Eat Yellow/Orange
- Week 37: Eat Red
- Week 36: Learn Which Foods to Purchase Organic
- Week 35: Read the Ingredient List!
- Week 34: Focus.
- Week 33: Chew Your Food!
- Week 32: Meditation
- Week 31: Gratitude Journaling
- Week 30: Plan & Revamp Dessert- 20 Healthy Ideas
- Week 29: Two fistfuls of veggies per meal
- Week 28: Get In Veggies At Breakfast
- Week 27: Healthy Veggie Snacks
- Week 26: Nourishing Fats for the Gut (Healthy Digestion Part 4)
- Week 25: Keeping Regular – The Other Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 3)
- Week 24: Feed The Probiotics With Prebiotic Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 2)
- Week 23: Amazing Health Benefits of Probiotics (Healthy Digestion Part 1)
- Week 22: Check In
- Week 21: What You Will Learn From Recording Your Meals (Intuitive Eating Series Part 4)
- Week 20: Eat Until 80% Full (Hara Hachi Bu) (Intuitive Eating Series Part 3)
- Week 19: Limit Distractions While Eating (Intuitive Eating Series Part 2)
- Week 18: Gaging Your Hunger Cues (Intuitive Eating Series Part 1)
- Week 17: 10,000 Steps Per Day
- Week 16: Assess Your Caffeine Intake
- Week 15: Decrease Sugar Intake
- Week 14: Healthy Coffee Creamers (upgrade yours)
- Week 13: 3 Month Check In
- Week 12: Sleep Enough & Sleep Better
- Week 11: Schedule Your Workouts
- Week 10: Pack A Healthy Lunch (5 Ways to Create Endless Combinations)
- Week 9: Prioritizing Protein
- Week 8: How and What to Meal Prep
- Week 7: Create & Stick To Your Healthy Meal Plan
- Week 6: Get Enough Omega-3’s (Fight Inflammation)
- Week 5: What Is A Healthy Fat & How To Get Enough (Include Healthy Fats)
- Week 4: How to Spot A Healthy Carbohydrate (Upgrade Your Carbs)
- Week 3: Tips to Increase Veggie Intake (Eat Veggies)
- Week 2: 15 Healthy On the Go Breakfast Ideas (Eat BF Challenge)
- Week 1: Tips to Drink More Water
Carla says
I swear I learned from my toddler the importance of a sleep routine and have implemented a wind down routine with myself ever cents. It has made a world of difference in my sleep quality.
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Yes I agree!
Karen says
I continue to work on my sleep. I do all those tips, now I am working on my coritol levels and adrenal problems. Hopefully if I can improve that my hormones will balance and I will be able to stay alseep. #bloggingboost
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Cortisol and adrenal issues are the pits but luckily fixable! Wish you the best of luck!
Evelina says
Great tips! Wasn’t sleeping well for a while now so will try your suggestions. Thanks for sharing.
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Your welcome! Hope it gets better!
Marianne says
This is not at all related to your post today but had to tell you…..
Made the Spanakopita Turkey Casserole and it was a MAJOR hit here and will def be adding it to the dinner rotation!
If you haven’t tried it yet fellow followers, I would definitely suggest you make it if it’s within your tastebud realm. So delicious 🙂
And for the sleep, well this daylight savings adjustment has been a bit rocky this year. Not sure why but at least I’m not the only one here having trouble getting a good nights sleep! This too shall pass
Momma S
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
🙂 glad you liked it! Oh a ya that’s rough one!
Cassi says
Took me a couple of times to figure out what between the sheets tango was lol
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Lol you know the politically correct version lol
Patrick says
Great tips Kelli,
I am always struggling with setting a schedule/routine for sleep. Any tips on how I can easily set one and stick to it?
TIA.
Lora says
Thanks for the tips.. Healthy sleep habits can make a big difference in quality of life.
clark says
Great tips,I will try and follow this see whether I will experience some changes.Well put down content.
isaac says
Very educative article you have here… I will try out your suggestions.
Liz says
You’ve got some great tips here. For me, the hardest part is to keep a good sleeping routine. I don’t need to wake up early, so many mornings I snooze and wake up later. That means that I’ll be going to bed later as well. Will put some of your tips to practice, and hope it helps.
Rachel says
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that too mush sugar during the day gives me a terrible nights sleep. I’ve also had to switch to decaf coffee in the afternoon or I just won’t be able to sleep!
Matt says
Great article as always!
I just learned the 4 7 8 breathing method and it has helped me to relax & sleep better!
Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
Hope it’s useful for your readers.
Keep up the great work!
Voonky - Sleep Guide says
I like all the tips.
It is really implementable tips. Recently I have made cut off on my caffeine intake after 5 pm and it really helped me well.
I hope this tips really gone a help people like me.