How to Sleep Better: Top 10 Tips for Better Sleep
Here are my top 10 tips on how to sleep better - so you can orchestrate some more shuteye in your life. This is important for a healthy mind and body, besides improving your chances for lucid dreaming.
Sleep Tip #1 - Give Yourself Enough Time to Sleep
Everyone needs a different amount of sleep to function normally - on average this is about 7.5 to 8.5 hours per night. If you have to press the snooze button in the morning, or drag yourself out of bed feeling exhausted, then you're probably not getting enough shuteye and are suffering from sleep deprivation. Give yourself a fair chance of getting sufficient sleep by going to bed earlier, preferably before midnight.
Sleep Tip #2 - Go to Bed at The Same Time Each Night
To sleep better, aim to go to bed at roughly the same time during weekdays and weekends so your bodily rhythms can get into a routine. To help this process, put up curtains that allow some sunlight through, so the sun naturally wakes you up at the same time each morning and keeps your Circadian Rhythms in time.
Sleep Tip #3 - Avoid Stimulants at Night
The main culprits are coffee, tea, chocolate and soda drinks - these all contain caffeine which will keep your body and mind alert for hours. This will also prevent you from getting deep non-REM sleep. Be conscious of your caffeine intake and how it causes any sleep deprivation and you will soon understand how to sleep better naturally.
Sleep Tip #4 - Avoid Bright Light Before Bed
It is totally unnatural for us to be immersed in bright light before attempting to go to sleep for the night. This tricks our brain into thinking it's daytime and interferes with our Circadian Rhythms. So if you must read before bed, use a low wattage bulb (15 watts should do the trick) or install a dimmer switch. Make it easy on the eyes.
Sleep Tip #5 - Avoid Heavy Meals Before Bed
A heavy meal forces your body to crank up the digestive system while you actually want to be getting your body nice and relaxed for better sleep. What's more, if you lie down on a full stomach, you're more likely to induce acid reflux which can disturb your sleep and even trigger Night Terrors and nightmares.
Sleep Tip #6 - Set a Bedtime Routine
A regular routine tells your mind and body to start winding down for the night. Make it a relaxing one - don't sit up on the computer til your brain is frazzled and you want to pass out. Some people like to have a light snack about an hour before bed so as not to sleep on an empty stomach. Also try a cup of herbal tea to relax jittery nerves. Always empty your bladder before bed so it doesn't wake you up during the night and disturb you.
Sleep Tip #7 - Keep Your Bedroom Cool
We all have an optimum room temperature for better sleep, so make sure yours isn't too hot or too cold. Wear enough layers to bed in the winter and switch your thick duvet to a light sheet in the summer. It's better to be slightly on the cooler side so you can wrap up warmer if you need to.
Sleep Tip #8 - Don't Lay Awake for More Than 30 Minutes
If you're tossing and turning in bed, unable to get to sleep for whatever reason, don't torture yourself for more than 30 minutes. Get up and go do something to occupy your mind. You'll eventually feel sleepy enough to fall back into bed.
Sleep Tip #9 - Don't Stress If You Can't Sleep
Don't lay in bed worrying about the fact that you can't get any sleep. It's likely that your mind is already buzzing with thoughts, so stressing about how to sleep better will make things worse. Try listening to some isochronc tones to silence your mind chatter and create a relaxing meditation. After that, visualize a lucid dream intention.
Sleep Tip #10 - Ask About Unusual Sleep Behaviors
Ask your partner if you ever snore, temporarily stop breathing, talk, shout, or move about a lot during sleep. It could be that you have a sleep disorder (ranging from sleep deprivation, to sleep apnea, to REM sleep disorder) that is preventing you from enjoying good quality sleep. See a doctor and you may discover how to sleep better for good.
About the author
Rebecca Turner is a science writer, illustrator, explorer of consciousness - and founder of World of Lucid Dreaming. She is currently studying for a biology degree in Auckland and blogging at her site Science Me.
The Anatomy of a Dreaming Supplement
A lot has happened in the last 5 months. But how did we go from business as usual to changing the face of the entire lucid dreaming supplements industry? It’s a story that I think will interest you – and you might even learn a thing or two in the process. When I was first taken on-board as Chief Lucidity Officer in 2016, one of the first things I was tasked with was taking a good look at our operations and giving things a bit of an overhaul.
Mind Awake: Lucid Dreaming and Mindfulness App
Want to become a skilled and knowledgeable Lucid Dreamer by taking a Mindful approach? Awaken the potentials of your mind and integrate with your dreams through the guided meditations in this truly awesome app. Lucid Dreaming and Mindfulness actually share the same origin.
How to remember your dreams
To lucid dream, I recommend being able to remember at least one vivid dream per night. That will boost your self awareness in dreams (making lucidity more likely) and also means you can actually remember your lucid dreams. Which is nice. Here are four detailed tips on how to remember your dreams more frequently. And if you don't think you dream at all - trust me, you almost certainly do. It takes an extraordinarily rare sleep disorder to deprive someone of dream sleep.
What Do Lucid Dreams Feel Like?
Years ago, before I had my first lucid dream, I had a very specific idea about what a lucid dream would feel like. I thought it would be intense and magical and a little bit spooky. This turned out to be a pretty accurate representation. Becoming aware in the dreamstate is like entering another world. One where physical laws can be manipulated (there is no spoon, Neo) and your fantasies can come true in an instant. There's definitely something magical about that - and it's as if the lucid dream world is a living, breathing organism that can react to your very thoughts.
How to have amazing lucid dreams
Experts agree that everyone is capable of having lucid dreams. Dreaming itself is a normal function of the mind. We all dream every night, even if we don't remember. And we all achieve conscious awareness while awake every single day. So what does it mean to combine these states? Why, the amazing ability to have conscious - or lucid - dreams. Sounds simple, doesn't it? So why do I keep hearing from people who say they can't achieve their first lucid dream?
Mugwort: Dream Sage of the Chumash Indians
It is estimated that these wise and wily Indians have been using mugwort in their healing and ritual practices for 13,000 years, where it is known as the ‘dream sage’. They use the herb to promote good dreams, which they consider an essential aspect of normal human functioning! But that’s not all...
