If there’s one thing that my family does well…it’s sleep! And we’re all pretty serious about our sleep, too. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t get enough sleep, but I am a good sleeper.
But I will admit the conditions have to be exactly right. Which maybe isn’t always ideal given how much we travel, but we’ve found a way to take our method with us. (Except for the teenager…he can fall asleep anytime or anywhere!) With the craziness of the holidays upon us, good sleep is even more important, and honestly, harder to achieve. Today I’m sharing my Five Tips for a Better Night Sleep!
Five Tips for a Better Night Sleep
ONE // Limit late-night eating & caffeine
It’s hard for your body to fully relax if your digestive system is working overtime. We try to have dinner around 6pm most nights, and I rarely eat after 8pm. And I don’t mean just dinner…I don’t eat a single late-night snack! Not only does it help me sleep better, but it helps manage my weight.
Caffeine is another pitfall. Everyone has a different threshold, but my cut-off is 2pm.
TWO // Create the right environment
Your room should be dark and cool for optimal sleep. Experts recommend a temperature between 60-68 degrees, which is great for us in the Winter, but expensive in the Texas Summers! We all have black-out drapes in our rooms, too, for total darkness.
THREE // Clear your mind of responsibilities
Life gets busier and To Do Lists get longer during the holiday season, and nothing derails my sleep faster than a ticker-tape of responsibilities running through my head. It’s like my mind won’t let it go in fear of forgetting something.
In order to free my mind, I spend a few minutes before bed jotting down the next day’s projects, appointments, chores, brainstorms, etc. Honestly, I usually have several lists going, especially this time of year! But not only do they help keep me organized, but once they’re on paper I can relax knowing I won’t forget.
FOUR // Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual
A relaxing activity right before bed helps separate your sleep time from the activities that cause excitement, stress, or anxiety (like screen time!). Sure it’s fun to scroll Instagram in bed, but not only is the blue light disruptive to sleep, but the social media rabbit hole isn’t all that soothing.
Take a bath, write in a journal, or read a book…anything that disconnects your mind from life’s distractions. When these activities become part of your nightly routine, your body will read the signal that it’s time to shut down. I read every night, and my mind is so trained that I can barely read a few pages before the book hits me in the face!
FIVE // Eliminate disruptive noise
I have a hard time falling asleep when it’s completely quiet, but even worse is a barking dog, clicking fan, or snoring husband. #amIright?! We use box fans or white noise machines, but nothing works as well for me as the Bose Noise-Masking SleepBuds. These tiny earbuds are designed specifically for sleep, and fit comfortably in your ears to mask noise.
They don’t stream music, but rather play pre-loaded, soothing sounds to cover-up unwanted nighttime noises through an app on your phone. Even without the sounds, though, they do a great job of muffling noise. (I seriously wore them to the volleyball courts last weekend…those whistles can be so shrill!)
I got the SleepBuds first for travel, to help me sleep on airplanes, cruise ships, and hotels (see them in my What’s in My Carry-On Bag post), but slept so well on trips I’m now using them at home, too! And Mr. SP sleeps better because I no longer kick him in the middle of the night to turn over!
And since I’m the only one who can hear them, I’m not bothering him. (Bose also has a great customer care line that quickly answers questions and helps troubleshoot should any product quirks arise.)
The SleepBuds come with three sizes for the perfect, comfortable fit. I’m a side-sleeper, and it only took a few minutes to get used to them. They also don’t need internet or data to connect, so you can still use them with your phone in airplane or do-not-disturb mode.
What kind of sleeper are you? What tips or routines do you follow to help you and your family sleep better?
[More Amazing Bose Products Available at QVC]
*Photos by the darling Audrie Dollins. This post is created in collaboration with QVC, but all tips, opinions, and noisy husbands are my own. Thank you for supporting Hi Sugarplum sponsors.*
Those sleep buds are tempting, but I have two questions…. 1. do they have an alarm for morning? 2. do you worry about missing something? Like a break in or a kid crying or a tornado siren? (kansas talkin here) thanks!
You can set an alarm within the app! You can also adjust the volume of the sounds, too. I crank it up and rely on my husband to wake me if needed! 😉
Your bedroom is so pretty! I agree with all of your tips. I always hear to stay off your phone before bed but mindless scrolling puts me right to sleep! My phone switches to a night mode in the evening so maybe that’s why.
Oh that’s smart!! The light from my phone starts to strain my eyes after awhile, I need to look for that setting!
You’ve heard the latest, right? That women sleep better w/dogs than another person!
Noise reduction earphones have been a real sanity saver, both day and night.
I also truly believe one has to physically tire oneself out to sleep well thru the night.
Works for me.
That’s so interesting!! My dogs literally never wake me up…but the husband is another story! I actually wore these buds to the volleyball courts last weekend…they were so helpful in muting the loud, constant whistles!
I’m right there with you; I need absolute darkness; I put black tape over the tiny light on the corner of the TV! I’m a light sleeper and the hubby’s snoring is crazy-making! We use Alexa to play ‘Ocean Waves’ on a loop, but if its too loud it will wake me up, too low and it’s not effective – tough to find that perfect Goldilocks spot!!
I wish I thought of ordering those sleep buds sooner. I’m flying to Seattle on Friday for a long girls weekend, but my BFF is a horrendous snorer! I may have to ask her to sleep in the hotel lobby!!
LOL! I used to lug my sound machine on trips, and my girlfriends hated it!! (They sleep in quiet!) These solve that issue, too! And yes to the tiny TV light…I’m a crazy-person hanging shirts over everything when we’re in a hotel room!
I certainly love this article and I wish I could practice most of them because I live with very noisy kids which I’m hoping you could help me with more tips
I may have missed this, but can you share where you got these black out drapes that are in your bedroom? Thanks!
They’re from Tonic Living…she custom makes drapes using any of the fabrics on her site. You can select black-out as your liner.
Great tips. My favorite book for sleep issues is Say Goodnight to Insomnia by Gregg Jacobs. Since reading it, I have slept better than ever.
That’s amazing! Thanks for the great tip!!
I am such a light sleeper, it is a bit ridiculous. I have to have total darkness, a window open and I have a noise machine right beside my bed and sometimes earplugs. I have never heard of these ear buds, what a great idea! I must put those on my wish list! I practice most of the things you recommend, except the screen time. I love watching netflix on my ipad right before I fall asleep. I know its a terrible habit, reading is so much better!
You don’t have any problems with them falling out? I toss and turn alot and it seems like they would fall out.
Not one bit!!! They come with three size molds so you can get a good fit, and I can’t imagine they’d ever fall out!
#3 is my favorite tip! I love my to-do lists!!!! Beauty sleep is certain if you write down your to-do lists and cross off with a nice big red Sharpie!!! Happy Do-ing you lovely Be-ing!
Oh yes!! I need a red sharpie for crossing things off!! What a satisfying feeling!
Great post with good ideas! Can you give details about your sweater please?
Thanks so much! yes…you can find my cozy cardigan here (it’s crazy soft!): https://shopstyle.it/l/Wn2f
Great tips, thanks! I fall asleep quickly by inhaling for a count of 4, holding my breath for 7 and exhaling for 8. I try and count how many rounds I can do it and never get past 20….or at least never remember how far I got when I wake up 🙂
That’s a really great idea!
I’m in a really bad cycle of insomnia at the moment where I wake up in the early hours and my mind goes into overdrive. I am trying lots of things to sort this out, but I like the idea of brain dumping into lists before settling down. Also I need to leave my phone outside and read a book – this is one which I keep hearing but feel like my phone is my comfort blanket and struggle with the thought of not looking at it, but I’m aware this is something I need to tackle.Those sleep buds look worth looking into too. Do you have any tips for once you’re awake in the night in order to switch off and be able to go back to sleep? Any advice gratefully received xx
Ugh, so sorry to hear that! If I wake in the middle of the night, I never get up or turn on lights/phone…I stay in bed and calm my breathing. It feels like I lay there forever sometimes, but I always fall asleep at some point. But if I get up or get on my phone, it just prolongs it!
Hi Gill, sometimes waking in the early hours is a sign your internal clock is off, often caused by adrenal gland issues from stress. I had that problem for years, my chiropractor put me on Drenamin by Standard Process ( all natural supplements you can find on Amazon). It took care of it for me and I no longer need the supplements. Good luck; it is so hard to wake like that.
I have got to give these a try! GIVE ME ALL THE WHITE NOISE. I have no idea how people sleep without it!
I usually fall asleep pretty easily, but occasionally something will be on my mind and I can’t relax until I can shut it down. I keep paper and a pen in my nightstand, but since my phone is always nearby as well, these days I usually email myself a reminder about whatever it is I was thinking about, and that usually does the trick. Now if my husband would just stop waking me up with all of HIS tossing and turning, I’d be golden! 😉
P.S. Love seeing that you’re still using the Orangerie pillows from my shop in your pink chairs. It’s one of my forever favorite fabrics!
Yes!! Love those pillows so much! The lumbar is on our sofa!! xo
Loving your bedroom. We currently have the wall behind our bed painted black, though it seems to dark. What color is your wall and who is the company?
Kris
Thanks, Kris! The walls are SW Iron Ore at 50%. They’ve been dark for almost 4 years and I still love it!
thanks. great points, I follow several of them. I bought the Bose Sleep Buds – super excited to have something that could help me with my noise sensitivity with sleeping. I was disappointed I could not get the ear pieces to be comfortable or to stay in my ears (I think I have very little ears) my adult daughter had the same problem and we ended up having to return them. Really would have loved to keep them. I also wish they had more Delta Sleep sounds etc., the sounds provided were limited and I only liked one….
That’s so disappointing!! I use the small tips, and they stay completely in place! I just like white noise, so the sound is great for me…but they said they’re adding new sounds in a future app update!
I may have to try the sleep buds. I use earplugs frequently (I sleep with an occasional snorer) and just don’t find them to be that comfortable. Plus, I like the idea of listening to some soothing sounds.