If you have to pinpoint the reason why you don’t sleep very well, would you say it was? The thing is, for the most part, it’s not so much the sleep aspect of your night-time routine that is the problem here; the issue is more the lead-up to bedtime and your nightly habits that are impacting your ability to get a good night’s sleep.

If you want to stop lying down staring at the ceiling for hours on end before you drift off, or you want to avoid that mid-sleep wake-up call, these tips might be worth looking into.

Go to bed an hour earlier

Most people are running on fumes and not going to bed as early as they think they need to. If you’re guilty of staying up for an extra hour just to have time for yourself, then maybe it’s time you ditched this mindset and headed to bed anyway.

Start by going to bed and getting ready before you usually do. Even half an hour if you can’t commit to an hour will be helpful. This gives you time to wind down and signal to your brain you’re ready for bed.

Get your phone out of the bedroom

This one gets a lot of hate, but if you’re a doom-scroller, do you know exactly how badly this habit impacts your sleep?

It’s not just the blue light thing that’s interrupting your sleep here, but the close proximity and the temptation to check your phone, as well as the notifications you receive. The urge to check your phone at 2 am when you wake briefly is more harmful than good.

So put it away, leave it outside the room or if you can’t, put it far enough away so at least you can’t reach for it.

Control light and temperature in your room

Your body temperature drops as you get closer to sleep. Meaning if your room is warm, it’s actively working against you, and it won’t be helping you get to sleep. For an idea of where to start, temperature-wise, most people sleep at around 16-19 °C.

The same thing applies to light, too. Bright overhead lights in the hour before bedtime keep your brain in daytime mode, making it harder for you to go to sleep. Opt for warmer, dimmer lighting or no light at all.

Try sleep supplements

There are multiple different sleep supplements and proxies on the market made from a wide range of natural products. From using lavender in your bathing products and in room sprays and fragrance, you can try CBD gummies, melatonin if it’s legally available in your location or use ashwagandha or chamomile to help you relax and get in the right frame of mind for decent sleep.

It is not about finding a sleeping pill that knocks you out, but gently encourages sleep so you feel more relaxed in the first place.