Natalie's Sleep Hacks for a Better Night's Rest

Jot down your thoughts and emotions to clear your mind. Explicitly recall a positive experience from the day.

“Journal every night. Take a few minutes to jot down all your thoughts and emotions. This will clear your mind from any anxiety you're building up in your head. You'll soon feel so relieved and unstressed you'll be ready for bed.”

Use stress-relieving toys to release anxiety. Focus on breathing while squeezing.

“Try these stress relieving toys. Squeeze at any time to release anxiety or negative tension.”

Have a light snack like cherry juice or cherries, a natural source of melatonin. Track your hunger level.

“If you're feeling hungry gravitate for a quick light snack like cherry juice or cherries. Cherries are a natural source of melatonin.”

Put your phone on airplane mode to avoid distractions. Notice how you feel without notifications.

“To prevent yourself from staying up all night surfing the web do yourself a favor and disconnect. Put your phone on airplane mode and that way all notifications are silent and there are no more distractions.”

Use a firm pillow for good body form. Rate your sleep comfort.

“I recommend a firm pillow. A curve like this is ideal to give your body good form when you sleep.”

Use a lavender-scented oil to relax. Track your heart rate variability.

“Choose an oil that's lavender scented. Studies show that when exposed to lavender people reported a 20 overall better sleep experience.”

Stretch at night to relax your muscles. Note which muscles feel the tensest.

“Getting in the routine of stretching at night is an easy fix for falling asleep fast. You see after a long day your body is more tense and it makes it more difficult to relax.”

Set the mood with ambient music. Note how the music makes you feel.

“Set the mood with ambient music to remove any distracting sounds.”

Read a book to ease your mind. Track pages read and enjoyment.

“Creating a space to keep your favorite books will help ease your mind because reading requires imagination and storylines will entertain you. Your eyes are rapidly moving through the pages and this attention causes them to grow tired.”

Avoid electronics in your bedroom. Reflect on cravings or urges.

“Studies have shown that any light given off of electronics will affect your sleep health. The best thing you can do for a healthy sleep cycle is to avoid having any electronics such as a TV in your room.”

Invest in a cozy blanket and keep your room cool. Monitor room temperature.

“Investing in a cozy blanket is ideal. It's proven that people sleep best at temperatures between 62 and 70 degrees when it comes to sleep temperature make sure you stay cozy.”

Turn your alarm clock around or place it far away. Reflect on anticipation.

“Placing your alarm where you can see it is only going to keep you focused on the time and you will not sleep. Instead turn it around or place it somewhere far from you that way you can focus on relaxing and not the time. If you put it far from you this is also a great hack to help you get up in the morning to turn it off.”

Dim your lights or use yellow-tinted fairy lights. Monitor light level.

“If you have the option to dim your lights before sleep do so any yellowish tint will help you regulate your sleep and your biological clock will prepare itself when your room is darker. If you don't have a dimmer use yellow tinted fairy lights and this will create the ambience you need.”

Treat yourself to a warm cup of tea with honey. Reflect on taste and comfort.

“If you're finding it hard to fall asleep treat yourself to a warm cup of tea. If you add honey even better because honey contains a sleep-inducing amino acid called tryptophan.”

Indulge in a warm bath with lavender-scented products. Monitor water temperature.

“A nice warm bath light some candles get comfy use your favorite bubbling wash this is mine i love it it smells like lavender which we learned will help you relax your body for more fulfilling sleep and indulge in a nice warm bath.”

Meditate by focusing on a single color and breathing deeply. Track focus level.

“Meditation you can call us what you like but it's also a practice to help you learn to breathe take some time for yourself get in a comfy position and if you don't know how to meditate use this simple trick close your eyes and think of one color my color is white breathe deeply and repeat the same color your mind over and over focus only on the color.”