Every time my granddaughter tells me, “But I don’t want to take a nap,” I’m transported back to my Grandmothers’ big bed with the beautiful white chenille bedspread where I could trace all of the flowers with my finger. 

So many times, I said these exact words to my Gram. She would tell me to close my eyes for a little while, and if I didn’t feel tired when she came in again to check on me, I could get up. Of course, every time, I would fall asleep.

Once I was asleep, I was in no hurry to get up, especially in the mornings. Even at a young age, I liked sleeping in as long as possible. Missing the school bus, however, was a very unpleasant experience in having my stepmother drive me to school, so I tried only to do that on the weekends.  

Even at five years old, it felt great to be fully rested. Once I was sufficiently assured that whatever I thought I would be missing would still be there when I woke up, I could calm myself down enough to relax. 

That feeling hasn’t changed too much sixty years later. 

I have been on a quest for quite some time to discover what it takes for the “perfect night’s sleep.” I know from research and lots of living that it is so vital to our physical and mental health. It affects your energy, mood, weight, cognitive abilities, and so much more. 

Fitbit Tracking 

I have a Fitbit that tracks my sleeping and gauges the time I was asleep, deep and REM sleep, and restorative sleep and gives me a score from 0-100. A score over 80 is the goal. It even includes a “snore report” and allows you to see your trends over time. I’ve been tracking my sleep for about a year now, with the lowest score of 72 and the highest of 89. 

Some obvious factors have been whether or not I had a glass or two of wine the night before, if I was feeling congested and coughing, or not being able to go back to sleep in the middle of the night because something was on my mind or I was anticipating something happening the next day. 

I  love data and gadgets, so for me, this is an incredible and insightful tool. If I’ve had a low sleep score the night before, I make an effort the following night to get to bed a little earlier, minus the issues that caused problems the night before. Hopefully, whatever was so urgent at 3 a.m. in my mind is no longer an issue.

Tricks to Go Back to Sleep

Have you ever counted backward from 100 to 0 by threes? I’ve done that many times. It is supposed to take your mind off of whatever you are thinking of that is keeping you up and give you something else to concentrate on. It works sometimes, but not often. I do feel pretty accomplished when I get to zero, though.

Another option I’ve used is to visualize that I am in one of my favorite places where I feel calm (usually walking along a beach looking for sea glass), or I go back to when I was walking on a trail in Ireland. Three deer came out of the woods as calm as could be, as if they wanted to get their pictures taken. Sometimes, I think about my Grandmother’s house (previously mentioned) and walk through it in my mind. Any place that is a happy place is good to visualize. 

Focusing on your breathing is another good option I have used. Also, I’ve thought about every part of my body from head to toe and “put it to sleep” one part at a time. 

White noise, or in my case, the sound of crickets courtesy of Google, is also helpful for me to focus on and pretend I’m camping out under the stars for the night. 

It also has helped me practice meditating in the daytime, so it is easier to focus on my breathing at night when I am still groggy. That simple practice also helps to lull me back to sleep. 

Anything to focus on besides the thing that is keeping me up.  

If my husband wakes up in the middle of the night, which he often does, he actually gets up, goes into the kitchen, empties the dishwasher (great for me!), makes his tea for the next morning, and then reads or looks at Facebook on his computer. It works for him. He is able to go back to sleep about an hour or so later.  

If I did that, I would be up all night.

You do you. Find some sleep tricks you want to try before you go to bed, so you have a plan for when you wake up in the middle of the night. It happens. Keep experimenting, and you’ll find what works for you. 

The 3-2-1 Method

Have you heard of this method before bedtime?

Three hours before bed, avoid heavy meals (any food, if possible), caffeine, and alcohol. All three of these can interfere with getting to sleep and staying asleep. Personally, I have observed that if I have had wine and/or a heavy meal the night before, it is very easy for me to go to sleep, but I often wake up in the middle of the night and have a hard time getting back asleep. I wake up feeling tired and not rested. It would have been better to go to bed later and sleep more deeply, even if it took less time. 

Instead of that glass of wine or a snack, this is a great time to make your to-do list (2-4 items are plenty) for the next day so you can get that off your mind for the night. 

Two hours before bed, avoid work-related activities or serious and intense conversations. Give your mind a head start on unwinding. 

This would be a great time to journal about your day, declutter, take a warm bath or shower, color, do yoga, drink herbal tea, read, or watch something visually appealing, calming, or inspirational. 

One hour before bed, dim the lights, turn on your essential oil diffuser, spray lavender on your pillow, and focus on calming activities like reading, listening to quiet, soothing music, or meditating. 

 Try to limit your use of blue screens like your smartphone or laptop. These can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle by reducing your melatonin levels. I read on my Kindle, but I set it on the warm light mode so it isn’t as harsh. The Kindle is the only light on in the room.

Lastly

I know it isn’t always possible, but do your best to go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day. Numerous studies have shown that consistent sleep patterns reduce the risk of chronic health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. 

Other perks include improved weight management, strengthened immune system, better mood, mental health, memory, and generally enhanced alertness. Over time, your sleep quality will continually improve, and it will be even easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. 

With practice, one or more of these ideas will help you to have a restful week and improve your sleeping habits over time. I wish you many nights of great sleep! 

Keep reading! Keep smiling! 

Quote:  “Also, I could finally sleep. And this was the real gift because when we cannot sleep, you cannot get yourself out of the ditch – there’s not a chance” —Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love