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5 Tips To Help You Sleep Better If You Regularly Wake During The Night

Sleep is a beautiful thing. However, despite being warmly immersed in covers like a burrito, we often find ourselves waking up during the night. And while it may be super frustrating to have your Zs rudely interrupted, it’s a commonality that a great deal of us face. It may be easy to jump to conclusions about why your body refuses to sleep, but we’re gonna’ help you get your well-earned rest.

Try To Destress Before Bed

Have a think about your lifestyle and workload. Do you find yourself with a lot on your plate? Have you been waking up in a sweat because you dreamed you hadn’t completed a task to the deadline? Whether you love your job or not, this could be contributing to your broken sleep cycle. There are ways that you can help quieten your poor, overworked brain. They’re pretty simple too (which means less work for you.) Little things like cleaning up the dishes or your room can help your mind declutter. Making a (realistic) list for the next day’s work can also help in making you feel more prepared, and therefore, less riled up.

Another way to not only get to snoozeville, but actually remain there (this is vital, remember?) Is partaking in meditation. Don’t let the name scare you, it’s literally just focusing on certain parts of your body and breathing deeply. Usually it’s suggested that meditation be done in the morning, but it’s also beneficial for unwinding your brain at night. One Giant Mind has a 12-step meditation program that’ll help chill your mind out, and it’s perfect for if you’re just starting off. You’ll be a floppy, sleepy human in no time.

Set The Same Alarm Every Morning

Setting an alarm can be a painful venture, especially when waking earlier for things like uni and work. But did you know that setting an alarm can actually help you sleep better during the night? The act of turning your wake time into a solid routine can help your internal biological clock, by outlining when it should be asleep, and awake. If a routine like this isn’t a regular thing, you might find yourself alert at different times during the night. Which, let’s be honest, isn’t fun for anyone involved.

Keep Work And Bed Separate

Being in bed is by far the comfiest place to be. So much so, that we find ourselves grabbing our books, pens and laptops and setting up a little work camp there. Despite the comfort however, our brains tend to start associating our beds with work. So not only will you probably wake up during the night amongst pens and highlighters (can confirm this happens), but you’ll also remain wired and ready to work when on the pillowy goodness that is your bed (seriously, yuck.)

Use The ‘Do Not Disturb’ Button On Your Phone

While it would probably be best for our phones to be out of our rooms when we’re trying to sleep, that’s basically impossible since they double up as alarms for anyone in the twenty-first century. So, this may not be the most practical option. A way around this, however, is that magical do not disturb button/option. You’ll still get to leave your phone on and messages will still come through. But, the beauty is that your phone won’t vibrate, ring, or light up. This ultimately means you won’t be startled awake by the vibrations and chiming. So, sit your phone on your bed-side table and prepare to not be disturbed until you’re set to wake the next morning.

Diminish The Distractions

The bedroom is meant to be a place of comfort and relaxation. To make your little hideout a place of leisure and ‘zen’, certain things need to be accomplished to ensure this happens. Noise and light can play a massive part in being brought back to wakefulness during the night. If you’re easily distracted by noise, try and find a neutral sound you can play that can drown out excess noise. Think anything from rain, to fire wood crackling, to ocean sounds (the app ‘Rain Rain’ has you covered.) Changes in light can also wake us up, without us even realising. If your room tends to let a lot of street or car lights in, try getting something to block them out, it’ll make a big difference to your precious sleep.

And while sometimes little tips can sort out your middle-of-the-night wake ups, often our mind just doesn’t wanna’ switch off. Check out headspace’s guide to perfect sleep right here to see how many hours you need each night for max shut eye, and either way don’t get too worried. If sleep is tough, speak with a few mates about it or have a chat with the legends at headspace. You’ll be getting all of the 8+ hour sleeps soon!

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