Minutes turn into hours as you lay in bed staring at the ceiling fan circle round and round. You cannot seem to calm your mind as you experience rapid, racing thoughts. How are you ever going to fall asleep for your long and busy day to come tomorrow?  If you haven’t already, you might want to try some of the following tips to wind down and optimize your sleep.

1.       Set an evening wind-down routine

Every night as you are getting ready for bed, you will want to try engaging in the same evening routine tasks to alert your brain that it’s time for sleep. Some of these activities might include: engaging in a skin care routine/ washing your face, brushing your teeth, taking a hot bath or shower, reading a book, watching a show, journaling, drinking hot decaffeinated tea, and more.  Engaging in a daily routine of these tasks can help to associate your brain with sleep and might aid in making you feel tired as you do these.

2.       Avoid excessive cell phone use

The blue light on your phone has been linked to stimulating your brain into thinking it’s daytime and keeping you awake. If you are going to use your phone in the evenings, which most people do, you might want to turn on or adjust your “night shift” settings. It might be beneficial for you also to limit your cell phone use in general in the evenings as you prepare for bed.  Reading a book can help to calm the mind from rapid thoughts and make you feel more tired.

3.       Use your bed for only sleeping

We want to associate our bed with only sleeping. People who often lay in their bed to do homework or work, eat, hang out, and other activities often have difficulty with falling asleep. It is recommended to spend time in the living room or other areas of your house and go up to bed only when it’s time to sleep or slightly before.  This should help with improving your sleep hygiene.

4.       Get up and have a change of scenery

If you are laying in your bed for hours on end and you can’t seem to fall asleep or even feel tired, then it might be helpful to leave your bedroom and go to another space.  Sometimes a change of scenery or activity can help to ease your mind.  For example, going downstairs and making a hot cup of decaffeinated tea while you watch some TV or read a book for 20-30 minutes.  Then you can try going back up to bed and trying to fall asleep again.  With anxiety, sometimes we fall into a thought trap or overthinking which causes a downward spiral that does not end. Distracting your mind with these strategies can help reset when you try and attempt to go to sleep again.

5.       Healthy diet

How does a healthy diet affect your sleep?  The food and drinks you eat prior to going to sleep can affect how quickly you can fall sleep.  Eating foods high in sugar, and drinking caffeine or alcohol too close to bedtime can keep you up. Be mindful of what you are putting into your body prior to getting ready for bed.  Drinking water, decaf tea, or melatonin can help if you are having these challenges as well.

Are you interested in Anxiety Therapy?

Experiencing anxiety in the evenings is very common, as the daytime hustle and bustle comes to a slow. When things slow down, we often have more time to stop and think about things that cause us anxiety. If you are interested in learning more about how to manage your anxiety, call or contact today and set up a consultation for therapy for anxiety.