Just take a few moment to ask yourself,

• When was the last time you slept between 6 – 8 hours?
• When was the last time you had a deep quality sleep and woke up feeling refreshed?

If you’re someone who stays struggle to get a good night rest, or even if you just want to improve the quality of your sleep, then watch this video through. Sleeping is such a beautiful thing and unfortunately with the face pace life nowadays, most of us do not give sleep the priority it deserves.

Having a good night rest is known to help manage your appetite and cravings, which is also link to weight loss and to maintain a healthy weight long term. Lack of sleep may also sabotage your workout time. If you’re tired, you’re more likely not wanting workout and even if you do, your body recovers slower as well.

It also promotes better mood, clearer thinking and better work performance.

So sleeping better, isn’t just about your bedtime routine, but how you spend your entire day will have an impact on your sleep. I love my sleep, so I want to share with you my routine, which has helped me to get a quality rest. I hope it’ll inspire you love your sleep as much as I do.

1) Get Moving

I like to start my morning and sometimes end my evening with a solid workout. This includes a mixture of strength training, cardio or even yoga. Exercising 3 – 4 times weekly between 45 – 60 minutes will help to improve the quality of your sleep. But avoid exercising 3 to 4 hours before bedtime because it can actually make it harder for you to fall asleep.

2) Avoid Caffeine after 3pm

Who loves a cup of coffee? I get a lot of my work done from cafes and I do enjoy my cup of flat white. However if I know that it’s already late in the afternoon, I’ll try to be good and opt for herbal tea instead, which is much lower in caffeine.

Because my body is sensitive to caffeine, having coffee after 2pm would keep me awake the entire night. So if you’re just like me, avoid drinking coffee in the afternoon and have a cup of herbal tea instead. I like to sip on green or chamomile tea.

3) Soak in a Warm Bath

If it has been a long and tiring day, one of my ways to wind down is to soak myself in a warm bath. Just about 2 hours before bed, I’ll soak myself for 20 – 30 minutes. It helps to relax my muscles and also mind.

A cozy soak raises the body temperature slightly and the immediate cool-down period afterward relaxes you. This natural drop in body heat will help you to fall asleep quicker.

4) Avoid Big Meals at night

“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper” that’s a lot of truth in that saying. Make dinner your lightest meal and have an early dinner. I try to have my dinner early before 8pm and of course, I love my soup noodles.

Having a big or spicy meal night will put your digestive system hard at work and may cause heartburn or indigestion, which can keep you awake.

If at all you’re peckish before bedtime, then have a small snack and keep it below 200 Calories.

5) Scent your way to sleep

Scented oils and candles helps me to wind down, breathe better, fall asleep faster and wake up feeling refreshed. The easiest way is to buy fragrant candles. You could also mix a few drops of essential oil with water and gently mist your pillow before bed.

Here’s a fun fact, smells can also influence your dreams. So try out different scents that make you happy, relax and give you a sweet dream.

6) Power down an hour before bed

Our body needs time to shift into sleep mode, so one hour before bedtime, put all your electronic devices away, this include the TV, laptop, IPad, and mobile phones.

I’m very easily affected by the noise, vibration or even slightest glow from my phone. So I like to put it on airplane mode in order to get a good night rest.

7) De-clutter the Mind

One of the most common reasons a lot of  people have trouble sleep is because of their cluttered mind. Rather than just ignoring it, I choose to write my thoughts down and also list of things to do the next day.

This helps me to put things into perspective and clear my mind off my worries. I’d also read a book and listen to quiet music, which helps me to drift off easily.

8) Develop a Sleeping Schedule

And If there’s no reason for me to stay up late, I aim to go to bed every night at about the same time, which is just before midnight. I even get my friends calling me Cinderella because of my sleeping habit.

Developing a sleeping schedule will help to regulate your body’s clock and fall asleep easily. You’re also be able to wake up in the morning at the same time without the help of an alarm clock

9) Go for a Black Out!

So when it’s time to go to bed, go for a complete black out. Even the slightest amount of ambient light may disrupt your sleep and tell the brain that it’s time to wake up. So I like to keep my room as dark as possible.

If you can’t seal up all the light sources in your room, then consider using a comfy eye-mask.

10) Stay put if you are still awake

And if you still find yourself awake a night, choose to lie in bed in a calm and relaxed position. Release all the tension from your body and breathe deeply for a few rounds to keep your mind and body calm.

As much as we want to aim for a good night rest, don’t stress yourself out about getting enough sleep. The more you fight it, the more difficult it will be to actually get any rest.

Take the time to understand your body, know what are the triggers that keep you awake at night and slower work on that. Sleep is a beautiful thing. So if you feel you’re not getting enough sleep, or if you are not enjoying a quality sleep, try these simple tips and I hope it’ll get you sleeping in no time.