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How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Today, I’m sharing tips on how to get a good night’s sleep. Sleep is supposed to come as soon as your head hits the pillow, right? Not really. The average person spends between 10 and 20 minutes falling asleep after slipping into bed. If you find yourself wide awake for much longer than this, there’s probably a reason behind it.

Popping a pill to fall asleep is the easy solution. However, that doesn’t do anything to get to the bottom of why you’re having trouble falling asleep. Thankfully, there are several things you can do to encourage healthy sleep habits.

Here a few tips on how to get a good night’s sleep:

Make Sure You Have the Right Mattress

Your mattress matters more than you might think. And, no two styles are alike nor are they right for each sleeping style. If you tend to roll over onto your back or stomach or switch between the two, a firm surface is usually most comfortable. According to My Slumber Yard, a dense hybrid like the Dream Cloud is ideal. But, a firm mattress may not solve your sleep struggles if you are most at ease on your side. You might want to try a plush or pillowtop. Satvaa is an affordable option if your budget is a concern. Furthermore, both the Satvaa and the DreamCloud (along with most other mattress makers) offer a trial period.

Track Your Sleep Patterns

If changing your mattress doesn’t help, you may benefit from understanding how you sleep during the night. There are several apps that can help you do this without having to invest in a dedicated sleep tracking device. A few of these are:

Sleep Time – This is a hands-off app that, once downloaded via the Google Play or Apple Store, can give you insight into how you sleep. It tracks your movements and gives you suggestions on the best time to go to bed and wake up.
If you snore, you aren’t getting the most restful sleep possible. Use Snore Lab to determine if you snore and for easy-to-understand suggestions for relief based on your night time noise patterns.
Headspace and Calm. Both of these apps are for meditation and work to put you in a better mental state before going to sleep. Headspace offers hundreds of different guided meditations while Calm offers you the option of listening to calming stories read by the most soothing voices of our generation (including Matthew McConaughey).

You can also use your phone to play soft music or white noise. You can purchase a white noise machine to help you get to sleep if outside noise keeps you distracted. However, keep in mind that many older phones won’t have the memory or battery life to keep up with your downloads. If your device loses power or freezes up overnight, look for more capable options.

There are dozens of factors that might inhibit you from getting the rest you need. However, your mattress is a likely culprit. Tracking your patterns can help you narrow it down even further. Both of these suggestions are easy to implement and are a healthy alternative to medication-induced sleep. Remember that insomnia is a serious problem, and if you can’t find relief, visit your doctor. They can help rule out any potential medical issue that needs attention, and give you additional tips on how to get a good night’s sleep.

How To Get A Good Nights Sleep

January 12, 2014 by Rhonda Gales

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Do you know how to purchase a pillow? Are you a side, back or stomach sleeper? I’ve been purchasing pillows for years, and I never thought about how I slept while doing so. For years my pillows have ended up on the floor by morning. I concluded, I didn’t like them for some reason and sometime during the night I made my dislike known. Not only where the pillows on the floor, my bed looked like a bomb hit it. There times when I woke up, looked at the bed and asked WTH. I obviously tossed and turned all night, which probably has been a big contributor to me waking up feeling like I had never gone to bed. I decided to trash all of my pillows and make new purchases.

While researching and trying to decide what kind to buy, I learned that I’ve been buying the wrong pillows. There are pillows made specifically for side, back and stomach sleepers. I am a side sleeper. I’ve always purchased what was the cheapest, the end. They always ended up as flat as a pancake, basically useless. I checked out Web MD during my research, and the article confirmed my suspicion. I had been purchasing the wrong pillows.

Since I was going to redo my bed, I decided that I wanted it to be as delicious as the beds at the Marriott and Crown Plaza that I’ve stayed in during my travels. I headed over to Bed, Bath and Beyond to check out their selection. According to Web MD side sleepers need a firm pillow to fill in the distance between the ear and outside shoulder. After discussing the pillow selections with the sales representative, I decided on Laura Ashley side sleepers. I purchased 4 firm at $20.00 bucks each. I originally went in with the intention of purchasing Down pillows, that’s what Marriott has on their beds. The Laura Ashley pillows felt just as good. I do have a Down bed topper and comforter, which adds to the deliciousness of my bed.

According to Web MD, if you are a back sleeper you need a thin pillows so your head is not thrown forward and stomach sleepers need a very thin almost flat pillow. Stomach sleepers usually don’t need a pillow for their head, but they should use one under their stomach to avoid lower back pain. I found the article to be very informative.

I have a habit of sleeping on one pillow and snuggling with the other. I know you’re thinking I snuggle with my man or my husband. I may start there, but before the night is over I’m looking for coolness and I’ve drawn a line down the middle of the bed. Don’t cross I’m hot! That’s another story. Stayed tuned for my post on that experience.

I have 3 days to use the Laura Ashley pillows, and if I’m not satisfied I can return them. So far so good. Are you a side, back or stomach sleeper? Do you buy your pillows accordingly? If not, you may want to change how you make your selections too. Buying the right pillow can contribute to a good night’s sleep. Who knew.