Good night sweet dreams

Sleep is essential to our overall health, wellbeing and work or study performance. But sleep problems are common.

Everyone should have the right advice about sleep. You even need this information if you currently have a good night and sweet dreams. Applying effective sleep strategies is the best way to have a good morning and good afternoon the next day.

Here are some top tips to keep your sleep running smoothly.

Ready to doze

Setting up for a great night's sleep starts well before you puff the pillow and close your eyes. You need to follow a pre-bed routine consistently that prepares the body and mind for sleep. Try these tactics:

Wind-down two hours before bedtime
Fill this period with relaxing activities. For instance, you can try a breathing exercise on the skills videos page.
Avoid computer, phone, and tablet screens
Don't drink or eat
Go to bed at a consistent time each night
Only use the bed for sleep and switch out the light as soon as you get into bed

Sweet dreams airlines

Your bedroom needs to be sleep-friendly. Here's how you can ensure the sleep environment is suitable:

The bedroom should be boring. Don't have a workspace, TV, etc, if possible.
The bed needs to be comfortable.
The room needs to be dark (use blackout blinds).
The room should be noise-free (use earplugs if necessary).
The room should be cool.

Dark circles

Here's what to do if you start having sleep problems:

Do not lie in bed awake for more than 10-15 mins. Get up and do something relaxing outside the bedroom. Go back to bed when you feel sleepy tired. We do this to avoid linking the bedroom with feeling frustrated.
Don't try to 'make up' for lost sleep (e.g., going to bed early the next night). You do not have to repay 'sleep debt'.
Do not change your schedule to cope with a poor night's sleep. We want to minimise the focus on a bad night's sleep. Continue your day as usual.
Avoid daytime napping (messes with your body clock and reduces the pressure to sleep).

Other tips

Here are a few other things to bear in mind:

Be physically and mentally active during the day.
Have some exposure to natural light (be outside, even in cloudy weather).
Watch out for unhelpful thoughts related to poor sleep (e.g., 'I can't function today', 'I have to go to bed early tonight'). Replace these statements with helpful self-talk (e.g., 'I can cope with a bad night's sleep', 'Let's carry on as normal', 'I can survive some extra tiredness').

You will go a long way to good sleep if you follow the tips in this article.

Have a good night meme

....and now, here are a few funny memes around sleep.

Beautiful good night images

Visual images can help people feel a sense of calm. A relaxed body is a big help at bedtime. Here are some pictures that may help move you into a relaxed state.

I am a Coaching & Clinical Psychologist with extensive experience helping people conquer a range of wellbeing and performance issues at home and in the workplace. Read more about my work, watch practical skills videos or browse other articles. Book a free meet-and-greet video call or get in touch anytime.

Jan 5 How to have a good night