Great attention should be given to your sleeping environment. 1. A comfortable bed is of the utmost importance! Your bed’s size is also an important consideration.
2. If you have a sleep partner, the bigger the bed, the better you both will sleep.
3. If you sleep alone, ensure that you have plenty of room, but not so much that you feel lonely. Some suggestions for dealing effectively with feelings of loneliness might be the use of “body pillows” or a stuffed animal.
4. An “egg crate” cushion can provide maximum comfort for your bed. Suggested use is to place the “egg crate” cushion on top of your mattress.
5. “Down” bedding (a particular type of warm, cushiony feather bedding) is a wonderful addition to your sleep environment, particularly if you are in a cold-weather area of the country. It feels warm and soft and inviting and seems to promote the relaxation necessary for a good night’s sleep.
6. Sheets ideally should be laundered on a weekly basis. Clean sheets emit a pleasing, fresh scent and they just plain feel better to your skin. Your sheets should also be of a high-quality percale or extra thread count that affords a smoother, pill-free feel as you sink down into the comfort of your bed.
7. Cleanliness of your room is also an important factor. Clutter-free, pleasant-scented rooms are conducive to good sleep.
8. The temperature of your sleeping room is very important, as well as making sure the room is completely dark. If, however, you have a fear of the dark, the use of a very small night light is acceptable.
9. If you are in a cold weather area, use flannel sheets. If you are in warm temperature areas of the country, the use of satin sheets is suggested.
10. Sleeping on your side, either the left or the right, is recommended. The use of a pillow between your legs, for example, can provide extra comfort and is better utilized when sleeping on your side. You will also have less random thoughts and it will be easier to have visualizations for sleep when lying on your side. When we lie on our backs, our minds tend to wander much more frequently.
11. Use of a gentle, quiet, pleasant-sounding water fountain is a great aid to a good night’s sleep. Not only does it provide a pleasing and relaxing sound, it can also drown out other sounds that might be keeping you awake. Fans (especially a window fan) and air conditioners can also be good for sound control, particularly for outside noises. Fish tanks can be very relaxing, too. Watching the fish for a few moments before retiring can be very therapeutic and calming. Then once you have actually laid down in the bed, the sound of the water filter can be hypnotic-like, therefore, very relaxing. Playing soft music can be a good idea, especially if there are no words in the song(s), or only words of a very positive, safe nature. Playing songs that evoke unpleasant memories (e.g., “breaking up with a loved one” songs) is discouraged. Again, it is STRONGLY suggested that the use of radios and TVs (specifically, NO viewing of news, horror or sad movies) be curtailed as you are lying down to go to sleep.
12. If you must have a clock in your bedroom, (especially digital clocks) take care to turn the clock so that you do not see the light on the clock, OR the time. Continuing to look at the time often makes you that much more prone to being unable to sleep.
13. If you need to make a list(s) for the next day’s activities/tasks, it is a much better idea to do it a few hours (at least two) before going to bed. Writing out lists right before you plan to go to bed can be problematic because your focus will be on “all the many things” you must do tomorrow and can often cause you to stay awake thinking about them.
14. Getting up at the same time every morning, EVEN on weekends, is ideal. Your body becomes used to the routine and you will find that a routine can be very helpful in getting to sleep and staying asleep during the night.
15. Again, it is STRONGLY advised to refrain from having TVs, computers, exercise equipment and the like in your bedroom. These items ALL bring to mind activities that must be performed when you are awake. Your room should be pleasing to your senses and should be devoid of anything that is not useful for sleep.
16. If your bed is ONLY used for sleep and sexual intimacy, your mind will begin to associate only sleep, etc. with your bed, which will help your body and mind to fall asleep easier.
Pleasant dreams!
