It’s 4am, you’re tossing and turning on your bed and haven’t gotten a wink of sleep. Whether you’re experiencing short-term or chronic insomnia here are our ultimate tips on how to sleep better. Are you ready, Shopeeholics? It’s time for more rested nights!
Tips on how to sleep better
1. Regulate your sleep cycle
How to sleep better you ask? Establish a regular sleep routine across all seven days of the week! Yes, even on the weekends. There was a reason why our parents enforced strict bedtimes when we were kids — and it wasn’t, we hope, just so they could get some peace in the house. Following a set bedtime wires your body to expect sleep at a particular time, making it easier to fall asleep.
Some smart watches like this fitness and sleep tracker (available on Wripples Store) give you insights into your sleep cycle and sleep quality. Connect it to the FitCloud app and access your previous day’s sleep data with just a click! For instance, it can tell you how many hours you spend in deep sleep and how better you can optimise your sleep! Improving sleep quality also helps you inch closer towards achieving a natural skin glow, so make sure you get enough shut-eye on a daily basis!
2. Sink into a comfortable bed at night
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Choose a comfortable mattress
Tackle the ‘how to sleep better’ question by investing in a comfortable pocket spring mattress! Pocket spring mattresses consist of springs sewn separately into pockets of fabric, which lend greater support for your back. Conversely, traditional bonnell spring systems have interconnected springs which can result in the mattress sagging easily over time.
Get uninterrupted rest with the Elite Plush pocketed spring mattress (available on Home And Style) which supports the contours of your body, providing amazing comfort. Want something premium? Choose the King Koil Prince Collection pocketed spring mattress (available on Furniture Store). This high-grade, luxurious mattress consists of an extra layer of plush that’s sure to guarantee comfort and help you sleep better.
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Fluff your pillows
All this comfort and back support shouldn’t stop at your mattress. Sleep better with comfortable memory foam or buckwheat pillow, which will provide your neck with the support it needs. The Bodyluv Addiction Magic CozyPillow (available on COCOMO) is a cooling memory foam pillow with micro airballs that promises to induce deep sleep! As a bonus, this Bodyluv pillow can be thrown directly into the washing machine for a wash — perfect if you’ve got sensitive skin and require your pillow to be washed often.
3. Do away with blue light and loud snores
Did you know that exposure to blue light can increase alertness and make it harder for you to fall asleep? If you’ve got a bad habit of checking your phone right before bed — and most of us do — then you might want to switch on Night Light mode or blue light filters on your iPhone, Android and even on your desktop PC.
But it’s not just blue light — any exposure to light reduces our chances of getting shut-eye. Wondering how to sleep better in instances where you can’t switch off all light sources (perhaps because you share a room)? Get your hands on an eye mask then! This adorable Korean style eye mask (available on zhenghao005.sg) is an affordable favourite that’ll have you scrambling to get into bed.
If it’s not the light that’s keeping you up at night, but your partner’s loud snores, then it’s time to put an end to it with an anti-snore sleep belt (available on Body store) or a nasal clip (available on starfish888).
4. Keep active
It should come as no surprise that leading an active lifestyle contributes towards better sleep quality. Hitting the gym is a time-tested solution to your problem of how to sleep better. Expend all that extra energy at a Muay Thai or kickboxing class and you’ll find yourself unable to resist sleep at night!
Just be sure to avoid doing vigorous exercise too close to your bedtime. Otherwise, the adrenaline high might leave you more bright-eyed than ever.
5. Eat more sleep-aiding foods
Can your diet play a part in resolving your issues on how to sleep better? Studies say that they can — consuming magnesium and Vitamin B-12 rich food regulates melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone which puts our body in a state of relaxation faster.
Some foods containing magnesium are spinach, broccoli, asparagus, nuts, tofu, brown rice and our personal favourite, dark chocolate! Foods containing Vitamin B-12 include most meats, like poultry, eggs, milk, dairy products, sardine and tuna.
If these foods just aren’t suited to your palate, you might want to give supplements a go. Pop these Blackmores Bio Magnesium capsules (available on Beautiful.me) or rake up your Vitamin B-12 intake with Holistic Way’s Vitamin B12 supplements (available on JR Life Sciences Official eStore).
6. Journal your worries away
How can you expect yourself to sleep better when you’re feeling stressed out or worrying about unfinished tasks? Spend some time reflecting and organising your to-do list beforehand so you can go to bed with a peace of mind. Remember, “if you don’t plan, you plan to fail.”
Journaling can also be the answer to sleeping better. Experts recommend listing down what you’re grateful for every day, so you can process your thoughts more clearly and cope with stress. Buy a notebook and deal positively with daily stresses to enjoy better sleep quality!
7. Watch a relaxing ASMR video
Another increasingly popular way on how to sleep better is to watch ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) videos. ASMR is a wide genre with many different types of videos, including some relaxing ones to help you get great sleep. Listening to sounds produced by tapping, scratching and mic brushing can actually make you feel really calm. Before you know it you’ll find your eyelids getting heavier and you’ll be fast asleep!
If you’re not a fan of ASMR videos, then pull a pair of soft sleeping headphone headband (available on send_cool) over your earphones and plug into your favourite relaxing tunes. We promise you’ll be sleeping like a baby in no time!
8. Aroma-fy your room
Last but not least, aromatherapy can be an attractive option for getting you into that relaxed state. Scents such as vanilla and lavender not only make your room smell better but they can induce sleep too! Immerse yourself in the soothing scents of scented candles from beloved brands like Yankee.
You can even learn to mix essential oils and create your own personal scents to help you sleep better! Check out our guide to the best essential oils for your home to learn more.
Now that you’ve learnt the tips and tricks on how to sleep better, it’s time to live it out! While you’re waiting for those endorphins to kick in, check out our guide to the best eye creams in Singapore to conceal your dark eye circles and keep yourself looking fresh.
