3 Quick and Easy Tricks to Get Enough Sleep

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We’ve all heard how we need to get 8 hours of sleep every night to feel our best. I don’t believe this because I know people living healthy and extraordinary lives running on 5 hours of sleep a night. I, however, am one of those people who NEEDS 8 hours of sleep a night, or else I am a sleep-deprived zombie monster. Eight hours is a big chunk of the day (a third to be exact), so how can we possibly get enough sleep every night?

I have a couple of tricks that help me get to bed and go to sleep faster. Now I’m not (yet) a doctor so I can’t give you any medical advice. I’m going to share with you three tricks I think will help change how you sleep every night. I started doing these three simple tricks, and my sleeping habits have improved.

1. Put Down the Electronics

Putting your electronics down is one of those tricks you see everywhere, but I promise it works as long as you stick by it. I know I can tell the difference in the quality of my sleep when I follow this rule and when I don’t. The most significant part of this rule is to keep the electronics out of your bed. Don’t lay in bed scrolling on social media because the 5 minutes you gave yourself will turn into 5 hours, and then your night is gone. Instead, I recommend having another chair, preferably comfy, to sit in and play games or go through social media. Give yourself some time to catch up on things you may have missed throughout the day. Then put the phone down when you go to bed. It’s that simple.

Use an app to help you

That doesn’t mean you don’t need assistance with putting your phone down to get enough sleep. Luckily, if you’re an iPhone user, you already have a resource right in front of you.

I am proudly Team iPhone, and there’s this great feature on the Health app called Bedtime. The Bedtime alarm isn’t just another alarm to set. It also turns on Do Not Disturb During Bedtime, just like any other Do Not Disturb function. When Bedtime is enabled, it quiets notifications. When you check your phone during Bedtime, the screen is darker, and you have to scroll to see your notifications. I love having this feature because it helps me to put the phone away. I stop thinking about that text I’m waiting for because I know it will be there in the morning. Although this is an excellent part of Bedtime, it isn’t the function I want to talk about most today.

For me, the best part about Bedtime is that it reminds you a half-hour before your scheduled bedtime to start winding down for bed. For example, I get up at 6:45 most days, so my bedtime alarm is set for 6:45 am. Like I said before, I need 8 hours of sleep to function the best. Therefore, I should be asleep no later than 10:45 pm. At 10:15, I get a notification that it’s almost bedtime. That’s when I put my phone on the charger and climb into bed.

Don’t touch the phone! I mean it!

Next comes the hard part. I force myself not to touch my phone for the next half hour, and, more often than not, I fall asleep. Now sometimes, this doesn’t work very well for me. Depending on the day I’ve had or the day coming up, I may need to do a little extra. I’ll talk about this extra step I take to fall asleep in Trick 3 below. But for the most part, I can put the phone down and fall right to sleep.

Now, phones are not the only kind of electronic out there that could have a home in your bedroom. I often write posts while relaxing on my bed, especially when I haven’t had the motivation to put my clean clothes away and they’re covering my couch. However, notice I said ON my bed, not IN my bed. Yes, there is a difference. I don’t bring my laptop to bed when I know I need to go to sleep. I will use it if I don’t have to be asleep for a couple of hours. But again, I set a time limit, and once I reach that time, I save my work and put the laptop away.

2. Get into a Nightly Routine

This trick may sound silly, especially for grown adults, but getting into a routine isn’t as crazy as it sounds. It can be as simple as brushing your teeth, putting on pajamas, and climbing into bed. It could also be more complex. I like to think mine is in the middle of the spectrum. Because of my apartment set up, I do everything I need to do in the bathroom first, such as brushing my teeth, taking out my contacts, washing my face, etc. Then I go to my room and put on my pajamas, pick out my clothes for the next day, and spend some time relaxing on my phone. I then climb into bed. I try to pray every night before I go to sleep, even if it’s just to thank God for giving me another day to live in this world.

There are also some things that you may not need in your routine all the time. For example, if I’m feeling stressed, I’ll drink a cup of chamomile tea while I’m relaxing on my phone. There may be times when you can’t follow your exact routine, such as when you’re babysitting younger family members (such as cousins, nephews, nieces, etc.). I know when I’m babysitting my brother, I can’t follow my routine as strictly. I don’t want to keep him awake by being on my phone until 11, when he should be asleep by 9.

Everyone’s routine will be different based on their lifestyle and their need to end their day. Some people may shower before bed, while others may need to call a family member every night. Experiment with finding a routine that will work with your lifestyle the best. Remember that you need to make sure you’re flexible when required, but you should try to stick to your routine nightly to get the best sleep. I think a routine helps to get your mind ready for bed. It also allows you to make your mornings run smoother.

3. Meditate for Sleep

My last trick isn’t something I do every night. Meditation is so relaxing because it clears your head for pretty much anything. Meditating can be as simple as focusing your breath for a couple of seconds to help you calm down, or it can be as complex as following a guided meditation. Now we can use meditation for various purposes, but I’m going to focus on sleeping right now.

My favorite way to relax before bed, especially when I’m feeling stressed out, is meditating. I like following the guided meditations for sleep, and there are plenty of resources to do this. My favorite is Youtube. It’s free to use, and there are plenty of options out there. My favorite channel is Jason Stephenson’s sleep meditation channel, but there are plenty of other channels out there.

Some apps offer some guided meditations, but most of these require memberships to use all of their meditations. And, as a college student who can’t afford to pay for a mediation app membership, I stick to Youtube, where the resources are free to use.

Meditation is great for when you can’t seem to stop thinking about everything in the world. This happens the most when something big is about to happen, such as starting a new job, taking an exam, or trying something new. That’s when meditation helps to get you to focus on something to help you get to where you want to be, and in this case, it’s sleep. I find the guided meditations for sleep to be very relaxing, and I often don’t even make it through the whole video. Meditation is often overlooked when thinking of things to help us get enough sleep, but it can be a vital tool.

Wrapping Things Up

I hope these three tricks will help you get the kind of sleep you need. Remember, everyone is different, so don’t worry about matching your best friend on this one. It’s all about you when it comes to sleep, so do you! Comment below on how you get your best sleep!!

As always, if you like this post and want to stay up to date, follow me on Instagram (@averylivinglife) and Pinterest (username: averylivinglife) for news and updates on my adventures!