Get Better Sleep

We’ve all heard that we need at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Despite my best efforts, that’t not always possible. Lack of sleep makes me grumpy and irritable, not to mention it is actually linked to obesity.

I decided to make my bedroom a place where I would sleep as well as possible, regardless of how many hours I was going to get. Since making these changes, I have slept much more soundly than I used to:

1. Declutter
If your bedroom looks like a closet where undone projects go to die, you won’t get any shuteye. I used to have baskets of laundry, piles of papers, and shoes that belonged in the closet strewn all over my bedroom. All those things have found new homes in closets, desks, and drawers.

2. Eliminate the nightstand clock
No more staring at the digital numbers and wondering how much sleep I would get if I fell asleep RIGHT THAT INSTANT. My clock has since migrated across the room:

3. Have a heavenly bed
There are a few places in my life where I feel its acceptable to splurge, and my bed is one of them. I’m a firm believer of buying the best linens in your budget. We saved and waited for a sale to buy my dream linens: Calvin Klein Acacia (I’m not going to pretend that these sheets were at all my husband’s dream ). I do love the idea of all white linens, but with a dog, it just isn’t practical. The grey and brown against the exposed brick in our apartment makes for a charming, modern, and soothing feel.

Bed — My bed may not be photo shoot ready, but it makes me want to dive in and take a nap

We also recently upgraded to a king sized bed – something I highly recommend for any cohabitating couple. As an aside, not everything regarding my bed is expensive. Our bed pillows, mattress topper and duvet are from IKEA (I love the idea of having inexpensive items complement a major purchase).

4. Rest your eyes before bed
Darkness signals to your body that its time for sleep. I don’t watch TV, surf the web, or play games on my phone within an hour of going to bed. This is exceptionally hard to do as I often have a full Tivo of shows to watch, but I really do notice a difference in my sleep quality when I read before bed instead of watching TV.

5. If needed, use natural sleep aids
I love Valerian and Melatonin. They help me sleep better than knocking myself out with Nyquil or Tylenol PM ever did. Beware of Valerian though, the pills themselves smell like cow poop!