Whenever I work with clients to improve sleep, both for falling asleep and staying asleep, I always begin with a conversation around sleep hygiene to make sure we are setting the stage for success. There are some simple principles that can really make a difference, so before you schedule a session to use hypnosis for this common problem, start here with these steps. Make sure you’re giving yourself the best possible chance for sleeping well, falling asleep easily, and staying asleep through the night.

• Keep as consistent a sleep schedule as you can. This means you wake up around the same time every day, whether it’s a weekday or weekend, and even during vacations.
• Schedule your bedtime early enough so you can get at least 7-8 hours of sleep.
• If you’re not able to fall asleep within 20-30 minutes, get up rather than laying there and creating more anxious or frustrated feelings, which then become associated with bedtime. Do something quiet without a lot of light exposure (definitely avoid electronic devices!), until you feel sleepy enough to get back to bed.
• Create a relaxing routine around your bedtime. What helps you slow down and relax? A warm bath? Hot chamomile tea? Choose whatever feels cozy and relaxing to you and make it a habit.
• Use your bed only for sleep and sex. When we associate other activities, such as watching tv, with this same place, we dilute our bodies naturally anchored responses to getting into bed to sleep.
• Make sure your bedroom is as quiet, dark, and relaxing as possible. It’s also helpful to keep the room at a slightly cool temperature as our body temperature drops a little when we sleep.
• Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings, especially blue light. This means it’s best to turn off electronic devices about 30 minutes before bedtime.
• It’s not usually a good idea to eat a large meal before bedtime, as digestion will interfere with sleeping. If you are hungry at night, have a light snack instead.
• Avoid consuming caffeine in the afternoon or evening.
• Avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime. While it may seem to help you sleep more easily, it has been shown to reduce the depth and quality of sleep.
• Consider reducing your fluid intake before bedtime, especially if your bladder tends to wake you up at night.
• Exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet and both helpful for good sleep. If you need help establishing good habits in this, or other areas, consider hypnosis as a valuable tool in making those changes.

Now, I know we all have different circumstances in our homes and lives, and it’s not always possible to create the absolute ideal environment. Just do as many of these as you can, to the best you are reasonably able to. And if you need some additional help, such as reducing those unwanted anxious or stressful thoughts that can sometimes creep in at bedtime, keeping us from getting the restful sleep we need, then schedule a phone consultation to find out more about how hypnosis can help in your situation.

Hopefully, with a few tweaks from the list above, sweet dreams are just around the corner. Happy snoozing!