4 Key Things That Help Me Sleep Better

Sleep is quite possibly my favorite thing. Okay, maybe books are. Maybe Jesus. Maybe delicious vegan food… ANYWAY.

Back to sleep. It’s essential. For far too long, I wasn’t sleeping well at ALL and it was basically ruining my life. (Dramatic? Me? Never.) After my depression and anxiety hit nearly rock bottom, I realized how important it was (thanks to my counselor + psychiatrist) to really make good sleep a priority, since it affects my mood, my energy, and my overall happiness and health SO MUCH.

Here are a few things that have majorly upped my good sleep game:

ps— there are affiliate links here and all that jazz! you know how it goes.

Having a consistent routine

I’m still working on being diligent about this every day, but it’s made a big difference to make these few simple shifts in my evening routine:

Set “do not disturb” on my phone to automatically turn on at 9 pm, and turn off again at 7:40 am when I leave for work. This means all notifications are silenced, I’m less tempted to check my phone a ton, and it clues me in to start winding down for bed.
Don’t watch TV in bed. I try to read at least a few pages or a chapter of a book every night before falling asleep instead.
Use a salt lamp in my room in the evenings, keep overhead/bright lights off.
Take my vitamin/supplement, take melatonin.
Diffuse oils for an hour or two as I’m reading/falling asleep.
Pray, journal, reflect, etc.
Put on a calming lotion. I like this tranquility cream with lavender + CBD (smells HEAVENLY and so relaxing — that link will get you $5 off!) and this one from B&B Works too.
Have a consistent (ish) bedtime/wakeup time. I don’t always WANT to go to sleep at the same time every night, but the better I am about sticking to a set time, the better my body knows what’s going on. I usually try to be asleep by 10 or 10:30, and wake up at 6.

Diffusing oils

ps— if you don’t know where to start with oils, I highly recommend getting a starter kit! and I use this diffuser at night since I can set it on a timer to go off after I’m asleep in an hour or two — genius.

A few favorite essential oil combos I use often in my diffuser:

3 drops northern lights black spruce, 3 drops frankincense, 3 drops lavender
5 drops lavender, 5 drops cedarwood
3 drops lavender, 3 drops stress away, 2 drops frankincense (all of these are in the starter kit!)

Melatonin

My psychiatrist recommended taking up to 10 mg melatonin to help me sleep well (check with your doctor first, for sure) so I’ve been doing that, and it makes a huge difference! These gummies with chamomile and lavender added are a great option (and 1 mg each, they taste like wild berry!) or I take 10 mg occasionally too.

Weighted blanket

My 15 lb weighted blanket has been SUCH a game changer for my sleep and my anxiety. It is so comforting to have that added weight on me as I fall asleep! I got this cooling version that doesn’t make me too hot (anybody else HATE being hot while sleeping?!) and this cover for it so I can wash it easily!