When was the last time that you had a sweet dream? It’s hard to admit but too many of us are missing out on sweet dreams or let us say ‘beautiful nightmares.’

It’s common these days that we tend to lie awake, having a hard time catching the ‘zzzzzz’ buzz because, for some reasons for those people who don’t have sleep diagnosis, the only problem we have is we lack discipline. This isn’t an expert’s shut-eye solutions to the insomniac’s plight but we’ll help you at least get out of those bad sleeping habits.

1. Start A Sleeping Schedule

When you sleep at 8 o’clock and wake up at 8 repeatedly, it becomes a habit that your body follows. Every habit would be the same, it’s like the nervous tick that you have when telling a lie. You do it without even knowing it’s happening. Your body would know when to wake up and when to feel sleepy, because of the cycle it’s been put in. This would help you sleep faster at certain times and also help with waking you up for work or school in the morning.

2. Keep Gadgets And Clocks Away From Your Bed

Sometimes when we have a clock or smartphone reachable to us, we tend to look at it more often and we sometimes do math in our head and worry about how little sleep we are getting. And most of the time, when we are too close with our phone we opt to overuse it at times that we lose track of time, which causes us to stay up later than expected. So to start changing your bad sleeping habits start it with the removal of things that distracts you, in any way.

3. Cut-off Coffee

“My morning coffee is essential.” That is probably what you’re thinking about when you read the line “Cut off coffee.” Our answer is, no, it’s not. Coffee has just become essential. The little kick that you get from the caffeine can be addicting to some, and we do understand that it’s what you think you need to wake you in the morning. We have that cup of joe every day as well, but we can probably reduce our intake to 1 cup a day if needed. Everyone has a different body structure, and depending on how fast your body digests the coffee it will also affect how long the caffeine’s effect will be. For some, this might mean the cup of coffee you had during your afternoon break is also what’s keeping you up at night.

4. Expose Yourself To Sunlight

Our body needs more sunlight more than plants actually do. Numerous studies have proven effective that exposing yourself to daylight is one of the top techniques to achieve better sleep at night. When you have enough exposure to sunlight it will help you get enough and quality sleep for a longer duration.

5. Listen To Audiobooks

Do you remember trying your best not to fall asleep during your history lesson as your teacher drones on and on about what happened during WWII? Well, the audiobook can have the same effect. The soothing voice of the narrator telling you a story before sleeping, or while you’re trying to sleep can be just what you need to cross that last line of sleepiness. It’s like someone’s reading you a bedtime story. With an audiobook, even Fifty Shades can make you sleepy, guaranteed! 

6. Download Sleeping Apps

With the dawn of smartphones, came a ton of useful apps. Depending on whether you use an Android or an Apple phone, you will be able to find more than 10 free apps that can help you sleep at night. Apps with music designed to help someone sleep are probably the most popular among them. These types of apps can give you free music as a soothing background to help you sleep. It could be cafe music or even the sounds of the rain. Whatever helps you sleep better.

7. Exercise Daily

A good exercise routine never fails to provide a healthier body. It’s a good way to keep in shape and might also be just what you need to get that sweet sleep. Exercising releases endorphins in our brain, which can keep us awake, but if you exercise 1 or 2 hours before going to bed, the time when the endorphin lowers will be exactly what you will need to get some sleep.

8. Meditation

When some people can’t concentrate they turn to meditation. What’s meditation? Well, it’s a type of technique where someone focuses on a certain object and blocks out everything else, but that object. Most of the time this “object” is yourself. You focus on your breathing and start to forget about your surroundings as you concentrate on the current state of your mind, body, and soul. This act is mostly done in a sitting Indian-style pose with your eyes closed so that the environment around you can’t distract you. The peacefulness of this technique might just be what some people need to achieve a beautiful dreamless sleep.

9. Eat Well And Don’t Eat Too Late

A balanced diet is probably the first thing any doctor would advise you when you’re having problems with most types of health issues. It’s not only for those with weight problems but this could also help the ones who have other types of physical issues or sickness. Never underestimate a good healthy amount of fiber, meat, and vegetables on your plate at every meal. And by healthy we mean “right” amount. Not fill your plate to the brim and puke because of overeating. Overeating or not eating well enough can cause effects on your health that might also prevent you from having a good night’s sleep. Remember to make sure that you do not overeat and don’t starve yourself as well during the day, and especially not before you go to bed.

10. Avoid Drinking Alcohol Right Before Bed

Having to drink consecutively at night can negatively affect your sleeping pattern and hormones. Alcohol is the main symptom of snoring and sleep apnea. It can also decrease the human growth hormones (HGH), which have a role to function your circadian rhythm. So, if your goal is to really have a good night’s sleep, you can now avoid drowning yourself with alcohol.

11. Take A Relaxing Shower

Who doesn’t love a good long hot shower? After a long exhausting day, the tiredness might just be what’s keeping you up. Some people can’t sleep even if they’re really tired, and what you might need is just something to relax your mind and body. A good long hot shower is the key! 

12. Take A Melatonin Supplement

If all else fails, then it’s time to consult a healthcare professional and seek some commendable supplements that can induce your difficulty of sleep. When taking any supplements be sure to take them responsibly because these are not sleeping bullets that can knock you down instantly.