10 Ways to Get Peaceful Sleep (No Matter How Stressed You Are) |

Getting the right amount of quality sleep is essential in achieving a healthy and happy life. Without it, you cannot physically or mentally perform at an optimal level. Many people take sleeping pills to help with this. However, it’s important to realize that pills are a creation of technological prowess. They’re created by modern-day chemists who analyze brain waves as if they are quantitative data.

There’s a little more to a good night’s sleep than simply thinking positive to go deep into a relaxing slumber. Choosing to control your conscious thoughts, habits, sleep positions, and environment can create many benefits to help you sleep better. Here are 10 ways to have a peaceful night’s sleep, regardless of how stressed you may be:

10 ways to get peaceful sleep (no matter how stressed you might be)

1. Spray lavender essential oil on pillow or use it in the room (aromatherapy)

If you’ve ever been to a Spa, you probably noticed that there were plenty of aromatic candles in the rooms. Aromatherapy has been known to stimulate the olfactory and limbic systems in your body. Of course, they relax your emotional state and recall positive thoughts and feelings.

You can replicate this process by simply spraying lavender essential oil on your pillow. The calming and soothing fragrance of lavender will relax you, and ultimately help you to sleep easier and better.

2. Practice yoga

Yoga is a very good way to achieve a great night of sleep. It’s perfect after a challenging day at work, or when you feel that if you’ve worked quite hard but still have plenty of unspent energy. Many thoughts and potential worries from the day can keep you up at night.

Take a 30 minute trip to the gym, or simply lay down the yoga mat and posture your way through a few asanas into corpse pose for at least 2 minutes. You will be surprised at just how relaxing your sleep will be

3. Get out into nature and fresh air a few hours before bed

Many retreat locations are set nature to cleanse and rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit. Luckily, however, you don’t have to buy a getaway to get away from the tension and stress build up inside of you. You can receive the same energy from nature by simply walking in the park or having a quick run in the woods. If you don’t have access to a park, your backyard has plenty of fresh air so get out there a few hours before sleeping. It really is a great aid in giving you a restful night’s sleep.

4. Take a warm, relaxing bath or shower

A little combo of Epsom salts and lavender oil in a warm bath goes a long way in helping the body relax. The warm water opens up the pores to let the positive elements of the water, salt, and lavender be absorbed by the skin. This will bring you to a more calm and relaxed state.

5. Write a gratitude list before bed

Sit down for a few minutes before bed and record what you’ve been grateful for during that day or the week so far. You will be surprised to find that as you go, you have quite a lot to write about; and in your effort of listing them all, your eyes can start to feel heavy and induce a nice restful sleep full of positive thoughts.

6. Skip the caffeine at least 6 hours before bedtime

It takes the body roughly 6 hours to flush out caffeine. Therefore, try to skip the caffeine for at least that long before you plan on going to bed. Caffeine can block the sleep-inducing adenosine chemical that helps us sleep. Depending on your tolerance level, you may not be affected, but most of us find it difficult to sleep after having our favorite cup hours before bedtime.

7. Create the right room temperature

Some of us take this for granted but keeping the right temperature before bedtime is really important in achieving a night of restful sleep. Find a temperature that is perfect for your unique needs where you can rest peacefully without sweating or shivering. You’ll find that you wake up less, and feel more refreshed in the morning.

8. Turn off TV and tech

Aside from getting you to keep tracking your friend’s whereabouts or activities, the light from electronics interferes with the body’s natural production of melatonin – the hormone that aids in opening up the pineal gland and helping you sleep.

9. Create a “normal” sleep schedule

The body clock sends signals to the body to rest, so having a “regular” sleep schedule helps a lot in achieving a restful night. Whether you have standard daylight hours or work the midnight shift, the one important thing to remember is that you don’t want to burn both ends of the candle.

Fit the hours you need for sleep into your daily schedule and keep it consistent.

10. Fill your mind with something other than worries and fears

As you rest, negative thoughts can fill your mind, begin to brew, and rob you of your rest. This can keep you awake and maybe even make you upset and unable to sleep at all. When this happens, step away from your inner self and realize the negative thought process taking place. Divert the attention of your thoughts by looking out at the stars or making positive affirmation statements about a peaceful sleep. Something as simple as “I am grateful for hours of undisturbed, refreshing rest.” can help you make great strides in getting the sleep you desire.