Sleep is something most of us want more of, yet struggle to get consistently.
We know it affects our mood, energy, focus, and emotions. But knowing that doesn’t automatically make sleep come easier, especially when life feels busy, overwhelming, or noisy!
That said, here are some small shifts that can help our body and mind feel safe enough to rest, and to protect our sleep over time.
First, calm your mind before bed. We may struggle with sleep not because we’re not tired—we struggle because our minds don’t slow down.
Here are some ways to reduce the cognitive “noise” before bed.
Meditation.
Slow breathing exercises.
Journalling.
Listening to ambient music.
Second, help our body rest too! Sleep also depends on whether our body feels safe enough to rest.
If we notice physical tension, restlessness, or discomfort, try these:
Light stretching.
Warm showers.
Progressive muscle relaxation.
Even a few minutes can make a huge difference!
Third, retrain our brain to associate our bed with sleep! Our brain learns through association. If our bed becomes a place for scrolling, worrying, or studying, our brain stops recognising it as a cue for sleep, but more for these wakeful tasks.
To rebuild that association:
Limit what we do in bed to only sleeping and resting.
Avoid lying awake for long periods - If we can't sleep after, say, 15-20 minutes, get out of bed and do something relaxing until we feel sleepy again.
And most importantly, avoid clock-watching. Checking the time repeatedly increases alertness and anxiety, making it harder to sleep.
Finally, create a simple bedtime routine! A consistent routine helps our body recognise when it’s time to rest. It doesn’t need to be long; it just needs to be familiar!
Examples:
Dimming the lights.
Setting our phone to silent.
Journalling.
Listening to calming audio.
When the routine starts, our body starts preparing for sleep!
Be mindful of habits that can silently but surely affect sleep. Some lifestyle factors don’t cause insomnia on their own, but they can make it harder to sleep:
Caffeine intake within 4-6 hours before bedtime.
Late/long daytime naps.
Going to bed/waking up at different times every day.
Uncomfortable light, noise, temperature, or bedding.
Trying harder to sleep makes it worse! Sometimes, worrying too much about sleep becomes the problem. This is known as sleep anxiety—being so focused on sleeping well that it keeps us awake!
To see how healthy our sleep habits are, try this free 3-minute test.
If sleep has been feeling especially difficult, check out this free 5-minute assessment to better understand what may be going on.
If our sleep troubles persist, it may be a good idea to talk to a medical professional.
For me, sleeping better didn’t come from doing everything “right”. It came from experimenting—noticing what calmed my body down, what didn’t work for me, and being honest when I needed to adjust. Some nights were still tough. Some routines didn’t stick. And that’s okay.
At the end of the day, how we sleep is personal. What works for someone else may not work for us, and that doesn’t mean we're doing it wrong.
Do explore and decide what to commit to—not because someone told us to, but because it genuinely feels great to us!
Contributed by Charlene Seah for Break The Wheel.
