5 Proven Tips for a Restful Night and Energized Morning
Waking up completely drained, feeling like I didn’t get any sleep at all used to be an everyday occurrence. Starting my day with an empty energy tank pretty much guaranteed my days would be challenging. The truly sad part was that I had believed my exhaustion to be normal, and that there was nothing I could do to change it.
Can anything fix chronically low energy? Can the quality of your sleep be genuinely improved? Is it possible to wake up refreshed, happy and ready for an amazing day no matter how long you slept?
I have good news for you because what I discovered was that the answer is clearly yes. Yes, Yes and Yes!
After experimenting for a while I was able to wake up at 4am and go to bed around 10pm most days with an average of about 6 hours of sleep each night and would still wake up refreshed. As long as I followed these 5 tips I woke up feeling refreshed and excited for the day. Some days I even woke up before my alarm!
Now, being fully transparent, I don’t wake up at 4 am anymore. Not because I wasn’t waking up refreshed but because I learned more about the importance of sleep in terms of your body’s natural healing and regeneration. So while the five following tips are essential to a restful night and energized morning your wake up time and bedtime are your choice, and should be chosen with your overall health in mind.
This isn’t the article that will tell you to wake up at X time and all of your problems will be solved. Instead I’m giving you the keys to wake up energized no matter what time you went to bed, woke up, or how long you slept.
Create a Night Rhythm
If you don’t have a night time rhythm yet allow me to be the one to convince you that you need one. Rhythms are a way of putting your mind and body on auto-pilot, they create the repetition that signals your mind to do a particular task; in the case of night rhythms it is a signal to your brain that it’s time to go to sleep.
When creating your night rhythm you want to ask yourself a few questions:
- What activities will help me prepare for tomorrow the best I can?
- Setting out your clothes for the next day
- Prepping your lunch
- Writing your to-do list
- Setting your alarm
- ect.
- What activities will help me wind-down?
- Reading a book
- Praying
- Journaling
- Yoga
- etc.
- What activities are essential to complete before I go to sleep?
- Brushing your teeth
- Showering
- Skin care
- Turning on the fan
- etc.
Your night time rhythm should lead you into a calm and peaceful state of mind. Including things like washing your face, reading a book, burning your favorite candle, praying and reading your Bible can all benefit your mindset and both help you to sleep better and wake up better.
Night rhythms can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. I’ve gone through seasons when my rhythm looked like: brush my teeth, set out my clothes, take a shower, journal, go to bed. There have been other times when it took a full 90 minutes to complete.
The key to a great night rhythm is to ensure it is actually benefiting you. If it feels like a chore or another task on your to-do list it isn’t going to have the full effect it could. Creating your night rhythm requires intentionality and continued adjustments; as your life changes so should your rhythm.
In your night rhythm you should try to avoid things like watching TV or using electronic devices as the blue light is harmful to your sleep. You should also avoid activities that are heavily mentally stimulating as your intention is to slow down before bed not get wired up.
Bedtime Affirmations
It’s scientifically proven that your thoughts and words affect your daily life and that what you expect will often manifest in reality.
So why not declare and expect good things for your sleep?
Before you close your eyes to sleep, reciting a few positive affirmations can make all the difference in the quality of rest you will get. One of the affirmations that I’ve found has had the most impact for me personally is:
“I will get the perfect amount of sleep tonight and will wake up refreshed in the morning.”
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Crafting bedtime affirmations comes down to one question: what do you want to declare about your sleep? Do you want restful sleep? Are you declaring healing sleep? Is your sleep benefitting your spirit, soul and body? What words can you use to speak life into your sleep?
Design the Environment
I can’t sleep just anywhere, I’m one of those people that needs my own pillow, my blanket, a nasal strip and a other comfort items. This is because I’ve designed an environment in my bedroom that aids my sleep.
I’ve taken the time and invested my energy in making sure that my room is the perfect environment for the best sleep possible. A few of my non-negotiable environmental design elements are:
- Make sure your room is completely dark. Our bodies are hard wired to be awake when there is light present, so blocking all light when trying to sleep is critical.
- Utilize calming essential oils. Oils like Lavender are beneficial to your sleep, I use a diffuser to diffuse oils in my room. I also put lavender oil on my face and pillow.
- Prioritize comfort. I have comfy sheets and a cozy blanket that I love. I’ve chosen to prioritize comfort and quality over aesthetic, that means that I currently have a gray fitted sheet, navy flat sheet and rust orange comforter. It isn’t the most gorgeous combination but each of the items I’ve purchased at different times, they are all comfy and they all help me sleep better.
- Temperature! I’m a hot sleeper so keeping my room cool (or even cold) is essential to me sleeping well.
This may sound simple or overkill but if you’re using a pillow or a blanket you don’t love it, finding something you do love will transform your sleep. While some of these elements are universally beneficial it’s important that you find what environment works best for your sleep.
Try experimenting to find what works. Use a silk pillowcase and then maybe try flannel. Maybe try sleeping with a fan pointed toward you and then try sleeping with cooling sheets. You won’t know what works until you try.
Get a Good Alarm Clock
Like most people I used to use my phone as my alarm clock but, how you wake up is just as important as how you go to bed. I had no idea what I was missing until I heard about a Sunrise Alarm Clock.
This clock slowly lights up your room waking you up gradually and imitating a sunrise instead of jarring you awake with loud sounds. Let me tell you, not only is it way more pleasant waking up to soft and warm light than a loud fog horn but waking up to a fully lit room makes it way easier to get out of bed.
If you can’t or don’t want to get a sunrise alarm clock, changing the sound of your alarm to something softer or more peaceful to lull you out of sleep will help, you could also set your bedroom lights on a timer so you wake up to a fully lit room, leave your curtains open to let in the sunlight, etc. Don’t neglect your alarm clock, it may seem like a non-choice but it is just as important as your rhythms and habits around sleep and waking up.
Create a Morning Rhythm
Just like having a night rhythm signals your brain to go to sleep, a good morning rhythm will set the foundation for your day. Your morning rhythm should be something you look forward to, something that brings you joy and engages every part of you.
It should be almost the opposite to your night rhythm. Where your night rhythm activities slow you down and calm you; your morning rhythm activities should energize you, wake you up and start your day with the right tone.
Things like yoga, journaling, taking a relaxing shower and enjoying a quiet cup of coffee, are very relaxing and if that is what energizes you then you should definitely include these activities. However, if you struggle to get your energy up in the morning things like a cycling class, word puzzles, an outdoor run, jamming out to your favorite music while you get ready, or cooking a delicious breakfast will be better.
The more you enjoy your morning rhythm the more inspired you’ll be to wake up happy and ready for your day.As with your night rhythm your morning rhythm can be as simple or complex as you want it to be, and should change as necessary.
When To Start?
Getting good sleep is all about setting yourself up for success, expecting it, and executing on your plans. What can you do to upgrade your sleep tonight?
Do you need a peaceful night rhythm? Does your sleep environment need a makeover? Do you need to write some bedtime affirmations? Do you need to change your alarm clock? Or maybe you need an inspiring and lovely morning rhythm?
Whatever it is, I encourage you to make the change sooner rather than later. Living chronically exhausted is not normal and it doesn’t have to be your forever reality. You can make changes and live the life you want to live now. Don’t wait another night hoping for better sleep, get the best sleep you possibly can tonight and enjoy your energized morning tomorrow.
