Good Morning,
If you are anything like your writer (aka me) you are probably awake at late hours of the night for no explicit reason whatsoever.
I know it can be daunting because no matter how hard you try to go to bed it just does not happen. Annoying right? I hear you.
“Most people say they sleep an average of 6 hours and 44 minutes on work nights and 7 hours and 35 minutes on non-work nights”(Sleep Foundation,2020).
Here are some tricks that I have tried, and some may work for you while others will take some time to apply to see improvements.
This is if you know you’ve tried melatonin and say it does not work, sleeping tea, and white noise. You know the works.
I am not going to sugar coat it for you because I have always had terrible insomnia. Don’t quote me on some of the things I’ve tried because I am no medical doctor… *FULL DISCLOSURE IS ADVISED*
Top 5 Hacks for Night Owls to restart their sleep schedule
1) Turn off your phone/devices
If you’re not able to go to sleep even after following this step because your mind keeps racing thinking about a zillion things you must get done tomorrow, next week, or simply the entire month skip this step. Try writing down your thoughts in a piece of paper to clear your head or simply jot them down on your notes in your cellphone. Once again try sleeping to get back a normal sleep schedule.
2) Go workout
Before you go thinking why would I go workout at night Priscilla when I am trying to go to sleep?
No, you must go workout either early before work, or after work to ensure all your energy is used through out your day to make sure by nighttime you can look forward to sleeping in your bed. Aim to go for a long walk, go lift weights, kickboxing, yoga, swimming, jogging, or clean your house. Anything that will keep you active to drain all your energy by the end of your day.
This works if you really aim to have a great workout even if it’s only for thirty minutes and you go all out. However, I will be honest I have done two back to back hour long workouts and still end up not sleeping. I know, I know it’s a struggle trying to get some sleep.
3) Cut all Caffeine and Sugar by 1:00pm
The less sugar and caffeine you have before most of your day the more likely you will begin to feel tired at the time your body will want to go to sleep. If you keep consuming soda, coffee, energy drinks, sugary drinks you will feel the effect later in your day. Adding to this if you take preworkout as well don’t go crazy with the scoops either because that may also be why you cannot go to sleep. Switch to water instead to stay hydrated and alert throughout the day. Yes, you must do it no matter how much you feel like your body is dragging on throughout the day because if not your restless nights will continue.
Ps. (I know, and I don’t even consume coffee, soda, nor energy drinks most of the time because I do not enjoy the taste. So, I am always wondering why I can never sleep early sometimes because I am just too hyper, or I have too much going on in my head. We will never really know.)
4) Stay awake
If you have struggled frequently to get your sleeping schedule back on track even after trying melatonin, going to work out, and turning off all devices this is a MUST to reset your internal clock. No matter how much you want to take a nap during the day when you have an opportunity. DO NOT. I repeat. DO NOT take a nap. Once it is time to go to sleep your body will be ready to sleep the entire night like a baby.
5) Aim to sleep three to four hours before the time you keep falling asleep.
If you want to some change when you feel like your sleeping schedule is about to go crazy try sleeping three to four hours earlier the next night in order to restore your sleep schedule and your internal clock will thank you later.
It makes a huge difference!
Goodnight,
I hope some of these Night Owl Hacks can help your internal clock hit the reset button and help you sleep like a baby. Hopefully this helps you get your life together just like me. 😊
If you have any other tips you think are helpful when you can’t go to sleep comment them down below. I am sure many will appreciate them.
Reference
Sleep Foundation . (2020, January 1). What Makes A Good Night’s Sleep. Retrieved February 1, 2020, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/what-makes-good-nights-sleep
