How To Make 2021 Your Best Year of Sleep Yet

Looking back at 2020 is exhausting. Let’s make 2021 your best year yet, starting with your sleep! The start of a new year symbolizes a fresh start and we encourage you to reflect on your sleep habits and change accordingly for a more restful 2021.

Quality sleep is more than how many hours you’re getting. Making next year your best year of sleep will mean making changes to your sleep environment, routines, and more. Did you know there’s a psychology behind sleep?

Don’t worry, we’ll make it simple. Let’s go!

The first step is to reflect on your current sleep situation. What’s getting in the way? Consider your daily habits and ask yourself if there are any easy changes you can make to contribute to better sleep.

Take a second to think about what you might be doing during the day to sabotage your sleep. 

Some popular daily activities or habits that can interfere with sleep include:

• Caffeine or alcohol consumption
• Long naps
• Nighttime workouts 
• Late dinners

Keep in mind the things you do (or don’t do!) during the day will set you up for your sleep at night. For instance, exercise is a great habit for overall health, but a nighttime workout can interfere with your sleep. 

Next, let’s take a look at your routines. Are you following a nightly and morning routine? Your morning routine will make it easier to rise each morning and help you to feel refreshed, and a nightly routine prepares your mind and body for rest. It shouldn’t be complicated — even brushing your teeth before bed and grabbing a drink of water can be a routine.

If you’re not following routines upon waking or falling asleep, try starting some rituals you can stick to! 

Nightly routine ideas:

• Turn off your phone (or at least log-off social media)
• Turn down the lights
• Skincare regimen
• Drink some sleepy tea
• Meditate
• Journal 

Morning routine ideas:

• Wake to a pleasant sound
• Open the blinds 
• Splash cold water on your face or take a shower
• Write to-do list
• Drink a tall glass of water
• Play some music
• Quick yoga practice

Lastly, where are you sleeping? Your sleep environment is a huge factor in how easily you fall asleep, if you stay asleep, and how long you sleep. Be sure your sleeping conditions aren’t coming between you and your precious Z’s.

The optimal sleep environment is cool and dark.

Along with figuring out what your barriers are to good sleep, you can keep in mind some science-backed sleep tips.

It’s important to remember, sleep is personal and individual to each person. Something that works for you may not work for another person, so do what works for you!

Find the Sweet Spot and Be Consistent

Again, your sleep is your business. If you function best with 7 hours, go with that! If you’re more of a 9 hours a night person, do that. Sleep hours should be individualized, but experts recommend optimal sleep to be 7-9 hours per night. 

The key here is to be consistent with your sleep schedule. Sticking to the same bedtime and wake times will make a huge difference in your sleep quality and refreshment in the AM.

What about the weekend, you ask? It’s important to stick to your scheduled sleep and wake hours as best as possible — try not to stray too much past 1 hour outside of your regular weekday schedule.

Manage Your Stress

Sleep and stress go hand-in-hand. You can make other adjustments related to your sleep, but if your stress is out of control, you’re not going to get the sleep results you’re hoping for. 

Try these stress management tips for better sleep:

• Write out your next day to-do list before bed 
• Include relaxing, calm activities in your bedtime routine (meditation, journaling, breathing)
• Set strict work times and put away the paperwork/email outside of those hours

Sleep and stress can be a vicious circle; they can (positively or negatively) impact the other. Managing your stress is key for your overall health. 

Only Go to Sleep When You’re Tired

Sounds obvious, but let’s focus on the two things you need to refrain from: Tossing and turning and staring at the clock. Leave those sleepless nights in 2020!

The time it takes you to fall asleep is called sleep latency. Experts say it should only take you between 10 and 20 minutes to fall asleep. 

If you find yourself lying awake, get up! Studies show the longer you’re laying awake your sleep quality is declining. 

Instead of laying in bed watching the minutes tick by, it’s recommended you get up and come back to bed when you’re sleepy enough. If this continues to be an issue for you, consider changing your bedtime or speaking with a doctor about an underlying condition.

Create A Dreamy Sleep Environment

Let’s talk more about an optimal sleep environment. There are a few different factors that go into this part:

• Room
• Comfort items
• Temperature
• Sound
• Light

When it comes to the room you’re sleeping in, it’s important to distinguish this room as the one room meant for sleep. This means you need to separate the rest of the day from this room. No work in bed or late night popcorn and movies. By separating, your brain will see the bedroom and bed as a cue for bedtime. 

Additionally, the temperature, sound, and light all matter as well. Your sleep environment should be cool and dark. Your brain takes cues from everything when it decides if it should be awake or asleep. Do your best to create the optimal sleeping environment for your comfort and to provide the right hints to your brain! 

Adapt and Accept Assistance 

If you’re not feeling the difference in your sleep, you might need to enlist some more help. There are plenty of additions to add to your sleep routine that can help you fall or stay asleep.

New Pillow

If you’re not using a quality pillow that meets your needs it’s going to be hard to sleep even in otherwise perfect circumstances. Experts recommend you test out pillows to find one that fits your head, neck, and body alignment perfectly! 

Hatch Rest, Rest+ and Restore

Quiet will help you sleep, but perhaps not complete silence. Some people benefit from the sound of a fan or white noise, or other pleasant noises like rain or a waterfall! Studies show sound can help children and babies in particular with sleep. 

Separate Blankets

If you’re sharing a bed, this can pose problems. Try experimenting with using different blankets in your shared bed. 

Have a Sleepy New Year!

We promise amazing sleep is within your reach. 2021 will be your best year of sleep yet if you take these tips to heart and set up your bedroom for the sleep you deserve. Once your sleep is improved, you’ll see improvement across your mental and physical health too. You deserve it, so go get those Z’s!