Femme Fatale Guide: Best Sleep Hygiene Habits & Tips For Better Sleep
Daytime Habits:
Stop drinking caffeine at least 8 hours before you want to go to sleep
Move daily: A 30-minute walk or a short pilates video is enough if that's all you can manage
Get some fresh air/natural light and/or supplement with vitamin D
Ensure you're getting adequate magnesium and vitamin B12 in your regular diet or through supplements
Nighttime Habits:
Tuck your phone in at its "bedtime": Leave your phone in the charger across the room. Out of sight, out of mind.
Have a physical book beside your bed to start reading at a certain time. Around 30-60 minutes before you actually want to go to bed. Find a book that puts you in a calm mood. A book that's too engaging will be counterproductive.
Have some "sleepytime" tea around 30 minutes before bed (Chamomile tea is a great choice. I love the Yogi Soothing Caramel Bedtime tea).
Limit the lights on for an hour or so before you want to go to bed. Only keep the light on near your bed if possible. Keep your curtains closed if necessary.
Practice deep breathing in bed: You can do a full 5-10 sleep meditation or just do a few sets of belly breaths (one hand on your chest and the other on your diaphragm or upper stomach)
Use meditation or a self-pleasure practice to relax enough to fall asleep.
To get on a proper sleep routine & fight insomnia:
Allow yourself one day to be exhausted, so you go to sleep "on time" and give yourself enough time to get (at least) around 6 hours of sleep. This helps your body "reset," at least for a few days.
When you close your eyes, picture one of your favorite memories and re-experience it without allowing other thoughts to enter your brain. This helps calm your mind, so you more easily drift off to sleep (I've been doing this for around 15-18 years and it's golden)
Have a journal or notebook with a pen by your bed: This allows you to write anything down that you forgot about or need to do, sudden inspiration that arises before you fall asleep, or a place to write out your feelings to help relax before going to sleep. It's better than having your phone and gives you no excuse to go pull it out.
Have a bottle of water by your bed, so you can have a few sips if you can't sleep from being (even a little) dehydrated.
sleep is a challenge for many people. after vacations or intensive projects or even a couple rounds of staying up late playing video games, we've all messed up our sleep schedules before. this is a guide on how to wake up earlier and get healthier sleep. please let me know if you'd like more posts like this. wishing love and prosperity to all <3
the night/day before:
choose a bedtime that's 9-10 hours before your wake up time. make sure you're in bed at this time. if you don't fall asleep immediately (which you won't, the first couple of times) read or journal until you feel sleepy.
turn your devices off or put them away at least 30 minutes (ideally 2 hours) before your bedtime. if you have any devices that stay on overnight, make sure they aren't within arms reach and notifications are turned off. if you're using your phone as an alarm make sure it's on the other side of your room, so that you have to walk to turn your alarm off in the morning.
make sure dinner is a light, satisfying meal. don't eat after dinner, as this can lead to acid reflux and interrupted sleep.
avoid caffeine and sugary drinks in the afternoon and evening. keep your caffeine intake under 400mg per day.
sleep with your curtains or blinds open. this will help adjust your circadian rhythm to the day/night cycle.
find a relaxing hobby you can do before bed. some ideas include crochet, knitting, reading, journaling or building puzzles. these are well known in helping with stress management and can help you unwind before you go to sleep.
create a relaxing night routine. make sure you feel clean and comfortable by the time you go to sleep.
make use of a lavender scent before you go to bed. whether it's a linen spray, incense, a candle or an oil diffuser. lavender is calming and can help you feel sleepy, especially if you learn to associate it with sleep.
in the morning:
get out of bed the second you wake up. you need to get up, turn off your alarm and stay out of bed.
make your first activity of the day one you enjoy. your skincare routine, cooking a nice breakfast, a warm shower or even sitting on the couch watching netflix is an option. there's no shame in what you choose to do first thing in the morning, even if it's not productive. if it gets you out of bed, it's the right choice.
expose yourself to sunlight as soon as possible in the morning. just 10 minutes could help your circadian rhythm adjust. if it's dark in the mornings because of the weather or the different seasons, turn your lights on.
other tips:
avoid pulling all-nighters or taking naps. staying up all night is bad for your health, full stop. lack of sleep weakens your immune system and ruins your focus during the day. taking naps regularly can impair the sleep schedule you've been working so hard to build. however, if you're really tired, a 20 minute nap is better than a cup of coffee.
make your mental health and stress management a priority. depression, anxiety and stress result in poor sleep. they can be managed with a well balanced lifestyle and professional intervention.
having a well balanced diet can improve your general health as well as your sleep. make sure you aren't skipping meals. have of each meal should be fruits and vegetables, a quarter grains (preferably wholegrain) and a quarter protein. eat as much variety as possible.
stay well hydrated. the common recommendation of 8 glasses a day is a good goal. staying hydrated can help you stay more alert during the day.
regular exercise can improve quality of sleep. exercise during the day if possible, but definitely not within 2 hours of your bedtime.
make a list of reasons why you want to wake up early. read this every night before you go to bed and first thing in the morning. make sure your reasons are important enough to motivate you.
if you're struggling to adjust to a new sleep schedule because your current sleep schedule is so far off, adjust your bed/wake times in 30 minute increments. this can make the adjustment more comfortable.
stay as consistent as possible. try to keep the habits you've built, even over vacations or exam seasons. discipline will eventually become a habit.
only drink in moderation, alcohol can do serious damage to your circadian rhythm. alcohol generally is bad for you and should not be overconsumed.
if you're having persistent issues with sleep, reach out to a doctor or a sleep specialist who can help you.
finally, be kind to yourself. you can't force yourself to sleep, and stressing about it will only make sleeping properly more difficult. change comes gradually, and you can achieve anything you set your mind to as long as you're consistent.
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i hope you're having a lovely day. if you have anymore tips for achieving a healthy sleep schedule, please let me know. i would love to hear it.
hey loves! i want to make a post for people who have just decided to self-improving. to be healthier and happier but they donβt know where to start. 2 years ago i was in a similar position and i never though iβd be doing as good as i am today! i want to share some tips and then give my own advice too on how to begin :)
where to start?
self improvement is about one thing- knowing yourself. understanding your flaws, your skills. what YOU want. consider what youβre insecurities are, what your struggles are- whether with your mental or physical health. ask yourself:
what is the biggest thing i can improve on?
what changes do i want to make in my daily routine?
what habits do i want to pick up?
mental health
your mental health should be your FIRST step. a lot of times our mental health will bleed into our physical health, our discipline, pretty much everything. i also want to stress the importance of mental health because you might genuinely have a mental health condition that you donβt know about. my tips are mainly about just being a happier person, but getting treatment should always be the first step if you have a serious mental illness. :)
keep a mental health journal. i want you to keep a journal to record your thoughts, the negative ones. when you do that i want you to think deeper and get to the root of your feelings. keeping a journal to vent and understand yourself better will help you so much! i struggled a lot with regulating my emotions but having a healthy place to vent has made me a lot more stable.
find ways to cope. find habits that help you feel less stressed or sad. things that you do when youβre experiencing serious emotions in order to feel better.
shape your thoughts. be able to recognize when your thoughts are becoming toxic, judgemental, self-loathing etc. notice your own patterns and begin to correct yourself.
practice healthy habits. practicing meditation and mindful breathing are ways that iβve found really help. but at the end of the day self improvement is about YOU- what works for you and what helps you grow as a person.
observe and reflect. one thing that helped me mature a lot is just reflecting on my actions, my choices and observing the world around me. have awareness of how you act.
reminder- life isnβt about being happy 100%. itβs not about avoiding anything that might cause unhappiness, sometimes itβs about dealing with these problems head on.
physical health
the first step with bettering your health is knowing what YOU need to work on. is your sleep schedule bad? is your diet not balanced? first you need to identify what you want to better yourself on. physical and mental health also go hand in hand- to improve on is to improve the other.
improving your diet. make sure to eat a variety of foods. improving your diet isnβt easy so always start with small changes. eating at home more often or learning to cook is a big first step that makes a big difference. incorporate a variety of fruits, vegtables and proteins. educate yourself on nutrition.
staying hydrated! most americans are dehydrated and i definitely know a lot of people who donβt drink enough. make sure youβre getting enough water! water should always be your main drink since itβs the healthiest.
get active. exercise is so important to our bodies. obesity in america is going way up, and it has a lot of complications to it. working out can mean a lot of things- going for walks, bikerides, or traditional home workouts.
get more fresh air. i know a lot of people might not live in areas where they can go outside or hang out for a long time, but making small changes like opening windows can help a lot.
fix your sleep schedule. getting proper rest is crucial in how our bodies function. if your sleep schedule isnβt good than put your attention towards fixing it.
maintain good hygeine. this is self explanatory. if your hygeine isnβt good or you donβt have a consistent routine, then develop one.
my advice
start small with everything. when you want to have healthier habits start with doing them a little bit and then eventually doing them for longer periods. what i mean is start something attainable (like working out everyday for 10 minutes) and once youβve grown accustomed to that than you can change it to 20 minutes or so on.Β
develop habits. choose habits that better your body and mind and stay consistent to them! for me i always make sure i workout, journal and read EVERYDAY.Β
self improvement is very personal. a lot of my points made here are vague. at the end of the day self improvement is knowing what you want to improve and then incorporating healthy habits into your routine and staying consistent.
do u ever just think about feyre and morβs beautiful friendship and how mor walked into the spring court to basically save feyreβs life and how feyre considers mor a sister and just
unfortunately I’m watching supernatural and someone on screen said ‘there are No Wolves in pennsylvania’ and I was like. what a bold incorrect statement. where did they possibly get that idea from. so I googled it…google is insisting there are no wild wolves in pa?? except I’ve Seen wolves here?? there used to be a wolf that would hang out in my backyard and roam around the neighborhood?? like Everyone knew about this wolf we assumed he lived on the golf course and would come to our yards if he got spooked by golfers (very quiet block). like we all thought he just lost his pack or whatever so people just gave him a wide space and let him chill, he didn’t try to break into any houses or attack any pets but this was definitely. a wild wolf. where. where did he come from what do you MEAN there aren’t wolves in pennsylvania I’m literally spiraling right now
To be fair, PA also said “we did not reintroduce mountain lions, they are not there, you’re seeing really big house cats, please keep coming to the parks and camp sites and ignore that video, that was totally not a mountain lion, someone took last week”
i just showed this to a friend from pennsylvania and 1. theyre losing their mind bc theyve seen mountain lions which prompted them to look it up which leads me to 2. this fucking bonkers article
[caption: βWeβve been here 45 years and Iβve probably been told by people at least 100 t imes that theyβve seen a cougar or mountain lion,β said owner Vince Hall. βI kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but Iβm not God.β]
PA: I can’t believe we’ve lost all our native apex predators Citizens of PA: there’s a mountain lion right there PA: sometimes we can still hear the sound of them scaring away tourists
As a regretful born and raised Pennsylvanian, we have wolves, coywolves, mountain lions, lynx, and coyotes. Not a single person in authority will admit to there being anything but coyotes and lynx. If you see a cougar, they will tell you you saw a lynx. If you see a wolf, they will tell you you saw a coyote. Ignore the massive differences in sizes. No one knows what a coywolf is but we have them. I have seen a cougar with my own two goddamned eyes. There is an entire nature park whose main attractions are the cougars and wolves (and bison but we’re not talking about them) - it’s called Penn’s Cave, it’s been there forever. Everyone I know has seen a cougar or wolf at least once in the woods.
So what I’m getting at is don’t trust the government.
