Best Breathing Technique For Sleeping plus 6 More Tips For A Good Night Sleep

I am a person who loves sleep. For reals. I can't wait to go to sleep at night, and I don't ever want to wake up in the morning. I'm a 10 hour a night type girl. Yep. Any less and I feel sluggish and tired all day. Not too long ago when I had my second baby, my sleep went from amazing to just horrid. Like not ever having 1 full hour of sleep in a row and at most 4 hours a night...total. My body freaked out. I ended up having a lot of health problems. A year and half of this took it's toll. So, it's not an understatement when I say I value my sleep.

These are the five things I have come to realize what I need to get not just a good night's rest, but a great one. The most obvious and not included on this was not having a newborn or baby :) That helps things greatly haha. Although, my first baby slept like a dream :) So, I guess every baby is different.

Environment: 
I keep my room my sanctuary. No work goes on in here. No toys. Just my space decorated in neutral calming tones and colors. I chose to do a lot of white because nothing is better than waking up feeling like you are on a cloud :) The ultimate best is when my husband opens the curtains during the morning to bring the morning sunshine in. It's a great way to wake up to the day...especially when I'm one that does not like getting up.

 Bed Size:
This may be different for everyone, but for me, the bed size has made a dramatic difference on my sleep. Especially when little ones tend to climb in the bed during the night. I upgraded to a king earlier this year and would never turn back. It has made such a huge difference in the quality of my sleep. We slept on a queen for a long time and even a full before then. Never knew what I was missing!

Bedding Quality:
When we first got married, we registered for an all season down comforter, and it was seriously the best comforter I had ever had. Never got too hot or too cold with it on. It worked for all seasons :) So, when we upgraded to our king bed, I was forced to find another one. I was lucky enough to find one I love just as much...so far :) Still, haven't tested it during the Summer.

Along with the comforter, are the sheets, pillows and duvet cover. Another thing I was missing greatly was my Crane and Canopy duvet, the Vienna Soft White.  I was lucky enough to get another one for my king bed, and just absolutely love it. Both the shams and the duvet are so soft and silky. They have the perfect amount of girly ruffle...but not enough that it bugs my husband :)  They are like sleeping on a cloud.

Keeping Warm:
We live in an area where we get snow 8 months out of the year. It gets warm, then right when you think it's Summer, it snows. So, most of my nights are spent in low temps and trying to keep warm. I have found two things work best for me to sleep well when it's so cold. One: I wear socks. Serious. I have noticed a huge difference in my sleep when I wear socks. I sleep longer and deeper and wake up more alert. Second, I hoard throw blankets all over my bed and in baskets. I always keep on close by just in case I get cold, or if my blankets are taken from me in the middle of night. I'll throw one on, warm myself up and fall back to sleep. But, the quality and feel and weight of the throw blanket matters. One's like this at the foot of my bed, also from Crane and Canopy, works beautifully! The perfect softness and weight.

Keeping Calm:
With two toddlers running around the house, having a full time job, being a full time stay at home mom, running a blog, and my naturally stressed persona, I need help getting relaxed and winding down. A great way to do this is with lavender. I take lavender salt baths on high stress days. I also use lavender essential oil, rub it in my palms and inhale it and rub a drop onto my temples. I also sleep with a sachet full of lavender on my bedside. Another extra thing I do, especially for guests, is using a lavender bed spray.

Change What You Do Before Bed:
This is probably going to be different for everyone, you just have to think of what may be affecting your night's sleep negatively. These are two things I noticed I needed to change. I used to take my vitamins at night. I thought doing so, my body would absorb it better. Not even thinking that vitamins are like energy for your body. The day I stopped taking my vitamins at night, my rest improved immensely! I sleep so much better now. Also, I try the best I can to disconnect from technology at least a half hour, if not an hour before bed. This allows my mind and brain to calm down a little so I can fall asleep quicker.

Breathing:
My mind used to race a mile per second the moment my head hit the pillow. I wouldn't be able to get to sleep. I read something somewhere years and years ago about the best technique to get yourself to fall asleep quickly, and I do it every time I find myself having trouble falling asleep. And it seriously works every time. Here's what I do: I repeat "Breath in, breath out" and follow with breathing in and out. I think this in my mind slowly, repeating it until I fall asleep. Usually within a couple of minutes, I'm out. I noticed this does a couple of things. When you think "breath in, breath out" you are rerouting your mind from the thousands of things you are thinking of to a simple four words. You soon calm your mind. When you follow the breathing technique with breathing in and out slowly, you are lowering your pulse and your blood pressure, also calming your body down. It's an amazing technique. Within minutes, your mind could go from racing with everything that went on with your day, getting crazy anxiety, to calmness and relaxation then ultimately to sleep.

P.S. The above picture is of my sweet new pup! He quickly found that my bed is the best place to sleep in the house :) 

 Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”