How to have good sleep at night and why you need to prioritise this ASAP

So many people are asking how to have good sleep at night - and it’s a growing problem in our hectic, busy culture.

With adults of all ages feeling the effects of the mental overload we are experiencing both individually and collectively, it’s not surprising that many mums are struggling to fall asleep, let alone have a good sleep overall. But, with a few small and simple changes, most of us can upgrade our sleep, and therefore build a better, healthier immune system and lower our stress levels, and therefore, start having better emotional health and interaction with our children, too.

This post will share some simple, sleep-inducing tips around calming your central nervous system, creating a sleep-conducive environment, and some other simple things you can do to get that deeper, more effective night’s sleep. (Although you can’t help the baby waking you up if you’re in that stage, right?)

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As we get started, firstly welcome to my space on the internet! I am an Australian emotional health coach and parent consultant - and teacher, too! I share information for Christian women (and anyone) to build their wellbeing, and tips on how to build family connection and your child’s emotional wellbeing, too. you can find out more about what I do here on my About page, or the Emotional Health bookings page. Thanks for reading, and I pray you walk away with something practical to change your life!

Why we all need to prioritise good sleep

If you’re asking how to have good sleep at night, you also probably know why this is so important. It’s absolutely essential for your wellbeing, emotional health, stress levels, physical health, and mental health that you make good sleep a priority. It also impacts all your relationships, parenting, and your relationship with God, as well as your ability to make good decisions and have healthy executive functioning (memory, planning, organising, etc).

But yikes, can it be hard to make this a reality when we are already tired, right? I know when my kids have been sick, or I’ve struggled sleeping well for a bit, getting back into the habit can be really, really challenging.

It’s much harder to do everything when we are tired- whether that’s parenting, prayer or managing our own big emotions - or having the right amount of energy to be motivated to actually put our own boundaries into place, either.

Better sleep = better emotional health, and better perseverance, resilience and focus. So - what do we do?

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What you can do to get better sleep

Here are three basic practices on how to have good sleep at night - and warning, they may sound simple but they can be incredibly hard to implement, especially consistently! I have to regularly go back and watch what I’m doing, because sometimes we just don’t want to be disciplined - but the results speak for themselves.

Make sure you are a bit physically tired, not just mentally

I have learnt this about myself - if I am physically tired as well as mentally, the sleep often comes much easier! Moving our bodies means we are using up some of that energy, and you may have found, like myself, that when you have had a busy ‘mental’ day, it can be very hard to slow your mind down when it is time for bed. In fact, this might even be the reason you have found this post in the first place!

Go for a walk after dinner or just before. Take the dog in the morning, or do a workout - or just run after your children for awhile! If you are reading this as a stay at home mama, you will know that just a normal day of lifting the kids, pushing the shopping trolley, or following your toddler about, will have given you enough physical exertion to hopefully help you sleep whenever you lay down!

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Have a routine for Bedtime

This might sound like something you need to read for your child; but having a before-bed routine is absolutely essential for good sleep patterns. As we wake in the morning, we should open the curtains, let our bodies adjust to the day, and get going! Also, at night when it’s time for bed, we need to be starting to dim the lights, have a cup of tea or warm milk if we want to, and start ‘zoning down’ for the night. See here for a great before-bedtime routine to help you out!

The reason we need to be aware of, and intentional about these things is because our bodies run on what is called a circadian rhythm. This describes the natural rhythm of your body, to wake up in the morning and go to bed at night, and all the other things that bodies are used to doing during the daily cycle. According to sleepfoundation.org, keeping a consistent routine and sleep schedule is one of the most important things you can do to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm.

If you keep it roughly the same time every day, you are able to start building your child’s circadian rhythm - and yes, you can do this for yourself, too! It’s well worth it - and will aid in production of your natural melatonin when you need it, and many other body processes that are helpful for your optimum daily functioning.

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Get mindful and breathe

Laying in bed with your eyes open, staring at the ceiling is really not the space anyone wants to be in. If this is you right now, try this:

Lay on your back, and take 2 normal breaths in and out, being mindful of relaxing your whole body while you do so.

Now, take in the deepest breath you can, and let it flow out of your mouth like honey, making a small ‘o’ with your lips. Only do what is comfortable - it’s not meant to make you breathless.

Do this deep breath, flow out, 5 times in total. Then, if you haven’t got closed eyes, close them and repeat, but don’t overdo the deep breathing. Just start to breathe naturally as you want to.

Also, if you are a Christian like me, you might like to think about God and how He has you safe in His arms while you are sleeping. Get comfortable.

Continue this process until you fall asleep.

Find out more about simple breathwork practices right here!

This should help you work out the best way for how to get good sleep at night, for yourself - and even share this with a friend or partner if you like! Nothing will work every single time, but these simple strategies should help.

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You might be interested in these other posts:

How to Find God in the Midst of the Busy Mum Life

How to Be emotionally supportive of a friend when you’re worn out yourself

The Parent Child Relationship - Why Empathy Is An Absolute Must, Especially For Gentle Parents

How to have good sleep at night and why you need to prioritise this ASAP

So many people are asking how to have good sleep at night - and it’s a growing problem in our hectic, busy culture.