Prepare For A Big Day: Get A Good Night's Sleep

Sleep is an essential part of our lives, but it can be elusive when we need it the most. The night before a big day, our anxiety and stress can keep us awake, leaving us exhausted and unable to perform at our best. This phenomenon is called anticipatory anxiety, which is when feelings of fear or excitement manifest before an upcoming event. The stimulating chemicals that flood the body are the same, whether the event is positive or negative, but excitement is easier to sit with than dread, which often leads to racing thoughts. To prevent anticipatory anxiety from ruining your sleep, try a weighted blanket, meditation, writing down your worries, or engaging in a relaxing activity before bed.

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and sugar

Caffeine, alcohol, and sugar can all negatively impact your sleep quality. Caffeine, a stimulant, is designed to keep you awake and alert. Even if you feel tired, putting caffeine into your system may delay sleep onset and disrupt your brain's sleep-wake pattern. A study found that consuming coffee six hours before bed caused participants to lose up to one hour of sleep. Even decaffeinated coffee contains caffeine. Energy drinks, soda, and tea also contain caffeine and should be avoided before bed.

Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it will likely disrupt your sleep cycle and prevent you from reaching the REM stage of sleep, which is important for feeling rested. Heavy alcohol use can also increase insomnia and worsen sleep breathing problems such as sleep apnea and snoring.

Sugar can also negatively impact your sleep. Consuming high amounts of sugar before bed can cause a spike and crash in your blood sugar levels, making it difficult to stay asleep. Energy drinks and soda are common sources of sugar and should be avoided before bed.

Establish a bedtime routine

Wind down and relax

The hours leading up to bedtime are critical to establishing a healthy bedtime routine. Wind down by dimming the lights and avoiding bright lights and blue light from electronic devices like smartphones, computers, and TVs. Blue light tricks your brain into thinking it's still daytime, disrupting the release of melatonin, a key hormone that helps you sleep.

Create a soothing environment

Your bedroom should be a haven for sleep. Keep the room cool, quiet, and dark. Make sure your bed is comfortable, and consider using an eye mask and earplugs if needed. You can also try incorporating relaxing scents like lavender, which is known for its calming properties.

Consistent sleep and wake times

Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule is crucial. Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps to regulate your body's internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up.

Relaxing activities before bed

Establish a nightly ritual of soothing activities that signal to your brain that it's time to wind down. This could include reading, practising yoga, listening to calming music, or taking a warm bath or shower. Avoid activities that involve electronic devices, as the blue light can delay melatonin production and disrupt your sleep.

Avoid stimulants

Caffeine and alcohol can disrupt your sleep, so it's best to avoid them close to bedtime. Caffeine interferes with your sleep drive, and alcohol may help you fall asleep but won't help you stay asleep and can disrupt your sleep quality. Instead, opt for calming herbal teas or warm milk to promote relaxation.

Meditation and mindfulness

Sleep is critical for our overall well-being. It heals both the body and the mind. However, for many reasons, sleep does not always come easily. This is where meditation and mindfulness practices can help.

Meditation trains us to be less in our heads and more aware of the present moment. It helps lower the heart rate, slows breathing, and settles the mind, making it easier to wind down and drift off.

Tips for a Mindful Night's Sleep

• Meditate daily: Maintaining a regular, daytime mindfulness meditation practice will help you sleep better and stay asleep longer at night.
• Practice out of bed: If you are unable to sleep, try a mindfulness practice, but get out of bed and do it elsewhere. Staying awake in bed for longer than 20 minutes creates an association that the bed is for activities other than sleep.
• Don't rely on sleep apps: You shouldn't need to rely on anything to fall asleep.
• Try not to force it: The more you lie there trying to make yourself sleep, the more challenging it becomes. Notice your worries about being unable to sleep and visualise them floating away.
• Say goodnight to your devices: Falling asleep means eliminating distractions, and smartphones are a likely culprit. The screens emit blue light, which affects your brain by increasing alertness and reducing sleep-inducing melatonin.
• Try a body scan meditation: Start by noticing sensations in your body and your breathing. When your attention wanders, gently bring your thoughts back to centre.
• Focus on gratitude: Focusing on the good can evoke pleasant emotions and help soothe you to sleep.

A 20-Minute Guided Meditation for Sleep

• Start while lying down: Allow your legs to rest in a comfortable posture, hip-width apart. Place your arms by your side or your hands on your belly.
• Notice your breath: Pay attention to the physical movement related to breathing, such as your belly rising and falling, or the air moving in and out of your nose and mouth.
• Let your thoughts be: It's normal to have lots of thoughts. Recognise them, then practice letting them go. Label whatever grabs your attention and bring your focus back to your breath.
• Notice sensations in your body: Start by moving your awareness to physical sensations in your feet, then your lower legs, knees, and upper legs. Relax and let go of any tension.
• Move your attention upwards: Through your buttocks and pelvis, into your belly and abdomen, chest, back, hands and lower arms, neck, and the muscles of your face. Wherever you notice tension, relax those muscles.
• Bring your attention back to your breath: Each time your mind wanders, gently guide it back. If it's helpful, count your breaths.

Write down your worries

The night before a big day, it's common to feel anxious and stressed, which can make it difficult to fall asleep. Writing down your worries can be an effective way to calm your mind and get a good night's rest. Here are some tips to help you do this:

Set Aside Time for Worry

Towards the end of the day, schedule a designated "worry time". This should be at least 30 minutes before bedtime so that you have enough time to relax before trying to sleep. During this time, make a list of everything that is causing you stress or anxiety. By doing this, you're taking control of your worries and actively addressing them instead of letting them overwhelm you when you're trying to sleep.

Write Down Your To-Do List

Instead of writing about what you accomplished during the day, focus on what you need to do tomorrow. Making a to-do list will help you feel more prepared and organised, reducing anxiety and worry. Be as specific as possible when writing down your tasks, as this will help you fall asleep faster. The more detailed your list is, the less likely it is that you'll lie awake worrying about all the things you need to do.

In addition to your to-do list, take some time to write about your worries and concerns. Get all your fears and anxieties out on paper. This process of expressive writing has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression and can help calm your mind before sleep. Don't worry about writing perfectly or even making sense; just let your thoughts flow onto the page.

Solve Your Worries

After you've written down your worries and to-do list, take some time to think about the next steps. For each problem or task, write down a possible solution or the next step you need to take to accomplish it. This will help you feel more in control and less overwhelmed. Knowing that you have a plan to address your worries will make it easier to let them go when you're trying to fall asleep.

Practice Relaxation Techniques

If worries persist, try progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness, or meditation. There are also mindful breathing techniques that can help calm your mind and body. One such technique is the "4-7-8 breathing method": breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and then slowly exhale while counting from one to eight. Repeat this cycle a few times, focusing on your breath, and you should start to feel more relaxed.

Relaxing activities

Meditation and mindfulness

Meditation and mindfulness techniques can help to promote calmness and quiet the mind and body, making it easier to transition into sleep. One technique is the '4-7-8 breathing method', which involves breathing in for four seconds, holding your breath for seven seconds, and then exhaling slowly while counting from one to eight.

Progressive muscle relaxation

Starting with your jaw, completely relax each part of your body, working your way down to your legs. You should feel your weight sink into whatever you are lying on. Focus on calming your breathing throughout this process.

Visualisation

Visualisation techniques can help to clear your mind. One such technique is 'Leaves on a Stream', which involves picturing your thoughts as leaves that drift past you on a nearby stream. Alternatively, you could imagine placing your thoughts into a bin and then deleting them or putting them outside.

Box breathing and counting breaths

Try box breathing or simply counting your breaths. Box breathing involves breathing in, holding your breath, breathing out and then holding your breath again before repeating. Counting your breaths can also be effective; try counting backwards from 100 very slowly, counting one number per breath.

Listening to music or a podcast

Listening to relaxing music or a podcast can help you to unwind and distract your mind from worries.

Frequently asked questions