How to Sleep when Stressed Out – 15 Ways

Every now and then you feel so tired that you just wish to get in bed and sleep for ten hours, however, things don’t exactly pan out as you had hoped. You get in bed and one after the other every troubling thought starts entering your mind. Before you know it, its 2 am and you’re wide awake, and not in the good Katy Perry way.

So here are 15 things you can do that can help you get that good night’s sleep:

1. Sleep and Wake up at the same time daily

Waking at the same time every day will actually help you to sleep better at night. A fixed wake time helps to build a strong desire for sleep throughout wakefulness.

This is good for our circadian rhythm. Promotes better health, better sleep and better mental health.

2. No Food or Sugary Drinks

I am no stranger to those sugar cravings before bed, but sleep therapists suggest to refrain from eating or drinking before going to bed. If you must have some drink, go for unsweetened green tea or chamomile tea, peppermint works pretty well too. It helps calm those nerves when you’re stressed out.

3. Treat Your Bed Room like a Bed Room

Our bed room is called a BED room for a reason. The main ingredient being a bed. A bed that is meant to be slept in. However, our busy lives have turned our bed rooms into a dining room, a TV lounge and even an office.

As a result we start associating our bed rooms with all of these activities. “I can’t sleep so lets get on the laptop and get a little work done”, yes? NO! This adds to the stress and we don’t need more of that when we are already stressed out.

4. No Screens / No Tech in Bed

Now this one might pinch, but it’s true. The light from our screens, even when our devices are set to “dark mode”, act like dementors, except, it doesn’t suck the life out of us, it sucks the sleep out of us. It tricks the brain into thinking it’s day time and causes us to overthink and under sleep.

5. No Naps during the day

While some people are experts at power napping, most people I know are not. You might think you’re going to rest your eyes for 10 minutes, the next thing you know it’s 6pm and dinner isn’t ready yet. It is advisable to keep the sleep limited to night time.

6. Create a Comfortable Environment

Get those snuggly pillows, a nice cotton bed spread, scented candles (careful with the fire though). When stressed out, our inner self is already in chaos, balance this out by creating a calm, peaceful and a comfortable external environment, this will help quiet your stressed out mind. 

7. Slow, Soft, Peaceful Music

Many people, including myself, swear by music. Feeling low? Listen to Chill out happy music, some people prefer sad, love songs to feel better. Hey, whatever works for you, we don’t judge here in this Classy Clan Community.

Busy brain? aka, stressed out, soft, slow, calming music helps soothe the overworked mind, and puts your brain at rest, thus rendering a good night’s sleep. Sounds of the rain act equally well, and you don’t need to be in the middle of the monsoons to get this. Rain sounds, or nature sounds on youtube act just the same. Remember to put the phone away when you try this technique.

8. Calming Colors for the Bed Room

There are calming colors, and there are stimulating colors, while there is no good or bad color, it is advisable not to paint your bed room walls a red, or a bright coral, keeping the bed room color theme, a cool, neutral or a pastel shade will help you keep your stressed out mind a bit calmer, while creating a more peaceful exterior environment that promotes better sleep.

To find out, what colors are considered “calming colors” – Click here

9. Do not Leave Chores for the Next Day

While you don’t have to do everything today, if there is a task that can be done in ten minutes, finishing it before getting to bed will help you not stress about it. People seem to think it’s always the bigger problems that stress us out, but the truth is, stress is caused by overthinking and this over thinking can be about anything ranging from losing a job to forgetting to wash your plate after dinner. It will take two minutes to wash that plate, and you can sleep without stressing about it.

10. Relaxation Techniques

There are several known ways that help induce sleep. What do they have in common? All these techniques are aimed at reducing stress. For more ways on achieving peace of mind, click here. 

Here are a few simple techniques that can be incorporated into our pre-sleep ritual:

• Sleep Meditation: You don’t need to be sitting for this, just close your eyes, put on some meditation music and concentrate on that. Works like a charm
• Deep Breathing: Take a deep breath in, hold it for a count of ten and breath out. Nice and slow.
• Read a book: Might not be a technique, but works like magic.

11. Do not go to bed Angry

Upset with someone? Worried about something, angry at your friend? Something they said that you didn’t appreciate. Three simple words – Talk It Out. If you can’t talk to the person directly related, call up a friend and vent out. A good rant is often underestimated. Talking about our problems, helps us move on. It is good for your stressed out brain, and good for sleep.

12. A warm Bath before bed

Bath salts, Bubble baths, Bath Bombs, or simply just a relaxing warm bath works equally well. Just fill up that bath tub, get in, close your eyes and relax. I feel relaxed just talking about it. It is the best thing you can do to relax your stressed out mind, body and soul.

13. Set aside a Thinking-Time for yourself

By setting a separate thinking time in your daily routine, you can avoid thinking about those things when it’s time to sleep. This is recommended by sleep therapists and is worth a shot. For example, 9pm to 10pm is thinking time and that is when you allow yourself to think about everything that has been bothering you that day or week. Making a conscious effort to do this every day, not only helps sleep better at night, over time you won’t need a thinking time at all, as a result of feeling less stressed out every passing day. 

14. Come up with a Night Routine that Works for you

This could range from putting on a beauty face mask, singing lullabies, oiling your hair, scented candles, moisturizing (Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Moisturizer is pretty amazing). De-stressing does not have to be complicated, simple things work incredibly well, and are easier to incorporate into our daily lives. 

(If you use this link, I might make a small commission, this is my first amazon affiliate link, so I can’t be sure but either way, this moisturizer is divine!)

15. Seek Professional Help

Last but not Least, If nothing seems to work and you’re still stressed out, feeling anxious and just can’t fall asleep, do not hesitate to seek professional help. There are experts out there that can help and it is advisable not to take lack of sleep lightly.

To Conclude

Stress and Sleep go hand in hand, and usually have an inverse relationship. The higher the stress, the more negatively it impacts our sleep. Sleeping more than we should is also not a good sign. Good sleep is about sleeping an appropriate amount of time, and a good quality of sleep as well. Sleeping for fifteen hours, waking up every two hours, or not being able to sleep at night might all be indicators of a sleep disorder and should not be taken lightly. Try these simple ways to help you destress and promote better sleep into your life. You deserve it!