If you’re like millions of others, sleep neither comes easily nor hangs on very long. I’ve got some ideas for you.

We live in a busy world and therefore, our mind stays busy as well. Getting our mind to calm down enough to either fall asleep or get good enough sleep can be hard.

Use the suggestions below to set yourself up for a good night’s sleep.

1. Airplane/Away/Do Not Disturb Mode: I’m sure you’ve heard it before – you should avoid blue light before bed. To avoid being tempted to grab your phone, set it to a quiet mode. This way, you won’t have texts or emails to respond to and you can avoid the extra blue light.

2. Take a bath: Another sure fire way to get me good and sleepy is to hop into a warm bath. Light a candle, diffuse some lavender (or add it to the bath!) and you’ll be ready for sleep in no time.

3. Herbal tea: One of my favorite nighttime activities is turning on the stove and warming up water for tea. As much as I love caffeine, when the sun is down I opt for an herbal tea because it’s caffeine free.

4. Read or meditate: As a health coach and business owner, a lot of my reading revolves around psychology, running a business or mindset…all of which get my mind racing. At night, however, I reserve that reading time for fiction. Something fun that doesn’t take much brainpower. If I decide to meditate, the Headspace app is my first choice!

5. Brain Dump: I hear from clients all the time that even if they’re super tired, their mind is racing and they can’t sleep. Grab a notepad and pencil and jot down all the things running through your mind. The random to-dos, people you need to call, groceries you forgot. All of it. Get it off your mind and onto paper so you can worry about it in the morning.

6. Light a candle: Using a candle instead of overhead lights is a great way to calm the mind down. Overhead lights are really stimulation and make it hard for the mind to relax.

7. Use a diffuser + essential oils: Diffusing lavender before is a sure fire way to get me ready for sleep. I not only diffuse lavender, but I also rub a little on the soles of my feet and my temple.

8. Use your bed for sleeping: I remember in college, one of my professors telling us that your mind will associate rooms with what you do in them. In other words, if you spend your time eating, working or studying in bed, your mind will associate those tasks with your bed. This keeps your mind alert and ready to work – not relaxes and ready for slumber.

9. Make your room an oasis: Keep the lights down, get some candles…put the laundry away. You want your bedroom to invoke calm and happiness, not overwhelm for more tasks. Walking into a bedroom full of clutter and laundry isn’t relaxing. However, walking into a simple, clean room entices calm feelings.

10. Stick to schedule: Making sure that you’re winding down and actually getting to bed at the same time every day is crucial for good sleep. Your body responds to rhythms and flows. If you keep your routine the same you’re body will follow suit.

The beauty about the ideas above are that they are inexpensive and easy. Pick one or two that seem super easy to implement and get to sleeping like a baby. Cheers to sleep!

xo Cait