In Need Of A Sleep Reset? 6 Things I’m Doing To Get Back On Track Post-Summer

This summer has been filled with so much excitement: weekend trips with friends, sunsets on the beach, family vacations, and even a move into a new apartment. And while I have cherished all of these moments, one thing has suffered: my sleep.

It might be an understatement to say sleep is important to me. As someone who feels tired even after an eight-hour rest, I am always looking for ways to maximize time in bed. Not to mention, coziness is a major priority in my household.   

As summer comes to an end and we transition into the new beginnings of fall, I am making sleep a priority. But, as much as I love my bed, this doesn’t just mean spending more time in it.

Scrolling, notifications, and videos from your phone stimulate your brain. But at night, you want to do the opposite: create a calming environment.

That’s why I try to keep my phone in another room, or at least out of reach, when I go to bed. It helps restore a sense of calm to my evenings and limits the temptation to doomscroll beyond my bedtime. (After all, staying consistent with sleep timing 1is key to sleep quality.)

While I am always a fan of an after-dinner treat, I generally try to keep my late-night snacking to a minimum. Your body is supposed to be winding down before bed, but it gets distracted when it is busy digesting food.

When you eat high-glycemic foods, like the sugary sweets so many of us love to have at night, your blood sugar spikes, then drops as your body works to stabilize it. This can make it more difficult to fall asleep, or can lead to a middle-of-the-night wakeup from a sudden blood sugar drop.

While I try not to eat food before bed, I do take about 300mg of magnesium as I do my skincare routine and brush my teeth. 

Magnesium is one of the most researched supplements, with tons of benefits for sleep. It’s been shown to regulate circadian rhythm, deepen the quality of sleep, and help with muscle soreness.

Research shows that exposure to 660 nm wavelength red light before bed can have therapeutic effects on sleep, so I’ve been testing out the MELALIGHT. I was skeptical at first, but I noticed a difference in my sleep quality from the very first use.

I turn on the red light while I stretch, do my skincare routine, or read before bed, then fall asleep with it on. I like that the red light lamp has a built-in timer, so it automatically turns off as I drift to sleep.

If you don't have a red light lamp, you can also work to minimize blue light before bed, which research has shown disrupts deep sleep2 and melatonin production3.

Once I’m in bed, I like to be as comfortable as possible to fall asleep quickly and maximize recovery. For me, this means having a perfect pillow, lots of blankets, and a heating pad. 

I spent years using a regular pillow, until my mom gifted me this adjustable one from COOP for side sleepers. The cut-out is the perfect size for my shoulder to nestle in next to my ear, while still allowing me to have support for my head.

I pair this pillow with a heating pad. While you may think of these devices as recovery tools, wearing them before bed is a perfect way to relax.

My go-to is this option from RENPHO, which covers my back, shoulders, and neck at the same time. It adds to that cozy, tucked-in feeling that I love so much. And, like my red light, it turns off on a timer so I don't have to worry about overheating throughout the night.

Also, if you are (rightfully) worried about cords getting tangled up in your bed, the RENPHO heating pad is a great option because the cord is located by your lower back, not your head or neck.

For most of my life, I relied on my intuition to know how well I was sleeping. That, and a peek at the clock every time I rolled over in the middle of the night. 

Now, I use Whoop to track my sleep. It isn’t perfect, but it helps me notice patterns in what is helping and hurting my sleep. For example, I know that late-night eating has a negative impact on my sleep based on my Whoop data.