Working late, shift work, international travel, or just life in general can lead to your sleep routine being disrupted. Sunset and sunrise remain consistent, yet we vary wildly. Also, we’re often caught flipping from too little to too much sleep to “catch up”—something shown not to work effectively.

Whether that means our job is keeping our minds up late or our bodies, disrupted sleep schedules come in many forms. We’re continually told that sleep is important, but what impact does it have on us, and can we fix it?

Well, the answer to both questions is a lot. 

Let’s go over the importance of sleep and fixing your sleep schedule, and then we’ll introduce five ways to sleep better and 25 actionable tips to get you there.

The Importance of Sleep

Sleep can help you maintain a healthy weight, lower your risks of serious diseases like diabetes and heart disease, perform better at work or school, and have better relationships. 

While these are just some of the benefits a good night’s sleep can bring, the opposite is also true. Poor sleep schedules can have a disastrous impact on our lives. 

Disrupted sleep doesn’t just make you feel grumpy and leave you with low energy, it has serious effects on cognition, immunity, and metabolism—and, when chronic, can have severe implications for your health and wellbeing.

I used to feel the effects constantly, even a single night’s upset used to have a profound impact on my ability to perform the next day.

Redressing the Balance

As we’ll see, everything comes down to balance and finding our own unique way to align body and mind as we prepare to sleep. Before looking at the actions we can take today, let’s understand the reasons for our poor sleep schedule so we don’t fall back into old habits. In this article, we’ll look at the following:

• Why is my sleep schedule so bad?
• The importance of having a good night routine.
• Circadian rhythm: what it is and its importance. 
• How to fix your sleep schedule.
• How long does it take to adjust to a new sleep schedule?
• Final thoughts.

By the end of this article, you’ll understand the reasons why fixing your sleep schedule is so important and how you can take control with immediate action.

Why Is My Sleep Schedule So Bad?

Firstly, you’re not alone. Nearly 48 percent of adults have disturbed sleep three or more nights per week, and one in three, according to the Sleep Health Foundation, have at least mild insomnia.

We all have times of bad sleep when the stress of life weighs on our mind or we find our body and mind out of sync—wanting sleep but feeling like it’s out of reach. 

The problem is it’s become normal. But it shouldn’t be.

Our modern lifestyle doesn’t allow for the concept of regular, peaceful sleep, but the alternative can have a silent yet serious impact on our health.

Optimal health and wellbeing come through our body’s careful balance of biological processes that can be thrown off by just a single bad night. Unfortunately, many of us don’t just get one bad night. 

One major habit is, unfortunately, allowing stress to take hold of our minds. Stress, worry, racing thoughts, lamenting the past; they all put the mind in a state incongruent with sleep. But these are not the only reasons. Bad habits we adopt as they suit our lifestyles are also impacting our sleep, such as using cellphones at bedtime.

The good news is that we can redress the balance, rewire habits, and begin to fix our sleep schedules today.

The Importance of Having a Good Night Routine 

Most of these issues come from our body not being able to rest, recover, and repair. Our minds need downtime, just like any other machine or system; otherwise, they become clunky and unable to function, which can have serious consequences.

You may have heard of REM sleep, the fourth stage of a cycle we move through—from light sleep to REM and back again—numerous times each night. Or at least we should do. With each cycle, our mind spends increasingly more time in REM sleep and less time in the lighter stages of sleep. During REM sleep, our minds process emotions and consolidate memories and dreams.

If the sleep cycle process is interrupted, such as when we’re woken up during the night, the process starts over again. As a result, when you experience interrupted sleep, you miss out on REM sleep most of all. Without sufficient REM sleep, your cognitive performance and emotional wellbeing suffer.

New evidence is even showing that the brain’s inability to repair effectively can increase risk factors for dementia, obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, poor mental health, and early death.

Sluggish, foggy, slow. These feelings associated with a poor sleep schedule are just the beginning as the downstream effects of a disturbed sleep schedule continue to be discovered and the importance of a good sleep schedule are highlighted.

To ensure our sleep isn’t interrupted and that we maximize our REM sleep time, we need to make sure that we prepare our bodies and minds in the hours before heading to bed. 

Not only will creating a sleep schedule help prevent you from falling into previous bad habits, but you’ll also replace them with positive behaviors that make you feel better. With the right preparation, you’ll look forward to bedtime as your body and mind wind down together, edging you closer and closer to a comforting, dream-filled sleep.

Before we look at what to adapt, let’s understand more about the cyclical, repeating processes that impact our sleep.

Circadian Rhythm: What It Is and Its Importance

There are four biological rhythms which help regulate optimal bodily function throughout the various environments of the day. The most important with regards to sleep is the circadian rhythm. This plays a physical, mental, and behavioral role, responding to light and dark at different phases throughout the day and night. As well as sleep, it helps regulate appetite, body temperature, daily performance, blood pressure, and alertness, among other things.

Interestingly, according to the National Sleep Foundation, many people report that “a lack of sleep is linked to overeating, again, controlled by an internal hormonal balance.” This is just one example of how sleep impacts our bodies without us noticing.

Keeping these clocks running in harmony with each other and with our external environment ensures our bodies run optimally—we feel our best and can perform our best, resetting our internal clocks. 

As you increasingly become tired throughout the day, this sleep drive, also known as “sleep-wake homeostasis,” is affected by numerous internal processes.

Light is one example. The brain monitors exposure to natural or artificial light and responds accordingly, assuming this relates to day or night, and prepares the body for rest or action. As the light fades, the brain stimulates the release of melatonin, a hormone that induces drowsiness. As the sun rises, the body releases the hormone cortisol, promoting energy and alertness. 

Our circadian rhythm synchronizes our internal clock and external environment. By resetting our internal clock, we can harmonize with our environment, feel calmer, and be more attuned to our inner selves.

How To Fix Your Sleep Schedule

Now we know why fixing our sleep schedule is important and how our bodies respond to our actions, we can plan specific actions to reset our sleep.

There are five key areas of focus that ensure a sound sleep, and Marisa Peer, a world-renowned therapist, uses the acronym of “SLEEP” to help us move into action. “SLEEP” stands for schedule, light, eating, exercise, and preparation.

Marisa suggests you use this list as a resource.

Schedule

Create a sleep schedule. We’ve discussed our body’s 24-hour circadian rhythm, so we need to align with that.

1. Sync with light and dark—Reset your sleep schedule to be as close to the natural light cycle of the day, mimicking it where possible.
2. Ensure seven to nine hours’ sleep—Even if you think you can get by on five hours, slowly increase to seven to nine. Don’t expect to increase your sleep time overnight, be patient.
3. Set rigid sleep times—Structured times lead to better sleep, so set a time to get in bed and a time to start getting ready for the day. Set an alarm with a single, short snooze time and use that time for mindfulness. Don’t change it at the weekend as you’ll always be playing catch-up.
4. Do not sleep in—It might feel good to grab an extra couple of hours after a tough day, but that won’t help you in the long run.
5. Don’t rely on “catch up” sleep—Similar to sleeping in, it’s counterintuitive, but it doesn’t help.

Light

Limit light. Light exposure, as we’ve found, is essential in regulating our sleep, but you don’t need to sit in a dark room for hours. Just consciously be aware of the light exposure and type near bedtime.

1. Set light reminders—Create alarms a couple of hours before bed to change the mood of your house to reflect your evening state.
2. Minimize brightness—Try using a dimmer or low-wattage lamp for indoor lighting or, even better, switch to blue light bulbs.
3. Turn off electronic devices—Your mind needs to take a break at least 30 minutes before bedtime. In fact, leave them in another room. Also limit blue light filters one to two hours before bedtime.
4. Sleep in total darkness—Consider blackout blinds or an eye mask.
5. Wake up bright—Get some light, preferably natural, as soon as you wake up.

TIP: If you’re more of the DIY type, you also can buy a smart bulb (like Philips Hue, Emberlight, Stack Lighting, Lifx, or WeMo) that you can connect to your phone or fitness tracker to create a sunrise alarm.

Exercise

Get moving. The effects of aerobic exercise on sleep appear to be similar to those of sleeping pills.

Our bodies are made to move, yet our lifestyles often counter this natural drive. 

1. Fit exercise into your morning—If your goal is fat burning, get moving early.
2. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise—You may see a difference in sleep quality that same night.
3. Stretch—Especially 30 minutes to an hour before bed.
4. Consider exercising with friends or new groups—It could help you stick with it easier.
5. Keep at it—Regular exercise is key to results, both physically and mentally.

Eating

Limit eating. Eating and drinking stimulates hormones which, as we’ve learned, impact the fine balance within our bodies.

1. Avoid caffeine—People have different tolerances to coffee, which means we all take different amounts of time to process it and for the stimulant to wear off. Find your cut-off, starting with five hours before bedtime, and add it in your sleep schedule.
2. Avoid alcohol—Similar to caffeine, find what works for you, but remember, alcohol disrupts your sleep schedule, it doesn’t enhance it.
3. Avoid food two to three hours before bed—If you eat, your body responds excitedly; we’re trying to calm down the body and mind.
4. Eat healthily—The better our internal clocks can work, the better the body can function.
5. Consider aids—Such as camomile, kiwis, or almonds.

Preparation

Having a sleep routine really helps take the thought out of your day. As we near bedtime, we should habitually be changing our environment and our state of being to prepare our bodies and minds.

1. Practice mindfulness before bed—Plan your “bedtime” 30 minutes early and just spend that time in peaceful silence.
2. Make an inviting sleeping environment:
   1. Quiet. 
   2. Cool, temperate. – link
   3. Dark.
   4. Clean, tidy.
3. Relax—Include a relaxing activity before bed, such as reading or taking a warm bath;.
4. Write what you need to remember/do the next day in a journal—This removes the spinning thoughts that can dominate at night and improves sleep.
5. Write down your new sleep schedule—And stick to a daily routine, including as many of the above which apply to your situation.

How Long Does It Take To Adjust to a New Sleep Schedule? 

The time needed to fix your sleep schedule will depend on the extent of your misaligned sleep and the underlying causes. For more extreme cases, more time will be needed, yet studies have shown that even for the worst chronic insomnia, simply including exercise can have dramatic effects in four weeks.

All the solutions laid out above are implementable today. Select a few and try them out. 

Depending on how bad your current sleep schedule is, you could start to see improvements tonight and begin resetting your circadian rhythm.

Final Thoughts

Living with sleep issues can wreak havoc on our lives, but you’re not alone. Nor are you helpless.

These five methods will help you reset your sleep schedule, restore your circadian rhythm, regain your inner balance, and live a joyful life.

Finding the root cause and changing the habits associated with your sleep patterns will move you from frustrated and underachieving to feeling confident and energized enough to conquer any day.

References:

Get Enough Sleep: The Basics: Health Benefits

Mutual influence of sleep and circadian clocks on physiology and cognition

Sleep disturbances linked to abnormal deposits of certain proteins in the brain

Sleep and Chronic Disease

Exercising for Better Sleep

Do you wake up feeling tired, groggy, and irritable?

Chances are you are not getting the sleep you need, and there could be several reasons for this. If we do not get enough sleep, especially deep sleep, this will affect our physical and mental health.

In this article, you will learn:

• What deep sleep is
• What the stages of sleep are
• Why deep sleep is important
• How much deep sleep you need
• How to get more deep sleep
• Tips on how to get the most out of your sleep

What Is Deep Sleep?

Sleep is a natural state of relaxation in living organisms, where voluntary movements decrease and there is a change in the state of consciousness.

Scientists have classified our sleep into repetitive cycles, broken up into four stages. This classification is based on many factors, including brain wave frequencies, breathing, eye movement, muscle movement, and heart rate.

Deep sleep is one of the four stages of sleep, where our entire bodies, and, most importantly, our brains, do most of the recuperating and our cells regenerate. 

Deep sleep is vital for improving our overall physical and mental health, and is key to waking up feeling refreshed, energized, and ready to start our day. Not getting the right amount of deep sleep, however, can have serious implications for our wellbeing.

What Are the Stages of Sleep?

There are two basic types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. The first three stages of sleep are characterized as non-REM sleep, while the fourth stage is REM sleep. Each is linked to specific brain waves and neuronal activity.

Not all cycles are the same length, and you go through all stages of non-REM and REM sleep several times during a typical night, they also tend to become longer as the night progresses. 

Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes on average, and people generally go through four to six cycles in a normal night. However, this can vary depending on the person, their age, and recent sleep patterns.

• First sleep stage: Lasts about one to five minutes. It’s the transition from wakefulness to sleep, where our brain waves, heartbeat, and eye movement begin to slow down, and our muscles gradually relax. Breathing occurs at a regular rate, and the sleeper can be easily awakened.
• Second sleep stage: We move into light sleep, and it can range from about 10 to 60 minutes. Our eyes stop moving, our body temperature drops, and our brain activity, heart rate, and breathing slow down even further. Here, our body is preparing to enter the deepest stage of sleep.
• Third sleep stage: This is when deep sleep, also known as low-wave sleep or delta sleep, occurs. This stage lasts 20 to 40 minutes.

Studies show that brain wave frequencies from an electroencephalogram (EEG)—a test of brain activity—taken from patients in the deep sleep stage are much slower, while amplitude signals (delta waves) are higher.

Most of our deep sleep occurs in the first half of the night, while the second half is more REM-based (fourth stage of sleep).

• Fourth sleep stage: Lasts between 10 to 60 minutes and is mostly associated with the more vivid dreaming parts of our sleep. 

Lots of activity occurs during this time. Although we are unconscious and our muscles are atonic (we have no muscle control), our EEG levels are similar to when we are awake. In this stage, our heart rate also increases, and our breathing becomes more irregular.

Each sleep stage plays a crucial part in allowing the body and the brain to recover, grow, and develop.

World-renowned therapist Marisa Peer says, “You can learn how to fall asleep easily by treating the underlying cause beneath your sleep problems, so you can usually get better with simple yet effective techniques you can do yourself at home.” That way, you can turn your sleepless nights into rejuvenating ones and wake up refreshed and full of enthusiasm. 

She also says having a good sleeping pattern is essential to being healthy and happy.

How Important Is Deep Sleep?

Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly what deep sleep does and how it functions, but we do know that it is one of the most important stages of sleep because it is critical for restoration.

When we enter delta wave sleep (deep sleep), it allows our brain and body to recharge and restores them to healthy states after the strenuous activity they endure during our waking hours.  

Tasks and activities that require mental effort cause increased rates of glucose metabolism in the brain, so it is important to give your brain time to rest from its daily activeness. 

Moreover, secretion of growth hormones is linked to deep sleep stages, and the highest rates of production occur at this stage. 

Slow-wave sleep also increases parasympathetic neural activity in the brain, which is responsible for relaxation. 

In short, deep sleep helps bolster our immune systems, rejuvenate our cells, increase blood flow to our muscles, grow and repair tissues and bones, as well as other essential bodily processes.

Findings also show that deep sleep is vital for consolidating memories, and that the body may struggle to make new memories or even retain information without enough sleep.

How Much Deep Sleep Do You Need?

Research shows we spend about a third of our life sleeping if we get between seven to nine hours of sleep a night. 

As we get older, we spend less time in slow-wave sleep and more time in stage two sleep, or light sleep, as we do not need as much deep sleep.

Experts say healthy adults spend around 13 to 23 percent of their sleep in deep sleep—that is roughly between 62 to 110 minutes per night. 

There is no preferred minimum time spent on REM sleep, but healthy adults spend 20 to 25 percent of their sleep in this stage and around 75 percent on non-REM sleep.

On average, healthy teenagers need about eight to ten hours of sleep, while adults aged 26-64 require seven to nine hours.

However, frequent lack of deep sleep and sleep deprivation can cause weight loss or gain, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease, and can be dangerous due to impaired reactions and attention lapses. 

According to the National Sleep Foundation, “A lack of sleep is linked to overeating—especially the overconsumption of junk food—which can lead to weight gain.

Two hormones that help regulate hunger—ghrelin and leptin—are affected by sleep: Ghrelin stimulates appetite, while leptin decreases it. When the body is sleep-deprived, the level of ghrelin spikes, while the level of leptin falls, leading to an increase in hunger.”

How To Improve Your Deep Sleep

Having helped thousands of people overcome their sleep-related issues throughout her 30 years of experience as a hypnotherapist, Marisa Peer has developed an audio download to help you dramatically improve your sleep. The powerful audio is designed to help you avoid tossing and turning in bed, so you wake up more rested and energized for your day. 

Download Perfect Deep Unbroken Sleep and listen to the relaxing, hypnotic script as part of your bedtime routine for 21 days to get the most benefit, and fall asleep easily and effortlessly as you begin to rewire your mind to fall asleep easier.

Deep sleep is vital to our health; it is important to think about the quality of sleep we are getting and whether the time spent sleeping is restorative rather than about the quantity of sleep.

1. To increase our amount of deep sleep, we must allow ourselves enough total sleep time every night. 
2. A healthy diet is also an important factor. Studies have shown that low-carbohydrate and healthy fats diets helps promote deep sleep.
3. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. Marisa says, “Drinking caffeinated drinks and eating heavy meals before bedtime can affect sleep. Drinking alcohol also negatively impacts sleep as it reduces REM, which is essential for brain activity. The nicotine from tobacco acts as a stimulant and can make it harder to fall asleep.”

4. Exercising at the right time can help extend slow-wave sleep, and experts recommend around 30 minutes a day. Try to avoid exercise before bedtime so as not to interfere with your downtime and your sleep. 

Doing vigorous exercise—like running or swimming—during the day can increase deep sleep.

5. Generating body heat has also been shown to prolong deep sleep—like taking a hot bath or shower, or warming up in a sauna or hot tub. But, sleeping in a hot room or with heavy blankets will make it harder to slumber, and the room should be cool.

6. Try mindfulness exercises (where you practice being intensely aware of your feelings), meditation, breathing, or relaxing yoga before bed. There are many deep sleep meditation and nightly relaxation techniques available. Try this great recovery and replenishment guided meditation by Marisa Peer.
7. Remove bright lights and disruptive noises from your bedroom. Bear in mind that bad sleeping partners and snorers will distract you from getting the proper sleep you need.
8. If you suffer from any sleep disorders, such as insomnia or narcolepsy (a long-term condition that causes people to suddenly fall asleep at inappropriate times), it is best to consult a physician, depending on your case and symptoms. 

You can read more about the symptoms and effects of insomnia in this useful blog post: The Symptoms of Insomnia.

Alternative ways to help improve your sleep

Hypnotherapist Marisa Peer says various therapies can also help you fall asleep, such as her award-winning and highly effective method of hypnosis, Rapid Transformational Therapyp® (RTT®). 

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) also recommends “a regular bedtime routine to help you wind down and prepare for bed. Your routine depends on what works for you, but the most important thing is working out a routine and sticking to it.”

Keep regular sleeping hours as this programs the brain and internal body clock to get used to a set routine.

Keep a sleep diary

It can be a good idea to keep a sleep diary. It may uncover lifestyle habits or daily activities that contribute to your sleeplessness. A sleep diary can also reveal underlying conditions.

Final Thoughts

Sleep and its stages can differ and depend on our age, home environment, work, and social lifestyles. Try out different tips and see which one best suits you. 

Marisa says it takes at least 21 days to completely let go of an old belief and create a new one. You need to train your body and mind to release old habits and replace them with new, positive behaviors.

That is why if you can find a bedtime routine, it is usually the best and more stable option to ensure that you wake up feeling refreshed, re-energized, and alert every day.

She says we have to remember that our minds are wired to keep us alive. So, enough sleep is not only key to our overall wellbeing, but also those around us as well!

Maybe your partner or roommate has noticed you chatting in your sleep frequently, and you are curious as to why this might be happening.

In this article, we are going to answer some of the questions that you might have about talking in your sleep. We will dive into:

• What Is Sleep Talking?
• What Are the Consequences of Sleep Talking to Our Health?
• Why Do People Talk in Their Sleep?
• What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Talking?
• Sleep Talking and Sleeping Stages
• Why Do People Scream in Their Sleep?
• How To Stop Sleep Talking

So, let’s get straight to it. 

What Is Sleep Talking?

When someone talks in their sleep, it may range from full sentences to complete gibberish. You might even take on a different voice or speak in a different language.

All in all, it is usually quite harmless, except perhaps for the sleep deprivation that your partner or significant other might experience due to your frequent chatter.

Technically, sleep talking is a parasomnia. Parasomnias are any abnormal behaviors that occur as you sleep or move between sleep stages, including sleep talking, head banging, sleepwalking, and more. 

What Are the Consequences of Sleep Talking on Our Health?

Usually, sleep talking is harmless, not having any major impact on a person’s sleep. Additionally, it often doesn’t occur frequently enough to cause any major sleep deprivation.

At the same time, there are some scenarios where talking in your sleep can pose some problems, such as:

• Disrupting your partner’s sleep, leaving them sleep-deprived during the day.
• Revealing embarrassing information that leads to interpersonal conflict.
• When it occurs alongside other parasomnias, such as sleepwalking. If this happens, it may indicate that you are experiencing a sleep disorder. In this case, it is really important to get checked out by your doctor.

Why Do People Talk in Their Sleep?

So, what does it mean when you talk in your sleep? What causes sleep talking?

The answer to the question, “Why do people talk in their sleep?” is much more vague than many would like. The truth is that experts are not really sure why this happens in most cases.

Some evidence connects sleep talking to dream reenactments, which occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. However, sleep talking may happen during REM and non-REM sleep stages. 

Other research suggests that a genetic component may be involved. This means that if your mother or father is a sleep talker, you are more likely to be one as well. 

Overall, sleep experts seem to agree that sleep talking is more frequent in those with mental health conditions or with those experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  

If snoring is associated with sleep talking, it may further be related to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which requires a specialist to observe your sleep in a lab for proper diagnosis.

What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Talking?

The main symptom of sleep talking is audible expression as you sleep. Research indicates that half the time, this sleep talking is gibberish, mumbling, and incomprehensible. Sleep talking that is comprehensible resembles conversational speech.

Typically, sleep talking only lasts for a short period of time as a person sleeps, such as a few minutes or on and off. 

Sleep Talking and Sleeping Stages

Interestingly, talking in your sleep is most comprehensible during the REM stage of sleep. Gibberish and other mumblings typically occur during deep, non-REM sleep.

Sleep talking can also occur, as previously mentioned, during sleepwalking or even during a nocturnal-related eating disorder.

Why Do People Scream in Their Sleep?

Screaming in sleep is less common. If you are yelling in sleep, this is usually a sign of a REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) or sleep terrors. 

In particular, during sleep terrors, yelling in sleep might coincide with thrashing or kicking. In these situations, it can be difficult to wake someone up. These situations are also most common in children.

Screaming in sleep is also found during the dreams and may involve shouting, grunting, and violent movements.

How To Stop Sleep Talking

By now, you might be wondering how to stop sleep talking. The following sleep talking treatments may help:

• Lifestyle changes—this may mean avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and heavy meals before bed. It may further involve setting up a regular sleep schedule, exposing yourself to sunlight during the day, and following good sleep hygiene, such as ensuring your bedroom is dark, cool, and quiet.
• Sleep hypnosis—if you are having difficulty sleeping and experiencing random sleep talking events, sleep hypnosis might help both you and your partner obtain a relaxing night’s rest.
• Consider therapy—for mental disorders, stress, anxiety, and more, a professional can help you find proactive and healthy ways to cope that do not interrupt your sleep.
• Stress management—find ways to minimize your stress, such as through meditation, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques.

Mastering Your Sleep Is a Sure-Fire Way to a Better and Happier Life

Talking in your sleep is typically nothing to worry about, unless it happens often and along with other disturbances. Assess your sleep patterns and determine if talking in your sleep is interrupting your beauty rest. From there, you can find ways to address the problem and tackle it once and for all.
If you want to start doing that right here and right now, purchase the Perfect Deep Unbroken Sleep audio course from globally acclaimed hypnotherapist Marisa Peer. Help yourself find optimal rest so you can lead an optimal life.

Do you have trouble sleeping? If the answer’s yes, then you’re not alone. In fact, 40% of the world’s population has been suffering from sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

If you’re looking to get a restful night’s sleep, creating a good night routine is a simple lifestyle change that can tremendously improve your sleep quality. 

By changing what you do before bed—also known as “sleep hygiene”—you can eliminate sleep issues, get better quality rest, and feel more refreshed and energized in the morning. 

But what exactly is a healthy night routine, and how do you cultivate it? I’ll share some of the most effective techniques to help you improve your sleep hygiene and sleep better each night.

What Is a Night Routine?

Simply put, a night routine is the sequence of activities that you do before bed each night. 

If you’re having trouble sleeping, it may be because you don’t have a consistent routine, or your current routine is negatively affecting the quality of your sleep. 

Having a healthy night routine means cultivating habits before bed that help you destress and improve your sleep quality. 

Having worked with thousands of clients who have had trouble sleeping, I know that having a relaxing routine before bedtime and going to bed at the same time each night is key to sleeping like a baby.

Why Is It Important to Establish a Night Routine?

When you follow a set routine every night, you’re establishing a pattern that helps your mind recognize that it’s time to sleep. 

This pattern cues the release of hormones that make you feel sleepy and helps your body rejuvenate itself during sleep. 

Having a night routine also helps you fall asleep at the same time each night, which is just as important as getting sufficient sleep. 

Studies have shown that having regular sleep patterns helps reduce your risk for cardiovascular diseases.

Having a healthy night routine isn’t just beneficial for adults either; setting a consistent sleep pattern with your baby helps them sleep throughout the night without interruptions. Eventually, they develop their circadian rhythm so that they can fall asleep by themselves.

How Do I Develop a Healthy Night Routine?

These tips will help you develop a night routine that regulates your bedtime and ensures that you consistently get a good night’s sleep. 

Take a warm bath before bed

Research has shown that taking a warm bath 60-90 minutes before bed can help you sleep better. 

After a bath, the evaporated water decreases your body temperature and signals your brain to release melatonin, which is a sleep hormone.

On top of helping you feel cleaner and more refreshed, bathing also enables you to unplug your mind from the day (since you’re not distracted by the TV or your phone) and allows you to ease into a more restful sleep. 

Have a light snack one hour before bed

Some experts suggest that eating a light snack, especially those rich in carbohydrates, could help you sleep better. 

As it turns out, low insulin levels negatively affect sleep. Eating a carbohydrate-rich snack before bed promotes insulin secretion and contributes to a healthy circadian rhythm. 

Ideally, your snack should also have some proteins mixed in. Proteins provide an amino acid called tryptophan, which helps your body produce melatonin.  

Avoid going to bed hungry as it may cause you stress and discomfort, making it harder to fall asleep. Hunger may also cause you to wake up earlier than intended or, in extreme cases, may even keep you awake.

Read a book before bed

Reading a book (paper, not digital) is an excellent habit to include in your night routine. 

Reading helps unplug your mind from your day, reduces stress, and makes it easier for you to fall asleep.

One study found that just six minutes of reading could reduce your stress by up to 28%. 

The best part is that it doesn’t matter whether you read fiction or nonfiction—as long as you’re lying still in a cool, dark environment, you’re allowing your body to power down and get ready for sleep.

Prepare your to-do list for tomorrow

If you find that you’re having trouble sleeping because you’re worried about your tasks for the next day, take about five to ten minutes to prepare your to-do list.

Randomly thinking of everything you need to do in your head is a recipe for stress. Instead, organize your tasks by writing them down and sorting them in order of priority. 

Being organized helps mentally affirm that your day is over and clarifies which goals you need to focus on, helping you better manage that stress.

Prep your bedroom for a good night’s sleep

If you want quality sleep, make sure you have the right environment. Studies show that the best sleep environment is in a cool, quiet, and dark place. 

Set the thermostat to a cool temperature, dim the lights, and pull the blackout curtains closed to keep light disruption at a minimum. 

Having a quiet environment is also essential; if your room has outside noise beyond your control, a white noise machine may help drown it out.

Gratitude journaling

I believe that gratitude is crucial to our overall health and wellbeing. Make it a habit to write down what you’re grateful for each day.

Studies have shown that gratitude doesn’t just strengthen your immune system and lower stress levels, but it also helps cultivate a positive mindset. 

Sleep meditation

One of the biggest mistakes people often make when trying to go to bed is that they tell their minds to fall asleep. 

Forcing your mind to do something is stressful to your body, which makes it harder for you to fall asleep. The key is to allow sleep to come to you by rephrasing the words you use to speak to yourself. 

After working with thousands of clients who have insomnia, I’ve learned that sleep meditation is one of the most effective ways to aid falling into a deep, restful sleep.

If you’re interested in trying sleep meditation, I’ve prepared a free Deep Sleep meditation which you can find here. Many of my clients have come back and told me how much it’s helped improve their sleep! 

What to Avoid In Your Night Routine

Cultivating these healthy habits can certainly help regulate your sleep and improve your sleep quality. However, a healthy night routine isn’t just about what you should do, it’s also about what you shouldn’t do.

Here are some activities you should avoid before bedtime. These activities disrupt your body functions, make you feel more alert, and may prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep.

Blue light

Reading on your Kindle or browsing any electronic devices while in bed exposes you to blue light, which blocks melatonin production and keeps you awake.

Stick to reading paper books in dim light for a healthier night routine. 

Strenuous exercise

You may have heard that exercise is good for sleep, but experts recommend no strenuous activity at least an hour before bedtime. 

Intense workout sessions increase your heart rate and body temperature, which makes it harder to fall asleep and may even reduce your sleep duration.

Heavy meals

Avoid heavy meals, sugary snacks, caffeine, and alcohol up to three hours before your bedtime. 

Consuming these before bed may fire up your metabolism and make it difficult to fall asleep or sleep soundly.

Lying awake in bed

If you find yourself tossing and turning in bed for hours on end, it’s much better to move to another room and do something else instead.

You want to associate your room with relaxing activities and sleep only. Staying awake in bed will teach your body to resist sleep even when you’re lying down, ultimately prolonging the time you take to fall asleep.

Sleeping for too long

Pay attention to how much you sleep too. Research has shown that adults who sleep for less than six hours or more than eight hours a night could be more at risk of premature death.  

Set your alarm to wake up in a timely manner so that you’ll avoid throwing off your internal clock, even if it’s on a long weekend.

Still Having Trouble Sleeping? Consider Hypnotherapy

If you’re still having trouble sleeping, you may be interested in trying sleep hypnosis. Sleep hypnosis is a powerful therapy method I’ve used to help thousands of my clients suffering from sleep problems. 

Hypnotherapy works by directly addressing your subconscious mind and helping you release the stress and mental blocks that make it difficult for you to fall asleep.

After helping thousands of clients around the globe, I know how important sleep is to your overall quality of life. That’s why I’ve put together a specific program to help you achieve deep, unbroken sleep.

Using the latest techniques in hypnotherapy, I’ve designed my audio hypnosis course to guide you into a calm and relaxed state of mind so you can easily drift off into a restful sleep.  

You’ll be able to fall asleep more easily at night without having unhealthy night routines like being glued to your screen or tossing and turning in bed. 

The result is that you wake up each morning more rested and more energized during the day.

Click here to listen to an audio sample of the course.

Some of my clients who have tried this course swear by it, claiming that it has improved their night routine and allowed them to experience a deeper, more restful sleep. I cannot wait to hear about your experience. 

Final Thoughts

Just as your morning routine can affect your health and productivity throughout your day, your night routine has a huge impact on your sleep.

Cultivating good sleep hygiene and combining it with sleep hypnosis will help you have consistent, high-quality sleep. 

The result is you feeling energized, rejuvenated, and refreshed every day!

It is also one of the most critical types of sleep. We need paradoxical sleep for our wellbeing. Not getting enough REM sleep could leave us physically and mentally exhausted.

This article will explain everything you need to know about paradoxical sleep:

• What it is and what is paradoxical about paradoxical sleep
• What happens during paradoxical sleep
• What paradoxical insomnia is
• What a paradoxical intention is

What Is Paradoxical Sleep?

Paradoxical sleep is the phase of sleep in which our eyes move in a rapid pattern, that is, the REM stage of sleep. It is different in many ways from the non-REM sleep phases, as you will discover shortly.

In the 1950s, researchers at the University of Chicago started exploring what was to become one of the major topics of sleep study today—REM sleep.

An exciting finding shows how much we truly need paradoxical sleep. When we are REM-deprived (when our sleep is interrupted at the REM stage), we should expect a REM rebound. This means that we will have a longer REM phase the next night to compensate for the loss.

In other words, we need to dream. We release our emotions, process stressful events, and incorporate new experiences into our minds. Dreams are vital for your body and soul.

What is paradoxical about paradoxical sleep?

REM sleep is also called paradoxical sleep because our brains are in a state that resembles being awake. On the other hand, we are particularly resilient to waking up.

Our body is limp because our muscles lose their tension. In other words, our bodies lie still. We are in a remarkably deep stage of the sleep cycle. We tend to be unaffected by noise, light, or touch.

The paradox, therefore, lies in the contrast between our mind’s high activity levels and the deeply relaxed body.

What Happens During Paradoxical Sleep?

As we said before, there are two types of sleep—non-REM and REM, or paradoxical, sleep. 

Non-REM sleep has three different stages. Therefore, as the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke explains, there are four stages of sleep.

This cycle is repeated every 90 minutes or so:

1. The first stage lasts for a few minutes. It is a transition from wakefulness to sleep.
2. You spend most of your sleeping time in stage two, which is a phase of light sleep. Your body is relaxed, your body temperature drops, and brain waves slow down.
3. The third stage is deep sleep, usually lasting for 20-40 minutes. You need perfect unbroken deep sleep so that you feel sufficiently refreshed in the morning.
4. After these three non-REM stages, paradoxical REM sleep comes in. Your muscles are almost paralyzed so that you do not act out your dreams. Your brain waves, however, resemble those of a waking state. Similarly, your breathing becomes faster and more irregular. Your heart rate and blood pressure increase to near waking levels. Memory consolidation also most likely requires REM sleep.

Every phase of sleep is vital for your health. Sleep deprivation of any kind will put you at increased risk of severe health problems, including diabetes, heart diseases, and cancer. You are more prone to depression and anxiety and could also lose your libido and become disinterested in activities you usually enjoy.

What about paradoxical sleep deprivation? Research reveals that we need enough REM sleep to function optimally, both on physical and mental levels.

Suppose you are deprived of the REM phase. In that case, according to an extensive review, your mental and physical wellbeing can be jeopardized. You may become aggressive, irritable, or anxious. Focusing on a task could become extremely challenging. Your appetite and eating habits could change. Overall, you would not be your best self.

What Is Paradoxical Insomnia

Paradoxical insomnia, previously called “sleep state misperception” and “subjective insomnia,” is a subtype of insomnia. It is a type that is difficult to assess and treat using standard clinical methods.

People who have paradoxical insomnia underestimate the time and quality of their sleep. Objectively, there is no evidence of sleep deprivation. However, those affected feel as if they have severe insomnia. They would say that they slept much less than they did in reality.

Two common causes of paradoxical insomnia are stress and anxiety. These issues probably cause the person to be overly vigilant. In a way, distress prevents you from enjoying the benefits of restorative sleep.

This is why Marisa Peer’s Deep Sleep meditation could help you. It will guide you into a deep and restorative sleep. This meditation has been helping people around the world who struggle with insomnia or poor sleep quality achieve a sound, restful night’s sleep.

Listening to Marisa’s voice, your mind will release its alert or anxious energy. You will invite restorative sleep to come to you.Another of Marisa’s powerful products, Sound Sleeper, will help you get to the bottom of the cause of your insomnia. With insightful videos and practical activities, you will start to create a change in your thinking and, consequently, your sleep patterns. Over seven days, Marisa will walk you through every step you need to take to enjoy a solid and restful night’s sleep.

What Is Paradoxical Intervention?

Paradoxical intervention is a psychotherapeutic technique developed by Austrian psychiatrist and psychotherapist Victor Frankl. In paradoxical intervention, the client is asked to magnify and intentionally wish for the symptom or issue they struggle with.

For example, if you fear blushing when you speak to someone, you would be asked to blush as much as possible—intentionally. The paradoxical and humorous nature of such an attempt usually does the trick to liberate the client from their symptoms. Research supported the claims of its effectiveness in treating a range of psychological issues.

Paradoxical intervention is widely used in treating insomnia.  According to scientific reviews, it is efficient and effective.

When you have insomnia and are trying hard to fall asleep, the opposite usually happens. The paradoxical intervention means trying NOT to fall asleep, and—you guessed it—the opposite tends to happen.

Ensure Great Sleep Quality for Wellbeing

Good sleep quality means sufficient paradoxical sleep. You need to dream in order for your mind and body to recuperate. In paradoxical sleep, your mind processes daily events and ongoing stresses.

Marisa Peer’s work provides you with fantastic tools to ensure excellent sleep quality, so you don’t need to wait any longer to begin your journey to better, restful sleep. Find the product that fits your needs best, and make the first step towards optimal health and wellbeing.

So, what does it mean when you cry in your sleep? The truth is that if you wake up crying, this could indicate various physical or psychological issues, which I am going to explore in more detail in this article. 

I will dive into:

• Why do I cry in my sleep?
• What does it mean when you cry in your sleep?
• Who is more likely to cry during sleep?
• How to stop crying during your sleep.

Let’s get straight to it.

Why Do I Cry in My Sleep?

When babies cry in their sleep, this is usually as they transition from one sleep stage to another, such as from a deep stage to a lighter sleep stage. However, if you are waking up crying in your sleep as an adult, this could indicate a psychological disorder or deep-rooted trauma. 

Before now, you may have thought, “Can you cry in your sleep?” but now you know it’s possible, you may be wondering why it’s happening. Below, I have listed the various common causes to help you get a better idea of why this is happening in your life.

1. You are experiencing nightmares

When waking up crying, psychological disorders or conditions might be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, scary dreams that emerge in your mind as you sleep could just as easily be to blame. 

While nightmares tend to occur more at a younger age, they can also impact adults. Usually, this tends to happen during stressful times. Sometimes, the brain presents these nightmares as a way to help you process or work through difficult situations. While unpleasant, you can avoid these by actively finding ways to reduce the stress in your day-to-day life.

2. You are having night terrors

Night terrors are usually marked by thrashing or sleepwalking. However, crying in your sleep may also occur. These episodes typically last a few seconds to a few minutes.

Similar to nightmares, children experience night terrors more often than adults. At the same time, it is possible to experience these episodes at any age.

3. You are grieving

Grief is a tricky thing, and these emotions can quickly become buried due to the hustle and bustle involved in your daily life. Thus, these emotions may end up releasing as you sleep. You might wake up with tears running down your face and immense feelings of sadness. 

This is okay. Grieving is a natural part of losing someone and your mind will seek ways to process these emotions in one way or another, such as crying in your sleep.

However, if this is a recurring issue, I recommend seeking out help if you need it. Buried or blocked grief can eventually lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.

4. You are depressed

While grief is often temporary and has a clear cause, such as the death of a family member or friend, depression lasts much longer and sometimes does not have a definitive cause. 

Symptoms of depression may manifest as changes in your eating or sleeping patterns, as well as unexplained crying. This may also involve crying in your sleep. 
Additionally, there are certain types of depression, such as diurnal mood variation, that may impact your mood more in the morning or at night. Typically, these types are associated with irregularities with your circadian rhythm, also known as your sleep-wake cycle.

5. You have parasomnia

Parasomnia is a condition where a person behaves abnormally in their sleep. Sometimes this may mean they become aggressive or upset, which may cause crying. This condition usually has genetic links. Thus, if someone in your family suffers from it, you are more likely to experience it too.

6. You are stressed

Feeling stressed or anxious and having no outlet to manage or process these complex emotions can lead to waking up crying. This often coincides with crying bouts during the day.

7. You have a physical medical condition

Crying in your sleep is not always a psychological problem. Breathing disorders, such as acid reflux or asthma, may lead babies to wake up crying more than usual. Chronic back pain or any other physical ailment in adults may also lead to waking up crying.

What Does It Mean When You Cry in Your Sleep?

For most people, crying in their sleep is a one-off occasion. If this sounds like you, it is likely due to a bad dream or nightmare and is not anything to worry about. 

If you find crying in your sleep is a regular occurrence, something else might be at play, such as a serious disorder or condition. If this is the case, book an appointment with your doctor. They know you and your situation best and can help you determine a plan of action.

Who Is More Likely to Cry During Sleep?

Babies are more likely to cry during sleep. As previously mentioned above, this usually happens when moving from a deep sleep stage to a lighter deep stage. Additionally, crying is a baby’s main form of communication, which may cause them to cry during their sleep or upon waking. 

Generally, older children and adults should seek out a sleep specialist or doctor if they find themselves frequently waking up crying. Doing so may indicate a disorder that requires medical and expert intervention.

Is it normal to cry in your sleep?

Crying in your sleep is not uncommon. At the same time, it is not something you should ignore or put to the side, especially if it is a frequent occurrence. You may have deep-rooted trauma or grief that you might need help with processing.

At which sleeping stage are people more likely to cry?

Most people tend to cry during their sleep when transitioning between sleep stages. This often means going from a deeper sleep stage to a lighter sleep stage, where movement is more likely to occur.

How To Stop Crying During Your Sleep

Crying in the middle of the night is very disruptive. You might struggle to fall back asleep and you might experience fatigue and exhaustion as you go about your day.

Luckily, there are things you can do about it. In my 30 years of experience as a therapist, I have found the following activities help individuals overcome sleep troubles, such as crying when sleeping.

1. Meditation

Meditation is a wonderful mindfulness practice to include in your day or during the night. It can help to calm the mind as you begin to fall asleep, allowing you to fall into a more peaceful rest and avoid waking up crying. 

There are many guided meditations available for sleep. Listen to the video below for a restorative sleep meditation I put together to help people just like you.

2. Stress management activities

Stress is a natural part of human life. Technically, it is an innate survival mechanism that alerts the body to any threats. While actual life-threatening situations are less common in today’s modern era, this mechanism still remains. You might feel stressed during major life changes, such as the loss of a loved one, moving house, or starting a new job. 

It is important to find ways to manage your stress and there are many different stress management activities you can try. Some popular and effective ones include deep breathing techniques or talking to a trusted friend or loved one about it.

3. Sleep hypnosis

Via a recorded session or in-person, sleep hypnosis may help you fall into a peaceful sleep. Being hypnotized puts your mind in a heightened state of suggestibility. This means that you are more likely to respond to cues such as, “Relax,” or, “Let go,” which can help you drift into a deep sleep for the night where you don’t wake up crying.

4. Seek out professional help

If crying in your sleep has become a frequent occurrence, book an appointment with your doctor. They may recommend further testing for certain disorders or they may refer you to a mental health professional to help you overcome any deep-rooted trauma.

Sleep Peacefully, Without Crying Waking You Up

Sleep is essential for optimal human health and fulfillment. Without it, it can negatively impact many mental and physical processes. You are left functioning at only a small percentage of your full capacity. 
However, by finding ways to overcome crying in your sleep, you can achieve greater fulfillment, health, and happiness in your life. Harnessing the power of your mind and gaining back control is an excellent place to start. Take the first step today and try my course, Perfect Deep Unbroken Sleep.

If this sounds familiar, then you’re doing what’s called “revenge bedtime procrastination.” It’s a term that describes putting off sleep so that you can have more leisure time. 

Revenge bedtime procrastination is common, and many people use it as a means of coping with a hectic schedule or workday. However, it can have profound long-term implications for your health and wellbeing. 

If you’ve been procrastinating about going to bed and are suffering from sleep deprivation, you’ve come to the right place. I’ll share practical ways to fix revenge bedtime procrastination while striking a balance between work and play during the day.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• What revenge bedtime procrastination is and where it comes from
• Signs of revenge bedtime procrastination 
• Who is most affected by revenge bedtime procrastination
• The negative implications and long-term effects of revenge bedtime procrastination
• Four ways to fix revenge bedtime procrastination

What Is Revenge Bedtime Procrastination and Where Does the Idea Come From?

“Revenge bedtime procrastination” generally refers to the behavior of someone who sacrifices sleep to do enjoyable activities which they weren’t able to do during the day. 

If you’re someone who has a stressful job that takes up most of your time during work hours, you may be tempted to sleep later so that you can have some leisure time—even if it means getting less sleep.

This concept first appeared in China in late 2010 as a response to the “996” work culture (working from 9 am–9 pm, six days a week). 

Since then, however, it’s a concept that’s been recognized globally and has been popularized due to changed lifestyles and increased stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Studies show that about 40% of adults find it harder to sleep during the pandemic due to stress and other mental health problems.

Why the word “revenge”?

The word “revenge” originates from a Chinese saying that describes the frustration from being so busy with work that you have no time for yourself. 

By reclaiming time for yourself at night, you are “taking revenge” against your daytime schedule. 

However, the reality is, this additional time comes at the cost of your physical health and overall productivity due to sleep deprivation.

Signs of Revenge Bedtime Procrastination

A recent study characterized bedtime procrastination as having these three qualities:

1. Your late nights reduce your total sleep time
2. You’re not up for a valid reason (i.e., you’re not feeling well)
3. You’re aware that staying up will impact you negatively 

So if you’re on social media or watching YouTube videos late into the night knowing that you’ll suffer tomorrow, it means you’re a bedtime procrastinator.  

Furthermore, if feelings of frustration fuel this behavior due to how busy you are during the day, it’s a classic sign that you’re experiencing revenge bedtime procrastination.

Who Is Most Affected by Revenge Bedtime Procrastination?

One study found that students and women were most affected by bedtime procrastination, although the exact reasons are unclear. 

However, if you work long hours, have high levels of stress, tend to procrastinate, or are simply a night owl, you’re more likely to be a bedtime procrastinator. 

If you’ve been working from home during this pandemic, you may also have lost many of the markers that help separate work from leisure, such as your morning alarm and commuting to the office. 

The absence of these markers may disrupt your routine and cause you to go to bed later.

Negative Effects of Bedtime Procrastination

Bedtime procrastinators suffer from sleep deprivation and deficiency, which can have serious consequences. 

In the short term, sleep deprivation can cause slowed reaction time and microsleep instances, which are short involuntary episodes of sleep lasting from 1 to 15 seconds. 

This compromises your ability to focus, making you less productive at work or school. A lack of sleep also causes drowsy driving, which can have life-threatening consequences. 

In the long term, sleep deprivation causes more severe health complications. 

Since sleep is crucial for regulating your body’s systems, consistently depriving yourself of sleep causes serious mental and health problems:

Cardiovascular disease: Studies have shown a strong link between lack of sleep with cardiovascular issues, such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Hormonal imbalances: Lacking sleep prevents your body from regulating hormones, including cortisol, your stress hormone, and ghrelin, the hunger hormone. 

Obesity: It’s been well documented that a lack of sleep is associated with a higher BMI. Studies suggest that staying up late contributes to decreased self-regulation and increased snacking, which leads to weight gain.

Diabetes: Sleep deprivation has been shown to affect the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, which increases the risk for metabolic diseases such as diabetes. 

Immunodeficiency: Sleep deficiency has been shown to weaken immune function and reduce the effectiveness of vaccines, which is a concern, especially during this global pandemic. 

Mental health disorders: Studies show that a lack of sleep is associated with mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  

Given that sleep affects many of your body’s systems, it makes sense that insufficient sleep has been linked to an increased overall risk of death.

I hope you recognize by now just how crucial sleep is for your long-term health and wellbeing. 

In my thirty years of experience as a therapist, one of the things I always ask my clients is, “Are you getting enough sleep?”
Developing good sleep hygiene can make a huge difference in your quality of life. These tips can help you regain control of your day and develop healthier sleeping habits.

Four Ways To Fix Revenge Bedtime Procrastination

Research shows that sufferers of revenge bedtime procrastination recognize that delaying sleep is harmful to their wellbeing, and yet they still participate in it. 

Experts call this disconnect the “intention-behavior gap.”

As a professional hypnotherapist, I’ve seen this happen many times. It perfectly illustrates how powerful the subconscious is compared to your conscious mind. 

What’s happening is that your subconscious is instinctively seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. Though your conscious mind recognizes revenge bedtime procrastination as destructive behavior, you’re still acting out of instinct because your subconscious is extremely powerful and influential.

These tips will help you set boundaries throughout your day and assert control over your schedule. 

Managing your time better will help decrease the amount of stress you experience in the day and subsequently reduce your need to “take revenge” later at night.

Prioritize your goals

Making every item on your to-do list a priority is a recipe for stress. Understand that you can’t do everything in one day. 

Write down your goals and then organize them in order of importance. Place the most important goals at the top, while the least important goals go at the bottom. This way, you can focus on accomplishing the most urgent items first. 

Learning to prioritize your goals will help declutter your day and manage your stress. Rather than worrying about getting everything done, you can focus on completing only the most essential tasks and work at a more relaxed pace. 

By having a more relaxing day, you’ll have more self-control and willpower to go to bed earlier at night.

Schedule breaks and time for leisure

Think of your mind and focus as a muscle; forcing yourself to work even when you’re exhausted is counterproductive. Instead, learn to schedule breaks and leisure, and prioritize them. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the most successful people globally, and after observing their methods, I’ve learned that self-care is critical to being productive. 

Research has shown that taking regular, short breaks during work improves performance because it allows you to have more focus when you’re actually working. 

By scheduling breaks, you’re improving your overall performance by increasing both work and play quality. 

Once it’s time for bed, your mind won’t be as exhausted, and you won’t feel the need to binge on leisure activities just to recharge.

Draw boundaries between personal and professional life

If you’ve been working from home due to the pandemic, it’s easy to mix both your personal and professional life. 

You may be missing the cues that signaled the end of the workday, such as commuting home from the office. Consequently, you might be operating in an “always on” mode, resulting in longer working hours.

To fix this, you’ll need to set clear boundaries separating your personal and professional life.

For example, you could designate a separate space for your home office and only work in that space. It’s also a good idea to have a cut-off time at which you’ll stop responding to work messages and emails.

Revenge bedtime procrastinators tend to stay up late because that’s also the only period they can have some uninterrupted personal time. 

Drawing clear boundaries allows you to focus on self-care according to your schedule without taking away from your sleep.

Consider hypnotherapy

If you find that you still have trouble with revenge bedtime procrastination, you may want to consider sleep hypnosis. Sleep hypnosis can help reduce sleep deprivation and help you get a good night’s sleep. 

Hypnotherapy works directly with your subconscious mind, which helps release the stress and mental blocks that make it difficult for you to fall asleep or make you procrastinate your bedtime. 

After helping thousands of clients around the globe, I know how important sleep is to your overall quality of life. That is why I’ve put together a specific program to help you achieve deep, unbroken sleep.

Using the latest techniques in hypnotherapy, I’ve designed my audio hypnosis course to increase your sleep quality. 

Listening to the audio repeatedly will help you fall asleep easier at night without being glued to your screen or tossing and turning in bed. The result is that you wake up each morning more rested and more energized during the day.

Click here to listen to an audio sample of the course.

Some of my clients who have tried this swear by it, claiming that their sleep has never been better. I’m so excited for you to try this course, and I cannot wait to hear how it’s improved your quality of life!

Final Thoughts

Revenge bedtime procrastination is a terrible affliction due to how falsely empowering it is. 

You may feel a momentary sense of reclaimed control, but the reality is that procrastinating your bedtime is an act of self-sabotage. 

Depriving yourself of sleep does nothing but take away your health, wellbeing, and overall quality of life. 

Start working on organizing your goals and developing clear boundaries at work to relieve daytime stress. 

At night, work on getting good quality sleep with good sleeping habits and therapeutic methods like sleep hypnosis.

I am confident that you’ll notice an immediate improvement in your health and quality of life.

Most, if not all of us know that horrible feeling of tiredness after not getting a good night’s sleep. I know that I can feel cranky, pessimistic and generally unwell when I’m sleep deprived.

According to the Sleep Health Foundation, around 1 in 3 people have at least mild insomnia. For whatever reason you are sleep deprived―whether it is stress, noise, or having a sleep disorder like insomnia―it’s important to get to the root cause to turn your sleepless nights into rejuvenating ones. After all, having a good sleeping pattern is essential to being healthy and happy.

In this article, you will learn:

• How much sleep we really need
• What causes sleep deprivation
• What happens when you are sleep deprived
• How to get a good night’s sleep
• Sleep treatments

Let’s get started by finding out how much sleep we really need to be healthy.

How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?

I personally like to aim for around seven hours of sleep a night. I can get by on as little as six, but I feel groggy and unmotivated on any less than that. Things that affect my sleep negatively are: having lights from electrical appliances shining towards my face (my eye mask helps), noises from the elements, having the urge to get up and use the toilet in the middle of the night, and… my partner snoring, very loudly sometimes! You can read more about how to stop snoring here. I also tend to feel the same way when I sleep for more than nine hours.

The National Sleep Foundation teamed together with 18 leading scientists to produce a study on sleep requirements. After two years of research, they agreed on the following ‘rule-of-thumb’ amounts of sleep for people of all ages:

• Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours each day
• Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
• Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
• Pre-schoolers (3-5): 10-13 hours
• School-age children (6-13): 9-11 hours
• Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours
• Younger adults (18-25): 7-9 hours
• Adults (26-64): 7-9 hours
• Older adults (65+):7-8 hours

What Causes Sleep Deprivation?

Common causes of lack of sleep include:

• • Ignoring the symptoms of tiredness

Some people don’t realize how tired they are. They may choose to stay up late to socialize, watch a TV program, or scroll through social media.

• • Illness

Having a cold, hay fever, or stomach bug can all have a direct impact on the quality of your sleep. Respiratory illnesses can also increase snoring and lead to broken sleep.

• • Work

People who work unsociable hours can have erratic sleep patterns. Frequent travelers also tend to have less quality sleep.

• • Sleep disorders

Sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, and narcolepsy all have a negative impact on sleep. You can read more about sleep disorders here on WebMD.

• • Medication

Some drugs used to treat health conditions, such as epilepsy or depression, can cause insomnia.

• • Not having a comfortable sleeping arrangement

When your bedroom is too hot or cold, your mattress is not supportive, or there’s noise pollution, these all add to sleep deprivation.

• • Diet

Drinking caffeinated drinks and eating heavy meals before bedtime can affect sleep negatively. Drinking alcohol also affects sleep negatively as it reduces REM (rapid eye movement) which is essential for brain activity.

• • Smoking

The nicotine from tobacco is a stimulant and can make it harder to fall asleep.

• • Having young children

Parents/carers almost always experience sleep deprivation during the early years of raising a child when they wake for a feed or comfort in the night.

What Happens When You Have a Lack of Sleep?

For me, when I’m tired after a bad night’s sleep, I always overeat the next day. Apparently I’m not alone, as according to the National Sleep Foundation, ‘a lack of sleep is linked to overeating—especially the overconsumption of junk food—which can lead to weight gain.

Two hormones that help regulate hunger—ghrelin and leptin—are affected by sleep: Ghrelin stimulates appetite, while leptin decreases it. When the body is sleep-deprived, the level of ghrelin spikes, while the level of leptin falls, leading to an increase in hunger.’

Medical News Today lists the following as symptoms of sleep deprivation:

• ‘Yawning
• Moodiness
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Depressed mood
• Difficulty learning new concepts
• Forgetfulness
• Inability to concentrate or a “fuzzy” head
• Lack of motivation
• Clumsiness
• Increased appetite and carbohydrate cravings
• Reduced sex drive’

You can read more about the symptoms and effects of insomnia in this blog post on this useful blog post: The symptoms of Insomnia.

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Besides sleeping unclothed, there are plenty of other precautions to take in order to set yourself up for a good night’s sleep. If you choose not to sleep naked, be sure to find comfortable pajamas or nightwear. Choose natural fabrics that are breathable and lightweight, such as silk, cotton and bamboo. Avoid heavy materials like wool and fleece as they prevent the circulation of air and could encourage night sweats, therefore disrupting your sleep.

The NHS recommends the following in order to fall asleep naturally:

‘If you have difficulty falling asleep, a regular bedtime routine will help you wind down and prepare for bed. Few people manage to stick to strict bedtime routines. This isn’t much of a problem for most people, but for insomniacs, irregular sleeping hours are unhelpful. Your routine depends on what works for you, but the most important thing is working out a routine and sticking to it.

Sleep at regular times

First of all, keep regular sleeping hours. This programs the brain and internal body clock to get used to a set routine.

Make sure you wind down

Winding down is a critical stage in preparing for bed. There are lots of ways to relax:

• A warm bath (not hot) will help your body reach a temperature that’s ideal for rest.
• Writing “to do” lists for the next day can organize your thoughts and clear your mind of any distractions.
• Relaxation exercises, such as light yoga stretches, help to relax the muscles. Don’t exercise vigorously, as it will have the opposite effect.
• Relaxation CDs/audios work by using a carefully narrated script, gentle hypnotic music and sound effects to relax you.

• Reading a book or listening to the radio relaxes the mind by distracting it.

• If you need more ideas, you can get help and advice from your GP/doctor.

• Make your bedroom sleep-friendly

Your bedroom should be a relaxing environment. Experts claim there’s a strong association in people’s minds between sleep and the bedroom. However, certain things weaken that association, such as TVs and other electronic gadgets, light, noise, and a bad mattress or bed. Keep your bedroom just for sleep and sex (or masturbation). Unlike most vigorous physical activity, sex makes us sleepy. This has evolved in humans over thousands of years. Your bedroom ideally needs to be dark, quiet, tidy and be kept at a temperature of between 18C and 24C. Fit some thick curtains if you don’t have any. If you’re disturbed by noise, consider investing in double glazing or, for a cheaper option, use earplugs.

• Keep a sleep diary

It can be a good idea to keep a sleep diary. It may uncover lifestyle habits or daily activities that contribute to your sleeplessness. A sleep diary can also reveal underlying conditions that explain your insomnia, such as stress or medication.’

Treatments for Insomnia

There are many products on the market designed to help you fall asleep. Options range from herbal remedies such as lavender pillow sprays and melatonin mouth drops to drugs which can be prescribed by a doctor. Various therapies can also help, such as hypnotherapy and Rapid Transformational Therapy. This also has the added benefit of being non invasive and without the side effects that can accompany drugs and medication.

The side effects of Medication

The Mayo Clinic highlights the following concerns when taking prescription drugs for insomnia: ‘Sleeping pills may help when stress, travel or other disruptions keep you awake. For long-term insomnia, behavior changes learned in behavioral therapy is usually the best treatment.

Behavior changes learned through cognitive behavioral therapy are generally the best treatment for persistent insomnia. Sleeping on a regular schedule, exercising regularly, avoiding caffeine and daytime naps, and keeping stress in check also are likely to help. But there are times when the addition of prescription sleeping pills may help you get some much-needed rest.

All prescription sleeping pills have risks, especially for people with certain medical conditions, including liver or kidney disease. Always talk with your doctor before trying a new treatment for insomnia.

Always ask your doctor about potential side effects before deciding which sleeping pills to consider taking. Depending on the type, prescription sleeping pills may include side effects such as:

• Dizziness or lightheadedness, which may lead to falls
• Headache
• Gastrointestinal problems, such as diarrhea and nausea
• Prolonged drowsiness, more so with drugs that help you stay asleep
• Severe allergic reaction
• Sleep-related behaviors, such as driving or eating when not fully awake
• Daytime memory and performance problems’

Alternative Sleep Methods

American entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg recently made headlines in the news after he built his wife a ‘sleep box’ to help her overcome her insomnia due to having children.

In an Instagram post, Mark said the following:

“Being a mom is hard, and since we’ve had kids Priscilla has had a hard time sleeping through the night. She’ll wake up and check the time on her phone to see if the kids might wake up soon, but then knowing the time stresses her out and she can’t fall back asleep. So I worked on building her what I call the “sleep box”. It sits on her nightstand, and between the hours of 6-7am, it emits a very faint light―visible enough that if she sees it she’ll know it’s an okay time for one of us to get the kids, but faint enough that the light won’t wake her up if she’s still sleeping. And since it doesn’t show the time, if she wakes up in the middle of the night, she knows to just go back to sleep without having to worry about what time it is. So far this has worked better than I expected and she can now sleep through the night.

As an engineer, building a device to help my partner sleep better is one of the best ways I can think of to express my love and gratitude. A bunch of my friends have told me they’d want something like this, so I’m putting this out there in case another entrepreneur wants to run with this and build sleep boxes for more people!”

Hypnotherapy for Insomnia

Many people have turned to hypnotherapy to help them fall asleep naturally. Hypnosis is a relaxed but awakened state in which the attention becomes focused with a heightened state of suggestibility.

The National Sleep Foundation addresses the act of hypnosis for sleep:

‘Sleep hypnosis involves listening to verbal cues from a hypnotherapist that are intended to draw you into a trance-like state through the power of suggestion. Hypnotherapists use different approaches to induce relaxation, such as focused attention, symptom control, and guided imagery.  Someone who is being hypnotized might hear phrases such as “relax,” “deep,” “easy,” and “let go.” These words are intended to encourage someone drift off to sleep.’

Sleep.org explains how hypnotherapy can be used to induce sleep:

‘For people with insomnia, hypnosis may help to allow both the body and mind to relax and let go of the anxiety that not falling asleep can create. A sleepwalker, on the other hand, could learn through hypnotic suggestion to wake up when his feet hit the floor. Hypnosis may also increase the amount of time that you spend in slow-wave sleep (deep sleep) by as much as 80%. That’s key because deep sleep is important for memory and healing so you wake up feeling restored.

Unlike what you may imagine, hypnosis doesn’t happen by watching a swinging pocket watch. It’s usually done by listening to verbal cues from a hypnotherapist that draw you into a trance-like state that could be compared to being so engrossed in a good book that you tune out your surroundings… While some people describe being hypnotized as feeling extremely relaxed, during hypnotism your brain is actually focused in deep concentration.’

So hypnotherapy is indeed considered to be a highly effective method of helping to overcome sleepless nights and insomnia, restoring perfect sleep into your routine.

Ready to try it for yourself?

I developed this audio download to help you dramatically improve your sleep, so you wake up more rested and energized for your day. Download ‘Perfect Deep Unbroken Sleep’ and listen to the relaxing script in the comfort of your own home for at least 21 days, to get the most benefit.

No More Sleepless Nights

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and found some useful tips to help you or someone you know to overcome their sleeping issue. You can also read more blog posts on many different topics here.

Why do you snore?

Snoring occurs when air flows past relaxed tissues in your throat, causing them to vibrate as you breathe in and out.

You are more likely to snore if you are overweight, you smoke, drink alcohol, or sleep on your back―with your head only slightly propped up. Snoring also tends to become more common as we age.

Top Tips on How to Stop Snoring

1. Lose weight if you are overweight

Carrying excess weight, especially around your neck, contributes to snoring. Exercising and losing weight can sometimes be all it takes to end your snoring for good.

2. Cut out alcohol and smoking

Drinking causes muscle relaxation which contributes to snoring; smoking irritates the lining of your throat, exacerbating the problem even more. Check out Marisa’s hypnosis audios on overcoming smoking and alcohol addictions.

3. Adjust your sleeping position

Lying flat on your back causes the tissues in your throat to relax and flap. If you prop your head up on firm pillows or sleep on your side, this can help. 

4.     Clear your nasal airways

Use a saline nasal spray before bed. This natural remedy restores moisture to dry airways and sinuses, curbing the inflammation that causes snoring. 

5.      Try some throat exercises

6. Get your allergies under control

If you are allergic to dust or have hay fever, this can make your snoring flare up. Try to avoid contact with allergens and take an antihistamine.

7. Try a humidifier

Having a humidifier in the bedroom is beneficial to those suffering from allergies and upper respiratory illnesses. A humidifier helps because it adds moisture to the air and causes mucus to loosen. The result is reduced throat irritation and swelling, which leads to less restriction in the airways.

8. Drink more water

The lining of your nose and soft palate become stickier when you are dehydrated and this can make snoring worse. Aim to drink between 11 to 16 cups of water a day to hydrate your system. 

9. Change your thinking pattern

Invest in Marisa’s hypnosis audio ‘Perfect Deep Unbroken Sleep’ in order to reprogram your mind into enjoying a healthy, deep sleep. You will master the art of sleeping soundly.

These 9 tips on how to stop snoring will benefit you and those around you. You will be able to travel and sleep without complaints, maintain intimacy with your partner, and wake up feeling refreshed every day.

The main cause of insomnia is usually stress and worry. Unable to fall asleep may be caused by medical conditions, drugs and biological factors, although it is usually lifestyle and unhelpful sleep habits, which can easily be improved for a better night’s sleep.

Thankfully there are effective ways to overcome insomnia, which can make a big difference to your overall quality of life.

What Are The Insomnia Sleep Symptoms?

Your body needs sleep to restore, rejuvenate and replenish energy levels. When we don’t get our required number of hour’s sleep, we can feel exhausted, stressed out and it affects our cognitive abilities.

Lack of sleep can impact our relationships with loved ones and family, our working lives and actually prevent us doing the things we want. It’s not until you don’t have it that you realise how important sleep is to our general health and wellbeing.

You’re not alone.

Most people will experience sleep difficulty at some point in their lives and insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can be either:

• Short term – acute insomnia, which lasts days or weeks,
• Long term – chronic insomnia, which can last for a month or more.

Insomnia sleep symptoms may include:

• Finding it hard to fall asleep
• Waking up in the night wide awake
• Waking up too early, unable to get back to sleep again
• Not feeling refreshed after a night’s sleep
• Feeling inappropriately tired and sleepy during the day
• Feeling worried, irritable, anxious and depressed
• Unable to concentrate, focus on tasks or remember things

Effects of insomnia sleep symptoms:

• Worry and stress
• Irritability and strained relationships
• Feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope
• Difficulty concentrating or performing tasks to usual ability
• Frustration at lack of functioning
• Depression and anxiety
• Increased errors or even accidents

Anyone who has laid awake at night desperately trying to sleep but being unable to, will know how it becomes a vicious cycle. The more you worry and feel stressed about the fact that you are not sleeping, the more awake you become. So what can you do instead?

The Solution To Fall Asleep – Get Perfect Deep Unbroken Sleep

The good news is that you can learn how to fall asleep easily by treating the underlying cause, so you can usually get better with simple yet effective techniques you can do yourself at home.

The primary cause for insomnia is often stress, anxiety and worry. You may feel concerned about a situation, a difficult day ahead, or actually the fear of not getting enough sleep, which can end up being a perpetual cycle. This stress and anxiety can come in many different forms, sometimes you may not even be able to figure out what is causing it.

The first step towards learning how to fall asleep is to understand why you’re not sleeping. If your insomnia is due to environmental/external issues, such as noisy neighbours or an uncomfortable room, think how you can make your sleeping area as peaceful as possible.

How To Fall Asleep? Change Your Sleep Habits

One of the guiding principles of Rapid Transformational Therapy, and why it can be so effective at getting to the root cause of any issue, is that it uses the most phenomenal power on the planet – your mind.  Learn to get your mind working for you, not against you, for better sleep.

It’s worth remembering that your mind does what it thinks is in your best interest and it learns through repetition.

It takes at least 21 days to completely let go of an old belief and create a new one. That is why sticking to a bedtime routine is so important, you need to train your body and mind to release old habits and replace them with new positive behaviours.

What we have to remember is that our minds are wired to keep us alive.

The Power Of The Mind

Fear, anxiety and stress activate an alert state, which is essentially activating your autonomic nervous system, making you feel very awake and ‘on edge’. When this happens, falling into a deep unbroken sleep is going to be very difficult for you to achieve. Your subconscious mind is telling you: ‘I could be in danger. I need to be alert,’ so it doesn’t want to go to sleep for your own safety.

So, how to fall asleep? You need to teach your subconscious that it’s okay to relax and to sleep. It’s time to switch off what’s keeping you awake at night and replace it with perfect deep unbroken sleep.

Wouldn’t it be good if you could be so relaxed at bedtime that when your head hits the pillow, you almost immediately and effortlessly fall into a deep, restful slumber? The following day you wake up happy, refreshed and full of enthusiasm for the new day ahead.

Perfect Unbroken Deep Sleep is designed to help you fall asleep. A relaxing hypnotic audio you can listen to, as part of your bedtime routine for at least 21 days, to be free of insomnia and enjoy refreshing sleep, easily and effortlessly.

• Teach your mind that you don’t need to feel alert at bedtime.
• Wake up feeling refreshed and revived each morning.
• Completely natural – there’s no need to put unnatural chemicals in your body.