You're gunna hate this but I'm going to state the obvious.
1) Cut down on the caffeine...
Have your caffeine in the morning and at lunch but as soon as you get home it's juice and water only.
Avoid your lucazade, monster, coke whatever.
Have a warm drink like herbal tea or ribena, makes you feel full so you won't sleep on an empty stomach. You don't wanna be tempted to go to the loo just before you drift off.
2) You can't regulate your sleep-wake times, but you can regulate your activities.
Make sure you leave yourself 8 hours a night whatever shift you're on. You can't regulate times but you can regulate duration.
Keep your activities at the same time. Turn off the computer by 9:30pm/10pm daily and bath straight after.
No matter what time you plan to sleep by just think of it as extra time to do other stuff you enjoy like a longer shower or reading a book. Make sure your brain learns that once you start your routine it's time to relax. (I trained myself to conk out whenever the opening song to Something About Mary came on)
Don't do revision or anything that will demand you to use all your brain. Just stuff to get you out of your head.
3) Don't turn off the lights until it is bed time.
You want your brain to learn when it's time to chill. Light means day time and we aren't nocturnal. Keep the light on till you're ready to relax, then use a warm light bright enough for reading.
4) Don't panic if you're not sleeping, your goal is to relax not to be asleep by a certain time.
Give yourself the time you need to get to sleep, don't skip the foreplay :P Relax, don't do it, sleep will follow
5) CLEAN YOUR FUCKING ROOM
I don't care what people say, people don't function in a messy environment, they certainly won't relax in a cluttered space. We're not new borns anymore, we want space not to be swaddled.
Use the relaxation time before your shower and after switching the PC off to maybe do a bit of maintenance. You know that beautiful feeling of getting into crispy clean sheets after a shower? Times that by 100.
Amy Fiske announces that you can do whatever whilst she cleans up and gives you a head-start on maintaining, how clean is your house type thing.
6) Don't live in your head
Yes I know that horrific thing that happened at school 6 years ago was super embarrassing but when you're relaxing is not the time to face your childhood issues.
Once you switch the lights off and close your eyes it's hard not to go into your head, but put a chilled spotify playlist on your phone quietly and get the bedtime app to stop your screen flickering and turn apps off on a timer.
7) Okay I'm on wiki now. Sleep naked?
Sleeping is pretty instinctual. We were born naked. Being naked will help your body regulate your temperature, so no more getting up and fiddling with the radiator or standing up to get the window.
8) Occasionally taking a break from your bedroom.
Like I mentioned earlier. We wanna trick your brain into thinking "right time for bed."
You wanna associate your bedroom with bed, with relaxation and finally with sleep. Spend more activities downstairs or go driving more in the summer. *Possibly* move the PC downstairs just till you get into the swing of things.
9) Don't try and catch up on sleep, when it's gone it's gone.
Power naps can help, but once the 8 hour slot is up it's time to do something else. Nap later in the day but be sensible.
10) Still not chilled enough?
Relax your muscles as much as you can individually from your toes up to your head. Don't move onto the next body part till you feel you've completed relaxed it. This takes you out of your head and focuses on your own relaxation.Focus on your breathing. In for 5, hold for 3, out for 8. Means your counting and focusing on you.Spotify playlist you will ONLY listen to at this time. Don't start associating it with any other time.Experiment with your pillows, how can you use them to support your body in your normal sleeping positionÂ
