What Is Sleep Hygiene?

 11. Think Happy Thoughts

A woman sits in a meditative pose with her legs crossed and eyes closed, smiling slightly.

There is nothing worse than sleep anxiety. That feeling of tossing and turning due to anxious thoughts is something many people struggle with. This type of anxiety can lead to an endless cycle of insufficient sleep. If you experience sleep anxiety on a regular basis, try meditating before bed. Meditation has been shown to make it easier to fall and stay asleep while also improving overall sleep quality. If that doesn’t work, try out yoga for sleep to calm your mind.

12. Don’t Force Sleep

A book with a big bead on the cover.

Forcing sleep on your mind when you have too many thoughts roaming around will only exacerbate sleep anxiety and make it more difficult for you to fall asleep. If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get up, leave your bedroom, and try to calm your mind by doing something else. Read a book, make a cup of tea, or meditate, but do not look at your smartphone. Once you find your eyelids become heavy, head back to bed and ease back into dreamland.