The stay at home order changed the lives of many, from working from home to having online schooling. There’s also an important piece of basic human needs that have also been changed, sleep. Many people report that they are not able to get enough sleep, that their sleeping schedule has changed, or that they are sleeping throughout all hours of the day. Some have even said they have strange dreams that keep them up at night. While it might be hard to keep a sleeping schedule on track, there are some tips and tricks to use. Here are 10 tips and tricks to help your sleeping schedule get back to the way it was supposed to be.

Get ready for bed with mellow meditation

Before its getting close to bedtime, it’s good to go to your bed and sit in a comfortable position. Try some light guided meditation, maybe put something on from YouTube or an audio file that will help calm the racing thoughts. Somethings else to try is calming the breath, breathing in and out in a controlled manner. Taking time to really relax the body, maybe going on muscle group at a time. Then when the body is fully relaxed try to mediate on the day, find a happy spot to go to and then relax there. Soon enough sleep will overcome the body.

Try sleeping with open curtains open

This might be a bit of a weird one but sleeping with the curtains open is known to help people who are having a hard time getting up in the morning. It works because when the alarm clock goes off, it often interrupts REM sleep and makes it harder to feel rested. The nice natural light helps wake up the body and mind in a more gradual way. Try this maybe on the weekend or on a day with no priorities and see if it works.

Is the mattress the reason?

Sometimes firm mattresses or even memory foam mattresses can be the cause of some sleep problems. This doesn’t mean people have to suddenly go out and buy a new mattress, but make an assessment after sleeping and ask, does my back hurt? Is it hard for me to get around after sleeping? Is my physical body having trouble when I stay in bed for long periods of time? It could just be the mattress leaving the body in a bad state.

Exercise regularly

One of the first things doctors recommend to people with insomnia is to exercise regularly, but not before bed. Exercising for some people can make them really energized and in those cases its not okay to exercise before bed because it’ll make it harder to go to bed. Its best to exercise in the morning or midday that way it will give enough energy to make it through the rest of the day. One of the best parts about getting into a routine with exercising is that it gives stability and energy for a long time that might be needed.

Avoid naps throughout the day

It’s hard to constantly stay awake especially if the sleep last night was less than satisfactory, but it’s important to power through it and not nap. Naps can be used occasionally but be prepared for a harder time falling back asleep when its time for bed. Use naps sparingly in order to have the best sleep at night the next day.

Take melatonin 

If all else fails it might be time to try a natural remedy called melatonin, which is supposed to make you sleepy. Its not a sleeping pill, but instead it’s in the vitamin aisle of any grocery store. Melatonin is a hormone in the body with its main job being to make the body prepared for sleep. Darkness will produce melatonin and make sure the body gets the rest it needs. Sometimes all the body needs to sleep is just a melatonin supplement.

Try staying up for 24 hours

If the sleeping schedule is so bad that the wake-up time is 3 pm, then it might be time to reset the internal clock and stay up for 24 hours. When its time to go to bed at the regular time of 9 p.m., or whenever the right time to sleep is, then its time to sleep easy knowing the sleep schedule is back on track. It may sound a little strange but sometimes the best cures for sleeping are the weirdest ones.

Limit your news intake

Right now the world is in a shaky state. This means the news cycle is constantly shouting out something new. The news is a great way to get information, but it can also be scary. If it’s causing lots of anxiety, then consider limiting the news intake. Anxiety makes it hard to sleep and hard to just live in general. It would be better to just let somethings be and only go looking for the news at certain times. Consider setting a time frame for how often to look at the news and for how long, that way it doesn’t make anxiety rush through the system.

Don’t drink coffee at least 4 to 6 hours before bedtime

Coffees main job is to wake the body up and get it ready for the day. Some people rely on coffee to wake up after not feeling rested for very long. There’s nothing wrong with having coffee in the mornings to wake the body up, but its best to try and avoid it in the afternoons. This will wake the body up in a bad way and force the body to stay up when its aching for sleep. It’s like avoiding naps in the sense that it will help the body feel more rested if they are ignored throughout the day.

Think writing in a journal for your worries

Everyone has a little bit of anxiety on a day to day basis. Anxiety crops up when there are feelings of unease, loneliness, change and even negative thinking. Its normal to have anxiety but when the thoughts get too overpowering its good to have a worry journal. Something that people can write down their thoughts in and let it go. Think of it like this, once its down on paper it can be let go from the mind. That way your mind feels less cluttered and it can go on without worrying about the little things.