Essential tips - get to sleep & stay asleep

Katherine Schurer
Feb 24
3 min read

Updated: Mar 3

Many adults have trouble getting to sleep and/or staying asleep. Actively preparing for sleep is an effective, natural way, to improve sleep and manage insomnia symptoms. Wix AI generated image of a an adult woman preparing for sleep.

Are you having difficulty getting to sleep? Maybe you’re lying awake for hours at night before sleep arrives? Maybe you can get to sleep easily, but find yourself waking up after a few hours, and it’s a struggle to get back to sleep. These are really common sleep issues, experienced by most adults, at one point or another.

So, if you are tired of feeling tired and you are willing to consider a natural remedy for your sleep difficulties…you’re reading the right blog post!

Sleep is complex - do your expectations match the facts?

Sleep is a multi-faceted human experience, influenced by many factors within us and outside of us. The complexity of sleep strongly contrasts with the idea that sleep should be easy. Many adults expect that they will: go to bed, go to sleep right away, and stay asleep all night long. But how many adults have this experience?

The Public Health Agency of Canada reports that 1 in 2 adults have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep

How can you make sleep better?

Let's start by considering: how do you get ready to go to sleep?

Strategic sequencing of your activities, in the 2-hours before you get into bed, can take you from the arousal of the day into sleep readiness, enabling a smooth transition into sustained sleep.

Many adults are surprised to learn that the timeframe they allow for sleep preparation is not long enough (< 2 hours) and/or that the sequence of their sleep preparation activities extends, or even increases, their wakefulness, rather than increasing their sleep readiness.

Could this be why your struggling with sleep?

The Three Stages of a Sleep Preparation Routine

Stage 1: Begin

At the start of your 2-hour sleep preparation period, engage in activities that enable to you wrap-up your day and/or prepare for the next day, such as: writing to-do lists; making lunches; packing work-out bags; tidying up; finding car keys, etc.

In this initial stage, it’s a good idea to set your screens (phone, table, computer) to night mode and begin reducing your engagement with them - actions here include: turning on settings that limit notifications, dim or change light brightness, wrapping up conversations, shutting the device down, etc.

Stage 2: Decrease emotional arousal

Your aim in this stage is to engage with your present moment, low-key enjoyable activities are appropriate and may vary from day to day. Trial creative activities (writing, knitting, painting, beading, etc.), reading, listening to music, stretching, etc.

Select activities that are enjoyable but don't demand intense focus or evoke strong feelings.

Choosing your activity carefully is the key to getting the most out of this stage.

A note about watching TV (or other media) - if you notice your mind wandering or strong emotions, then you need to switch to another activity, choose an activity that will enable you to reconnect with your present moment.

Stage 3: Notice you are ready for sleep

Your aim in this final stage is to notice, and increase, your sleep readiness.

Activities in this stage include: pre-bed ablutions (brush teeth, shower, change into sleep clothing), abdominal breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, listening to sleep preparation tools.

Choose a consistent location for these activities, like your cozy nook, but not your bed. When you notice feeling sleepy (eyes closing, head nodding, and/or yawning) go to bed and go to sleep.

Creating your sleep preparation routine

Start by reviewing what you are already doing:

Tonight - write down everything you do in the 2-hours before you go to bed;
Tomorrow - review the sleep preparation stages in this blog post and identify 1 action to try out;
Test your modification for 1-2 weeks, adjust as needed, and then repeat steps 1 & 2.

Establishing your sleep preparation routine may take several weeks, with consistent practice, AND, it is likely, you will being to notice improvements in your sleep before your routine is established.

What to exclude from your sleep preparation routine:

exercise;
emotional conversations or interactions;
emotionally evocative media content;
doom scrolling;
consuming stimulants such as caffeine or nicotine;
consuming central nervous system depressants such as alcohol.

Please be aware that exercise and conflict resolution can enhance sleep, if these activities occur before the 2-hour period you've set aside for your sleep preparation routine.

Let us know if you try out our recommendations.