How To Make Yourself To Go To Sleep Earlier

'Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise' - Benjamin Franklin.

Most of us would agree with this statement, but sleeping early is easier said than done. If you're a bedtime procrastinator, it's time to curb that habit and train yourself to sleep earlier!

Keep reading to find out our tips on how to make yourself go to bed early!

#1 Set an alarm before bedtime

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If you're the type of person who loses track of time and suddenly realises it's 2am, try setting an alarm to go off one or two hours before your bedtime.

This will let you prioritise your home shenanigans and give you time to finish up your last K-drama or Netflix episode.

If this still doesn't work, try setting one or two more alarms with each as a deadline for when to finish an activity. For example, a 9pm alarm to finish your last tv episode, 10pm to brush your teeth and shower, 10:30pm to finish up any last minute things and 11pm to go to bed.

#2 Exercise

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It's common knowledge that exercising will tire you out and make you more sleepy, but the timing of your workout is important!

Exercising too close to bedtime can lead to interrupted sleep. Early morning is the best time for a workout to improve your sleeping habits.

However, if you're not a morning person, you're probably grimacing at that idea. In that case, the alternative would be to exercise four hours or more before bedtime.

#3 Stop eating 3 hours before bedtime

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Late night snacking is a lot of fun, but not a good idea if you want to have an early and restful sleep.

Heavy foods that are fried or spicy are more difficult to digest which can make it harder for you to fall asleep right after eating it.

An easy way to make sure you stop snacking is to set an alarm three hours before bedtime to brush your teeth. When you're tempted to munch on something after that, you'd be discouraged by the need to brush your teeth again.

#4 Don't set too many snooze alarms

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Are you guilty of procreating your wake up-time by hitting the snooze button multiple times?

Unfortunately, the sleep that you have in these few minutes are poor quality and won't make you feel more rested or energised. In fact, this habit can disrupt healthy sleep patterns and leave you feeling groggy for the rest of the day.

Turn off the snooze setting for your alarm and limit yourself to one more alarm a few minutes after in case you do fall back asleep.

#5 Dim the lights one hour before bedtime

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Bright lights in the evening can throw off your body clock as it makes your brain think it's still daytime. Darkness helps signal your body to start its physiological preparations for sleep like muscle relaxation and a lower body temperature.

This includes the light from your phones, computers and tablets too! The blue light that screens give off suppresses the body's production of melatonin, the hormone that helps you drift to sleep.

At least an hour before bedtime, dim the lights in your bedroom or switch it all off and use a nightlight. Turn your phone to silent mode and try not to reply to messages or emails unless it's urgent.

#6 Open the curtains right when you wake up

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Just like how you should avoid light at night, you should seek it in the day! In the morning, exposure to the sun will give you an energy boost and signal to your brain that it’s time to start the day. This will help you have quality sleep and get you into the habit of going to bed early.

If you wake up before the sun rises, a sunrise alarm clock mimics a natural sunrise and gradually becomes brighter so you wake up to 'sunlight' and feel refreshed.

If you're moving your bedtime earlier, make sure to do it gradually. If it helps encourage you, there are ways to sleep so you'll wake up as your prettiest self!

Share this article with your friends who struggle with sleep discipline!

Text by: Girlstyle SG