It’s normal to feel excited before a big event or something special coming up the next day, but it can be difficult to go to sleep when you’re really excited. Remember that feeling of trying to get to sleep on christmas eve as a child? Being super excited before a big day can leave you struggling to get to sleep and make you anxious. This can even cause you to miss out on sleep entirely and leave you tired the next day – the exact opposite of what you were hoping for.
If you’re having trouble sleeping at night because you’re too worked up, this blog post will give you some tips on how to get a good night’s sleep even when you are excited about the next day.
Why can’t you sleep when you’re excited?
When you’re excited about something coming up, your adrenaline is pumping and it’s difficult to wind down and relax. Many adults struggle to fall asleep difficult when they are excited about something the next day.
Your mind is racing with thoughts about the event or project and it’s hard to shut down and fall asleep. Additionally, when you’re really excited, you might have trouble getting to sleep because you’re anxious about the next day. If you’re having trouble sleeping at night because of your excitement, we have some good news – there are plenty of things you can do to help yourself avoid insomnia and get better sleep. Try following these tips on how to sleep when excited:
Tips to get to sleep when you’re excited
1) Make a list
Make a list of everything you need to do the next day and put it by your bed so you can review it before bed. This will help get your mind off of the things you’re excited about and will help you relax.
2) Relax
Try some relaxation exercises before bed. Deep breathing is one of the most natural ways to slow your heart rate and relax. Try lying in bed, making yourself comfortable, closing your eyes, taking a deep breath in for about five seconds, then slowly letting it out. Do this several times until you feel relaxed.
This technique of taking deep breaths will slow your heart rate and help your racing brain to slow down and relax.
Some people find falling asleep easier when they have gentle sounds playing in the background, while others find that being completely quiet helps them.
If you respond well to sounds, try playing very quiet music or listen to white noise or nature sounds in the background. You can set a timer for the music or sound to switch off around 20-30 minutes later, by which time you should find that you have gone to sleep.
Alternatively, if you prefer quiet then you can use ear plugs to help you ignore any background noises while you are trying to get to sleep at night.
You may also want to try using incense to help you sleep.
3) Use an alarm
Set an alarm so that you know you won’t oversleep. This helps your mind relax and stop worrying about whether you will wake up. If you do sometimes sleep through your alarm, try setting it up on the other side of the room so that you have to get out of bed to turn it off. Setting a back up alarm is also a good idea in case you somehow miss the first one.
4) Avoid caffeine
Avoid caffeine in the 6-10 hours before you go to sleep, particularly if you know you are going to find it difficult to sleep anyway. Don’t forget, it’s not just coffee which contains caffeine, but lots of other drinks as well – particularly colas and energy drinks.
5) Don’t eat sugar before bed
Did you know that sugary foods awake at night? According to a 2016 scientific study, those people who eat too much sugar in their diet have greater problems falling asleep and worse quality of sleep than those who keep their sugar intake moderate.
When you eat sugar it causes a rise in blood sugar levels and prompts your pancreas to release insulin. This process gives you energy and stimulates your brain and body – which is not good when you are trying to get some sleep!
6) Turn off the lights
Make your room as dark as possible, with no lights coming in from outside or other sources. Get those blackout curtains if you need them! Also, make sure your alarm clock is readable in the dark but is on a low enough light setting that it doesn’t keep you awake.
Read also: How to sleep near a busy street.
7) Go to bed early
Make sure you’re going to bed at a decent hour and get enough sleep for the next day. If you have an early morning appointment or event, try going to bed early so that you can wake up on time.
8) Don’t look at your phone in bed
Don’t pick up your phone as this will just keep your mind racing and won’t help you relax.
9) Switch off electronics
Avoid blue light and other bright light before bedtime. This means you should switch off your phone screen, tv and other electronics at least an hour or two before bed. Blue light tricks your body into thinking it is daytime and helps keep you awake.
10) Get outside
Try to get outside for some fresh air or do something that gets your heart racing, like a good jog or run, a couple of hours before you go to sleep.
11) Adjust your expectations
Another tip is to lower your expectations on what you will do the next day, don’t have too many expectations so you can be happy with what happens. This might be helpful because it helps remind yourself of what is going to happen anyways which means you won’t feel disappointed if things don’t go as planned.
Feelings of excitement affect the nervous system and can produce stress hormone. If you are too excited to sleep you can focus on adjusting how you think about the next day or the exciting event. Think about different scenarios, such as the day after next when the excitement will h ave passed.
Read also: Why can’t I sleep on Christmas Eve?
12) Read a book or do a gentle craft
They also say that it helps if you think of anything that makes you feel relaxed and calm. They mention doing things like reading a book, or sitting down and doing a gentle hobby. When you start to feel sleepy, go back to bed to relax.
13) Count sheep
Well, not quite, but one relaxation technique is to try counting backwards from 100 by 3’s in which you count three numbers at a time and then take a deep breath and repeat until you reach zero (100 is the highest number).
14) Don’t think about sleeping.
It may sound silly, but try not to think about the fact that you need to get to sleep. Instead, concentrate on just allowing your body to relax and rest. Let yourself know that just resting is OK and that this will benefit you even if you don’t sleep.
Often, we accidentally stress our bodies into staying awake by worrying about not sleeping. Remove this worry and sleep will come more easily.
Read also: Why can’t I sleep before a flight?
15) Take a bath or hot shower before bed
Being exposed to warm water for at least half an hour before bedtime will help you relax. A warm bath is particularly relaxing, especially if you can put a few drops of your favorite calming essential oil into the water. If you don’t have a bath, a long hot shower is almost as good.
16) Have a snack
Try eating a small snack right before bed, this may trigger your body to relax into sleep mode, don’t have a big meal because this may keep you awake longer. The snack should be high in protein to make sure your body has enough energy for the hard work it does while sleeping.
Some people swear by a glass of warm milk before bed, but we prefer a small protein filled snack.
17) Get comfortable
Make sure you are comfortable when trying to go to sleep. It is important that your bed isn’t too soft or too hard, so try to find the right balance because you don’t want to keep tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. Lie down in your favourite sleep position and try to relax your whole body. Make sure the room is cool as the human body prefers to sleep in a cooler rather than hot environment.
18) Ask your healthcare provider
If you’re still having trouble sleeping, it may be time for a little help. There are many over-the-counter products out there that promise sleep in no time at all. Unfortunately, they can cause side effects like headaches, nausea and others. If you think you need something like this to help you sleep, speak with your doctor first, they may recommend something that is more natural and won’t cause any of these issues.
There are also some natural sleep aids that you can pick up at your local health food store which may be worth trying first.
Always seek professional medical advice if you have insomnia lasting more than a couple of weeks.
19) Have a set schedule.
It’s important to go to bed at around the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. This helps your body know what to expect and will help you fall asleep quickly.
20) Don’t worry about it
Lastly, don’t beat yourself up. If you’re having trouble sleeping, remind yourself that it’s OK and that it is something that can be fixed. Worrying about the fact that you aren’t sleeping is likely to produce more anxiety and keep you wide awake for longer. There are lots of ways to get a good night’s sleep and now you have some new techniques to try, so you have already taken the first steps to a better night’s sleep.
Read also: Is two hours sleep better than none?
Conclusion: Getting to sleep when you’re excited
Getting a good night’s sleep is so important for our overall health and well-being. It can be difficult to get to sleep when we’re really excited about something, but following these tips should help. Remember to relax and not worry about sleep, deep breathing exercises, a small snack before bed and comfortable surroundings will all help you drift off into a peaceful slumber.