Five New Year's Resolutions You Should Make for Better Sleep

September 15, 2023

Even though only a year has passed since January 2021, the world is notably safer to roam about. For some of us, this might be the year our life takes a turn in the right direction, spurring some extra determination to set some 2022 resolutions in place. Right now, some of us are motivating ourselves to actually stick to those resolutions this year. Some of us are powering through them. And some might not have set any or very many at all. If that’s you, we have some suggestions that can seriously make a positive impact on your life, more specifically to help you sleep better. By January 2023, you’ll be thanking yourself if you can actually conquer these resolutions for the ultimate glow up:

1. “This year, I won’t drink caffeine so close to bedtime.”

You already know how easily caffeine can interfere with your sleep. While a shot or five can give you a boost throughout the day, you really don’t want to be taking it within 6 hours of bedtime. Not even if you need that extra late-night boost to power through that last-minute assignment.

2. “This year, I’ll meditate or do something to alleviate my stress so my thoughts aren’t running around while I’m trying to sleep.”

One of the many reasons why you can’t sleep is definitely due to thoughts running around. Whether you’re ruminating on an argument from earlier in the day or are entertaining a completely spontaneous intrusive thought, the pounding anxiety is a pest. Fortunately, meditation has been repeatedly proven to ease your mind so it isn’t so overrun. Other measures you can take to sleep better are using sleep apps, buying a weighted blanket, an aroma diffuser with the right scents, a memory foam pillow, or even investing in a memory foam mattress. Of course, we’re going to use this opportunity to promote our own memory foam pillows and mattresses that have been reviewed by thousands as being quick tickets to better sleep.

3. “If the troubles keeping me up get really bad and the above doesn’t work, I’ll go to therapy.”

Meditation and sleep-inducing foods are great supplements to sleep, but they can’t completely knock out the root cause if it’s a deep emotional wound. That’s when you should seek out a professional who’s well-versed and culturally competent in the issue causing you anguish.

4. “I’m not going to stay up late scrolling through social media, no matter how juicy the posts are.”

While it’s fantastic that we have so many apps to connect us with other humans, screens aren’t good for sleep. It’s not just the emotions that the content induces, but also the light emitting from the screens themselves. It’s called blue light, and it’s been proven to mess with your melatonin production. So try to get all your browsing done before an hour of bedtime.

5. “I’ll get more exercise by going on 30-minute walks every other day, and swimming once a week.”

Sound oddly specific? Don’t worry, you don’t need to actually go on walks or swims -- this was just an example of how to better set an exercise resolution. More exercise has been linked to better sleep but simply saying “I resolve to get more exercise” can come off as vague. Specifically defining what and how much exercise you want makes your goal much more concrete. Here’s some tips we wrote last year on sticking to your resolutions which are still relevant now.

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