Although we all wish getting to sleep was as easy as jumping into bed and immediately falling into a blissful dream state, for most people this is simply just not the case. This is especially true for night-shift nurses who find themselves trying to sleep while the sun is still shining and most people are starting their days. As Night-Nurses have faced this challenge for essentially as long as the profession has been around, it should come at no surprise that most of them have discovered a thing or two that help them get the job done.
The following are a few of the most popular sleep tips from both current and retired Night-Shift nurses who swear they’ve finally figured out the secret to getting to sleep with ease.
1. PREPARE YOUR ROOM FOR OPTIMAL SLEEP CONDITIONS
Just as it is important to prepare an operating room before a patient’s surgery, preparing your bedroom before you try to sleep is an incredibly crucial step that cannot be skipped!
Although everyone’s sleep needs may be a little different, most nurses agree the following preparations have the greatest results:
- Set your room to a comfortably cool temperature (65 – 70 degrees)
- Make your room as dark as humanly possible (black out curtains recommended)
- Make sure your bed and pillows are clean and comfortable (bad bed = bad sleep)
2. DROWN OUT THE SOUNDS OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD
Cutting down or blocking out EXTERIOR sounds from your sleep area is also a crucial step that should not be skipped. Our brains are wired to listen & respond to any noises that could potentially signal DANGER. While this may have been helpful for our ancestors defending against wild animals…today this can equate to you lying in bed with your brain responding to each and every new sound heard in your vicinity.
One way to trick the brain into thinking all is quiet and safe to sleep, is to raise the ambient noise inside your room to a comfortable level that will drown out any other random noises. Many Night-Nurses have found success by doing the following:
- Listen to your favorite calming/relaxing music (Not too loud)
- Use a white-noise machine (Wooshing wind sounds > random outside noises)
- Using a sleep sounds app on your phone (Rain sounds are extremely soothing!)
3. FIND A NATURAL SLEEP AID YOU ENJOY TAKING
Not many people enjoy taking pills and may find it increasingly hard to swallow pills. Likewise fake tasting syrups can leave a bad taste in your mouth and leave you zonked out when you wake up.
Many night-shift nurses have found great success in turning to more natural options like CBD gummies and other helpful sleep supplements in gummy form that are an easy and practical substitute for hard to swallow pills and gross tasting syrups. You would be hard pressed to find people who do not enjoy taking a yummy gummy to get the much needed relief they are seeking.
CBD products can be an excellent way to help support healthy sleep patterns in people of all ages. The combination of CBD and other natural supplements such as Melatonin, L-Theanine, and chamomile has been found to help boost and assist your body’s natural sleep system at times when it feels like your body is just not ready to fall asleep.
If you are looking for some quick and easy ways to get to sleep at night, try these tips for yourself and hopefully you’ll be sleeping well and dreaming happy in no time!