5 Free and Low Cost Ways to Get a Better Sleep

By the author of the FREE online course Growing Self-Sufficiency: The Whole Picture

Life has its ups and downs, and into everyone’s life some sleepless nights are bound to fall. However, that is not to say that we are helpless in the face of sleep difficulties. With costs rising on all basic needs, there may not be a lot of extra cash in your budget to deal with sleep issues. In fact, those very stresses could easily be making it more difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep!

I’ve had my own share of sleepless nights and sleep difficulties over the years. In this article, I’m going to share my own best tips for getting through these and what has been most helpful to me. How about you? If you have some tried and true methods that help your sleep, please let us know in the comments section below.

Please note: These tips are best suited to address mild to moderate sleep difficulties that are due to poor sleep hygiene and/or stress. To address more serious and longer lasting sleep difficulties, you need to consult with your doctor.

The first change: screen time cut off

Sleep hygiene is a fancy term for having a “clean” sleep time and space. But what does that even mean? You want to set up your bedroom in a way that promotes sleep, making it comfortable and free of lights and sounds that might interrupt your sleep cycle. However, sleep hygiene also refers to your habits, especially related to a few hours before bed.

If you are not happy with how you are falling asleep or the quality of sleep you have, one totally free change that you can make is to limit your screen time in and out of the bedroom for at least two hours before bed. If you consider that in the long history of humanity, we lived without artificial lighting, this makes sense. Darkness was the signal to our bodies to prepare for sleep.

Our electronics create a significant problem for our sleep: the blue light they emit sends an especially strong signal to our brains….to wake up! Creating an electronics-free time in your evening is likely the best (free!) first step you can take in improving your sleep. One simple way to do this would be to start with 1 hour and check the impact…then try two…and then try three hours. While there are blue light filters and special glasses and “night modes” available on smart phones, these are not 100% and some of these will cost you. Read more about it here.

Night time routine

Another change you can make related to sleep hygiene is to create a regular evening routine. This “winding down” routine is best when it is the same every night. These routine tasks give your brain an additional signal that it is time for sleep. The best mood for your winding down time is calm relaxation. If someone is spending time posting irate comments on social media, they would be hijacking their natural sleep in two ways: exposure to screen light and getting upset right before bedtime.

My own sleep routine begins when I do the dishes each night. I find this task relaxing and satisfying, as I am creating a pleasant environment to wake up to for the next morning. I might then sleep the floor it if needs it, briefly tidy the main room of the eco-cabin. I then ensure that my bed is ready for me and do my final night time routine of flossing and brushing my teeth. Right at the end of this routine, I do my expressive writing. This is a proven method to improve sleep, where you write down your “stream of consciousness” by hand for a few pages and then tear up the pages. It is not a journal. For more information on expressive writing, go to the website of Dr. David Hanscom and get a free download about it here.

Worry time vs. sleep time

I know the feeling of being awake at night can be stressful, especially if you have a full day ahead of you. I also know that worrying about being awake, at least in my experience, will only make it worse. So, when I’m awake in bed at night, I declare it a “worry-free zone”: my only task is to sleep. If an anxious thought crosses my mind, I say to myself. “I can worry about that tomorrow.” Then, I simply pay attention to my breathing…in…and…out. Within a short time, I will be asleep again.

Another tip that has helped me enormously is to NOT have any clock visible in my bedroom. This way, if I do wake up, I am not saying to myself…  “It’s 3 am oh, dear! 3 am…how much time is left for sleep etc. etc etc.” An additional benefit is that there is no electronic light in my bedroom from any alarm clock, which (see above) can interfere with sleep. I use my cell phone as an alarm clock just outside my bedroom door. It has never failed to wake me.

Sleep area is for sleep

An additional aspect of sleep hygiene is what you do in your bedroom. Hey no! I’m not getting personal here. This has to do with how your brain works. Our brains form associations. Remember that hypothetical person who was using the time before bed for irate social media posts? Well, what if they also watch action movies and binge-watch Netflix crime series before bed in their bedroom? The brain forms associations. If someone is doing activities like this habitually before bed in their bedroom, the brain can form an association like “The bedroom is where I get excited watching movies (not sleeping!).” or “The bedroom is where I get all riled up (and not sleepy!).”

Anyhow, you get the picture. You may think that this doesn’t refer to you, but keep in mind that our brains have been functioning in a certain way for many years….likely thousands! So, just thinking that these tendencies don’t apply to you can set you up for sleep challenges. It has nothing to do with willpower, and everything to do with how our brains have been working for eons. If you are not happy with your sleep, taking a closer look at how you are using your bedroom (and what unintentional messages you might be sending your brain), might be a good start.

Herbal assistance

There are some herbs that may be helpful for insomnia that cannot be taken during pregnancy (chamomile, hops, etc.). For this reason, I would be very cautious about using any herbal remedies for insomnia during pregnancy or when trying to get pregnant. Consultation with a clinical herbalist is crucial in this situation.

In my own experience, I have not had a good experience with the typical “sleepy tea” blends that are sold in health food stores. These tend to include herbs like valerian, skullcap, and lemon balm. Yes, these teas do help me fall asleep better, but then I am often more wakeful through the night. Everyone’s experience will vary. What I have found to be quite helpful in the herbal area is to take a cup of chamomile tea in the middle of the evening. I have found that this tea agrees with me and helps me fall asleep nicely and it doesn’t make me more wakeful through the night. So, if one herbal remedy does not work, that doesn’t mean that another won’t. There may be a period of trial before you find one that suits you best.

You are getting sleeeeepy…..

Many practices that improve sleep are absolutely free. Could you see yourself trying any of the sleepy tips offered here? Do you have one you can share with us? Do you have any other resources for getting a better sleep? Please tell us in the comments below.

About Colette

Colette is passionate about sharing her knowledge of thrifty living and self-sufficiency. She has developed her skills in self-reliance living in the suburbs, the city, and more recently, on her own Half-Acre Homestead. Colette lived five years completely off-grid and without running water in an eight by 24 foot tiny home while designing and building her own 18 by 24-foot eco-cabin. Her website, Half Acre Homestead is attracting followers from around the world who want to become more self-sufficient.  Colette invites you to stop by the Homestead and check out all of the great resources including the practical How To Guides, A Tiny Home Resource Center and her organic gardening stories on her blog. She shares her wholistic model (body/mind/spirit) for achieving self-sufficiency in her Free Course, “Growing Self-Sufficiency: The Whole Picture.” Stop by the Homestead today to register free of charge!