Life

9 Bedtime Mistakes Making You Feel Less Fresh

by Taylor Fuller

Some mornings I wake up feeling tired, groggy, and wondering what more I can do to finally wake up feeling fresh. My bedtime routine could use some work if I want to wake up refreshed and energetic. If I'm too hot before bed, I can’t stop thinking for one second, or I feel itchy because my skin is dry, I’ll probably end up tossing and turning all night. Instead of feeling sluggish or groggy in the morning, study your bedtime routine for ways to address these sleep-stealing annoyances before sunrise.

Make sure you give yourself time to destress and relax before you get into bed each night. It can make a huge difference in how you feel the next day. When you go to bed stressed out, it can result in a dazed and confused morning. And when that happens, your whole day gets turned upside down.

By doing simple things like reworking your bedtime routine, you can help yourself feel nice and fresh in the morning. Whether its optimizing your sleep environment by changing the type of sheets or pillow you use, or adding an extra step to your pre-sleep beauty routine, like using mouthwash or a better face wash. Maybe you need to change the ambience of your bedroom. Whatever it is, you can really make a difference on how you feel in the morning by changing a few things.

1. You Don't Use Mouthwash Each Night, Which Means Serious Morning Breath

Squeaky Clean Fresh Breath Oral Mouth Rinse, $15, Amazon

Mouthwash can help reduce your chances of periodontal disease and reduce the amount of plaque and tartar buildup in your mouth, leading to fresher breath the next day. When you skip out on mouthwash, you can wake up with a filmy feeling on your teeth. Find a mouthwash that is alcohol-free to avoid the burning sensation that many can cause. This one has a cool, fresh minty flavor and it reduces the formation of plaque and reduces the effects of halitosis (significantly bad breath).

2. You Don't Eliminate Excess Oil Before You Sleep, So You Wake Up With Greasy Skin

Pure Rainwater Natural Lather & Organic Thai Herbs - Charcoal Soap, $12, Amazon

While you're sleeping, your skin produces natural oils. But for those who have very oily skin, this can sometimes result in feeling as if skin is greasy when waking up. Before you go to bed, use a face wash that has charcoal in it, which draws out excess oil from your pores. Teatree and argan oil moisturize your skin, too, and this charcoal soap is all natural and does not leave a residue behind, which allows your skin to breathe and be naturally moisturized overnight.

3. You Don't Relax Before Bed, So You Toss & Turn While You Sleep

BE SLEEPY, Relaxing Bedtime Tea, $17, Amazon

Making sure you're relaxed before bed is super-important. If you go to bed feeling stressed out, sometimes you end up tossing and turning all night. Mellow yourself out with a cup of tea specifically designed for helping you sleep. With a special blend of chamomile, lavender, Kava root, valerian, hops, and Passionflower, your nervous system will calm, and the day's stresses will melt away. It's all natural, so you can drink it every night if you wish. You can also choose how potent you want the tea to be, from relaxing to sleep-inducing.

4. You Don't Moisturize, So Your Itchy Skin Irritates You All Night Long

EO Body Lotion, French Lavender, $19, Amazon

I think one of the worst things to keep you up at night is feeling itchy. I am constantly applying lotion at night before bed. When I forget to, my skin starts to hate me. I have super-dry skin, so using a lotion that has vitamins A and E is important. It helps to improve skin elasticity, which leads to softer, silkier skin. A lavender scent is perfect to apply just before bed, too, as it has relaxing effects.

5. Your Sheets Trap Heat Against Your Body, Causing You To Wake Up Sweaty

Breathable & Cooling Sheets, $36, Amazon

Being hot at night is terrible. Waking up in the middle of the night in a sweat is so uncomfortable and makes falling back asleep a lot harder. Eliminate this problem by getting cooling sheets. These sheets are super soft, breathable, stain-resistant and wrinkle-free. By putting breathable sheets on your bed, you'll feel much more comfortable while you're sleeping. The sheets will stay cool even after you've been laying in them for awhile.

6. You Can't Stop Organizing Your Thoughts, So Your Body Cant Wind Down

Nite Note, Night Time Notepad, $10, Amazon

Do you ever have those nights when you can't quite turn your brain off? The best thing that you can do is keep a pad next to your bed and write down whatever pops into your brain. This is meant to clear your mind, as if you write something down, you shouldn't need to continue to think about it. This pad has a light that turns on when you remove the pen from the holder. When you return the pen to the holder, the light shuts off. Now you don't have to get out of bed to turn the light on just to write your thoughts down!

7. You Can't Drown Out The Noise, So Every Little Thing Keeps You From Reaching REM

HoMedics Sound Spa Relaxation Machine, $19, Amazon

Depending on where you live, it can be incredibly noisy outside. When I lived in Thailand, there were a lot of nature noises going on. When I lived in New York, the sounds of the city sometimes kept me up at night. If you're a light sleeper, investing in a sound machine can be really helpful. This one has six different calming sounds (White Noise, Thunder, Rain, Summer Night and Brook). It even features a sleep-timer, too, so that it's not running all night.

8. You Don't Sleep On Your Back, Which Can Lead To Breakouts By Morning

MyFacePillow, $60, Amazon

Many studies suggest that you get your best sleep when you lay on your back. The only time I comfortably sleep on my back is when I'm super tired. So, one of the best solutions for making sure you remain sleeping on your back is a pillow designed to help keep your neck and head straight. The pillow has a head rest that keeps your head in one spot, which allows you to comfortably sleep on your back. (It also helps prevent you from smooshing blemish-prone skin against your sheets.) One user said, "If I could give this pillow a 10 star review I would. It totally conforms to your head, keeping your head and neck in an anatomically correct position while you sleep. It's amazing. I wake up with no neck or back pain."

9. Dry Air In Your Room Is Irritating Your Skin, So You Scratch When Skin Should Be Repairing Itself

Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser/Humidifier with Color LED Lights, $18, Amazon

You really shouldn't be on your computer, phone, or tablet an hour before you're going to bed, as bright blue lights trick your body into thinking it's not time for bed (which ends up disrupting your sleep cycle later on in the night). If you aren't ready to turn out the lights completely, look into using a nightlight that emits a softer light. To tackle the dry air in your room that can irritate skin and cause other problems, find one that also acts as a humidifier and aromatherapy mister. This way, you can create the most relaxing environment possible for sleep. The aromatherapy relieves stress, while the humidifier keeps the room from feeling dry.

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