Share your top sleeping tips with Dreams for the chance to win a £300 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

A good night's sleep is something many of us long to have, and would go to great lengths to get. That’s why Dreams would like to know your top tips and successful methods for getting a great night’s sleep, whether that’s perfecting the temperature in your bedroom or a never fail tactic to keep children in their rooms.

Here’s what Dreams has to say: “At Dreams, we understand the importance of a great night’s sleep and we know this can seem like an impossible challenge for new parents or parents to be. That’s why we’re delighted to be working with Mumsnet and its community of parents to help you get the sleep you deserve.”

Do you have a routine that helps you to relax before bed so that you drift off easily - a relaxing bath or a no-phones period? Perhaps you have arranged your bedding so that it’s comfortable for both you and your partner? Maybe ear plugs have revolutionised your sleep or you meditate before bed to stop you overthinking and worrying about things? Do you avoid certain things like coffee or eating late at night or maybe you have a particular hot drink or music to listen to that works a treat?

Whatever you do to help you improve your quality of sleep please share it below. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

My eldest has always had trouble sleeping ( possibly related to ADD) and her best combo is a sleep meditation using sleep-safe headphones, a lavender/rosemary/chamomile blend in the diffuser and a cold dark bedroom

For me, I need to feel cosy - a sheet or blanket pulled right up to cover up to my nose. I’m ususlly so tired that all other variables are irrelevant!

I love a cool room and the curtains open. I keep the window open and find the sounds of the night soothing.
I read for a bit and have separate bedding from dh. Much more comfortable than sharing.

A coolish room temperature with a window always open (even if just on security latch) so that fresh air can circulate. I cannot bear being too hot.
I don’t have any problem getting to sleep however I often use a lavender pillow spray too to help me drift off again if I’ve woken in the night.

I'm best in a very dark room, warm & comforting but not hot. Good quality bedding and I always sleep better in fresh sheets. I cannot get to sleep if my feet are cold - so sometimes sassy is replaced by bed socks, I'm afraid.... Oh, and I always need to go to bed half an hour before my DH and get to sleep - as once he comes to bed and starts fidgeting around, I can never get to sleep!

I find the lighting is the most important factor - good blackout curtains or a blackout blind are essential. I always seem to have my best night's sleep in a Premier Inn hotel where the rooms seems totally black at night!

Sleep without kids in the bed is still top on my list... still trying to acheive...

Total darkness (hot water bottle in winter), no ticking clock, and concentrate on breathing. Tell myself if not asleep in 1/2 hr
I'll get up and walk around to get chilly then hop back in - which usually does the trick.

I can normally drop off to sleep with no problem at all. But there is the odd night that I am still tossing and turning hours after I have gone to bed. So what I done was to download a really boring book onto my Kindle. Thing is, I can normally get into any kind of book, so on this one night I was so tired, but couldn't drop off, so I downloaded a book on .......... Cricket!!!! That definitely did the trick, I was soon well away in Noddyland.

I like using an audiobook on my phone, getting it to switch off automatically after 10 minutes though I may well be asleep after 5!

A cool and dark bedroom with no tv or phones and a comfy mattress and bedding!!

Ever since I started eating my evening meals earlier, I have noticed that I sleep longer. I like to leave a minimum of 4 hours between eating and going to bed and find that I don't wake in the night with digestive disturbances.

Classic fm on quiet in the background, helps me switch my brain off from wittering about 'stuff'

Window open and fan on, room cold and nice soft socks.

I make sure my bedroom is well ventilated during the day as it helps me sleep better at night. I also put my phone away an hour before bed and don't look at it again until the morning. I try to turn the TV off at least half an hour before bed, but if there's something on that I really want to watch then this doesn't always happen. I also go to bed at the same time every night to try and maintain routine.

Herbal tea, a warm bath and fresh bedding.x

Ear plugs!!!!

I have a hot chocolate made with oatly chocolate milk and watch a show with a nice book/tablet but I try to limit screen time as much as i can.

Usually dream feed the baby so can try & get longer sleep.

Freshly cleaned bedsheets and duvet always seem to give me a really good nights sleep

Freshly cleaned bedsheets and duvet always give me a good nights sleep

A comfy pillow and have the radio on - I think I’ve been using it as a substitute for one of these ‘white noise apps’ as I often cant actually hear or listen to what they are saying. I tend to go off as soonas my head hits the pillow.

I love nothing more than snuggling into bed at night.. in preparation - I recommend the following;

• A cup of herbal tea. My current fave is a M&S one - lavender, camomile & lime flower :)
• A warm bath with a few drops of lavender oil.
• Avoiding screen time at least an hour before bed, easier said than done I know!
• I find reading in bed really relaxing.. but I know everyone is different.
• I have been using the Headspace app recently & enjoy listening to the Guided Meditation for Sleep.
• Make sure you're not too hold/cold. I love a hot water bottle to keep my feet warm!
• Clean, cosy bedding is a must.

Sleep well everyone! :) x

Black out curtains. Lavender spray on the pillows. And I love my electric under blanket. Keeps the bed lovely and warm giving you a good nights sleep

A cool bedroom is a must and it's fact that it's healthier for you and you actually burn (brown) fat faster. Saving money on heating bills and losing weight, what more do you want!?

A cold room, high quality bedding, darkness and silence.

I used to have a chillow - a pillow insert that was filled with water soaked foam. You could put it in the fridge to go cold then place it inside your pillowcase with your pillow and you'd have a great cool spot to lay your head on. It was great. Until it leaked the manky years old water all over my bed.

Always searching for the cool spot on the pillow, a cool room is my tip. It's easier to warm up under the covers than it is to cool down and not be too hot.

Chill your room.

Good quality bedding - high thread count cotton, also helps as it handles temperature better than cheap fabrics.

Darkness. I need my curtains to fully black out the window - no gaps. No TVs or other electricals on standby - what is the insistence on putting an LED on everything that shines like a beacon when the room is dark. Sarah bought a double travel adapter to take on holiday. Charging our phones over night, it has a massive green LED on the top lighting the room like kryptonite. It had to go.

And don't get me started on sharing a room with someone who puts their phone on the bedside table screen side up. The flashing LED when there's a message/email goes all night, or the screen lights up every time something comes in. Stop it - face down.

Silence too. No ticking clocks allowed.

Add a really comfy bed and you're all set.

I use relaxation meditation recordings either on YouTube or audio books. They work for me every time. My brain is too skinny for silence.