I am a very deep sleeper and I can sleep through anything. Fun fact I only have lucid dreams. I cannot avoid it. In order to get a good night’s sleep I take some precautions that have helped me over the years.

I wake up around the same time every day. This helps me keep a schedule and I don’t have to worry about the routine for the rest of my day.

Personally I never use alarms because I get anxiety and I have lucid dreams so that adds to the anxiety.

I avoid sweet food before I sleep and I stop eating at least two hours prior to sleeping. Sweets cause me to have extra intense lucid dreams and nightmares get worse so I avoid them as much as possible.

I shower every night before I go to bed. I have thick curtains to block out all lights. All lights in the house are turned off one hour before sleep. My room is coloured grey to keep away reflections. In the summers I use AC to cool down the room. In the monsoons I leave the windows open for fresh air and white noise. A good pollen free, dust free cool night is crucial for quality sleep.

One thing I regret doing is that I use my phone right until I fall asleep. Its a bad habit but it involves my work so I use it. When I sleep I keep my phone away from my bedside in silent and flight mode at night.

I usually sleep at the same time but since I don’t use an alarm I gauge how long I sleep over a few days and go to bed accordingly. This way I wake up around the same time every day.

I have an 8 inch thick mattress like they have in hotels. Its not too soft and hard enough for good back support. It does get hot during summers and does not have a cooling mechanism so I am considering switching to a cotton futon for better sleep in the future. I use cotton bed sheets, pillow covers and blankets and avoid synthetic fibers as much as possible.

I wash pillow covers and sheets once a week and the blanket gets washed once every two weeks. This way dust doesn’t settle into my lungs.

I live in a residential area so noise is not a big problem most days of the year. There are times when the neighbours host events such as weddings and birthdays but then there are several schools and hospitals nearby so noise control is enforced strictly by the authorities in my area. No noise after 10PM and before 7AM is the general rule.

That’s my routine. I do have days where its not possible to follow all of them but I do what I can. Work can get in the way of making time but I adjust my schedule accordingly. Many people sleep late or have bad habits around sleep. Make sleep your priority and everything else falls in place. Good night and sweet dreams!