How to Get a Restful Sleep

These are some strategies I use to help me have a restful sleep. You can test them out and see if they work for you.

1. For physical comfort:
• I may take a warm shower an hour or two before bed. (I don't often wash my hair at night. However, if, after a long day out, my scalp feels oily/itchy, I'd wash it, making sure that my hair is dry by the time I lie on the bed.)
• Occasionally, on cold days, I would take out a set of pyjamas to wear. On hot days, I'd wear something thin and light.
• I insist on investing in good bedroom furniture: a soft yet firm mattress that doesn't sink in too much when I lie on it, a good neck-support (I often don't use a pillow nowadays because the ones in the market are rather thick and usually give me neck and back aches, so I opt for a rolled up towel/blanket placed under my neck as an alternative), a bolster/body pillow (if you need one), and a cosy blanket (the fleece ones are the coziest, in my opinion).
2. For physical sustenance:
• Drink a cup of warm water or milk before going to bed to stay hydrated during my sleep. I notice that I am also less likely to wake up with headaches and a sore throat.
3. For a calming ambiance:
• Dim the lights around the house or switch them off.
• Use calming scents like lavender, tropical, sea breeze, etc. that put your mind in vacation mode.
• Play soft, calming music in the background. I use an internet radio app (Best SG Radios and Replaio Radio for now, till I find better alternatives) to play classical music, with a sleep timer that automatically switches off the radio after some time. If it takes you longer to fall asleep, set the timer to switch off much later. If you have a pre-downloaded set of music, you wouldn't need the internet, so you can opt to set your phone to flight mode or Do-Not-Disturb mode.
4. Remove disturbances:
• Switch off unused electronics.
• Put the phone far enough to prevent you from reaching out for it.
5. For physical security and a peace of mind:
• Check that I've locked all the doors and window grilles.
• Put your identification documents, keys and essential items in an accessible bag/place in case of emergencies.

Sweet dreams! :)

More details on the radio app I use:

Access additional settings by pressing the flag icon or the three vertical dots.

The flag icon allows you to access radio channels from around South East Asia and the world.

Update: I recently tried Replaio Radio, which has many more channels. Although it does not have most of the Singapore radio channels, you can manually add the streams in it.