The post is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.
Moving into a new place may be a hectic experience, what with unpacking, setting up your new space, shopping for furnishings, and getting to know your new neighbours. However, that euphoria can have a negative side effect: making it difficult to get a good night’s sleep in your new house.
There’s even a scientific word for the first night effect, which is when you can’t sleep at your new place. As a general rule, people are unable to sleep properly in strange places because elements of our brains are continually monitoring our surroundings and we sleep only lightly until we are confident that our new circumstances are safe.
Fortunately, there are also some things you can do at your new place to help you relax and get a good night’s sleep.
Reasons Why You May Be Losing Sleep In Your New Home
Stress
One of the most common causes of insomnia was stress, which is understandable given the numerous demands of moving. One of the most stressful moments in one’s life is moving into a new home. No matter how far off the mark this is, it’s easy to see how moving may result in such an urban legend, given the significant financial and lifestyle adjustments it entails. Also, it would take a very laid-back personality to sleep through such a major life change without losing any shuteye. Read more about the correlation between stress and sleep at https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/sleep/.
Unfamiliarity
After moving into a new home, the lack of familiarity with the surroundings is the second most common cause of insomnia. If you’re moving into a new home, you may not be able to create a calm environment that’s pleasant, comfortable, and well-designed in your bedroom during the first few weeks.
Even if the room is as darkened and silent as possible, achieving a clutter-free arrangement and making sure the “function” of the bedroom is unequivocal on sleep can all be challenging when moving into a new home.
When moving, it’s easy to overlook the importance of things like color palettes and décor when trying to establish a comfortable sleeping space. As a result, you may find yourself in a bedroom that doesn’t feel right to you.
Tips To Start Getting A Good Night’s Sleep
Try implementing mindfulness
You’ve likely been up way past your bedtime worrying about moving-related details like where you’re going to live, how you’re going to pay for everything, etc. Even if you’re unable to sleep because of these concerns, practicing mindfulness is all about focusing on the present moment. There are no fears or hurdles to deal with that aren’t relevant to the here and now, only the present instant. The first and most critical step to mindfulness is to encourage yourself to pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and the world around you.
Think about and write down your problems throughout the day, as well as your plan of action for dealing with them
Even though this may seem like a minor piece of advice, it may be really beneficial to write down any worries you have as soon as they occur to you, as well as what you intend to do about them. Even if you’re not moving, this is a good tool for people who find their thoughts racing at night. There’s a psychological benefit to putting things down in paper, and even if your mind may still worry about these issues at night, it can be extremely comforting to look back at your notes and realize that you’re actually taking care of the issue and it doesn’t need to be a concern right now. In addition to increasing your productivity and efficiency, using this method will help you become more organized.
Purchase a brand-new mattress
Many people don’t replace their mattresses as frequently as they should, but mattresses at lower price points lose their shape after two years. Moving to a new home is an excellent opportunity to update your mattress. A new mattress can be more handy than relocating your old one to a new location.
It’s normal to have trouble sleeping when you first move into a new place, but this should only be a temporary issue that goes away once you’re comfortable in your new surroundings.
Consider soundproofing your windows
You may want to consider hiring a professional to install new windows if you’re concerned about unwanted noise. Window installation needs a certain degree of competence that is considerably more extensive than your normal home improvement project.
In the event that you aren’t ready to undertake a complete window replacement, you may always make minor adjustments to your current windows.
Install storm windows on the outside of the house and spray foam insulation where seals aren’t tight to replace worn-out weatherstripping, recaulk eroding caulk, and replace worn-out weatherstripping.
Try ambient sounds
Fill your house with noise-canceling gadgets to help you sleep better at night and stop the echoes from waking you up. Curtains and thick rugs might help to reduce noise pollution in your home. Noise-canceling qualities can be found in materials such as vinyl, fiberglass, and wood.
Try exercising
Sleeping is your only option when you are fatigued. Since your new home may be keeping you awake at night, it may be time to get out the spandex and start working out. You can get some slumber and forget about the fact that you’re in a strange place if you do some vigorous exercise a few hours before you go to sleep. Exercise is beneficial to your health and should be a part of your daily routine, to put it mildly. It doesn’t matter what your opinion on exercise is; it can undoubtedly help you get some shut-eye.
Eating a balanced diet is essential to overall health
This is for you if you already follow a healthy diet, and if you don’t, it’s time to get started! As a health-conscious person, relocation can be a major setback to your diet. You have a lot on your plate, and you may not be able to cook because the gas and electricity have not yet been turned on. This can be highly inconvenient, and it may cause you to alter your eating and sleeping schedules. To avoid this, do everything you can to maintain a nutritious diet.
Drink more H2O
Moving to a new home can have an impact on how much water we drink, just like our diet. While moving items in, we may find ourselves forgetting to drink water and becoming weak and dehydrated. Your sleep may be disrupted as a result of this. When you’re moving into a new house, make sure to drink plenty of water so that you don’t wake up in the middle of the night with a migraine. It is imperative that you increase your water intake.
