Good Night’s Sleep

Here are some handy tips and tricks on how to get a restful sleep!

1. Get regular

Try to go to bed and get up at the same time everyday, including weekends. This will help your body to establish a routine.

2. Limit your daytime naps

Try to go through a day without taking a nap, if you really need one make sure it’s for no longer than 30 – 45 minutes and that it is before 3pm in the afternoon.

3. Stick to your plan for the day

Even if you had a bad night’s sleep and you feel tired, do your best to stick to activities that you pre-planned for the day; avoiding activities due to tiredness may reinforce insomnia.

4. Bed is for sleeping

Use it only for sleeping and sex, bed is not a place to watch TV, use a computer, argue or make phone calls.

5. Quality bed and mattress

Choose your mattress well and don’t be afraid to ask for professional advice when choosing one. There are lots of studies showing that you get a better quality sleep on beds that are less than 7 years old.

6. Night time ritual

Establish your own routine that suits you and stick to it. Doing the same things in the same order before going to sleep can help. Taking a warm bath, reading, doing yoga or meditation is relaxing and will help you to get a good night sleep.

7. Turn off all tech

At least an hour before going to bed. TV, computer, phone screen, they all emit a blue light that will keep you awake. Try to meditate or read a book instead.

8. Moderate exercising during the day

This is really good for your body and will help you feel tired in the evening, but avoid any strenuous exercise at least 3 hours before going to sleep.

9. Use a sleep diary

This will help you find out if there are any patterns in your sleepless nights. Record what have you eaten, drunk or did during the day. Record if anything has changed inside or outside the room?

10. Drinking fluids

It’s important to keep well hydrated during the day, but don’t have too many fluids an hour or so before going to sleep, this is to minimize waking up to go to the bathroom at night.

11. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine

These are stimulants and will keep you awake so try to avoid them at least 3 – 4 hours before going to sleep.

12. Feed your body well

Don’t go to bed hungry but don’t overindulge either. It’s best to have lighter and healthy balanced meals in the evenings.

13. Keep your bedroom as a sanctuary

Beautiful and peaceful, filled with things that you love. What colours are your walls? Does the room feel calming? Maybe you can use some sleep inducing smells like lavender too.

14. Keep your room dark

Also keep the room quiet, cool, safe and properly ventilated. Invest in blackout blinds, and you can always try to use ear plugs and an eye mask.

15. Think positive

Don’t dwell on negative thoughts/emotions, instead try to reverse them into positive ones and think about what outcome you want

 

Don’t give up, you’ll find what works best for you!

 

References:

http://sleepcouncil.org.uk/SleepAdvice
http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au
https://wwwsleepfoundation.org?article/sleep-topics
https://www.anaturalhealingcentre.com/documents/Thorne/articles/Insomnia
http://psychology.tools/guidelines-for-better-sleep.html
http://www.umm.edu/sleep/sleep_hyg.htm
http://www.sleepcouncil.org.uk/2015/05/how-long-have-you-had-your-bed/
http://kriscarr.com/blog-video/tips-for-how-to-sleep-better-at-night/