Waking Up Refreshed: Tips for Better Sleep

At some point in our life, we will experience restless night sleeps. A one-off disputed night isn’t much of a problem apart from not feeling your best the next day or being irritable. In contrast, long-term sleep deprivation can be far more severe – increasing the risk of stroke, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease and coronary heart disease.

Get you into a bed routine.

We all know that having a routine can help babies and children fall asleep, and this also applies to adults. Having a rigid routine can help our bodies to programme themselves into a natural fall asleep and wake up at certain times, and creates a relaxation routine.

Take time out of your day to relax.

The most common reason why many of us experience restless nights is from being in a constant state of stress. This is why taking time to relax it’s important before you go to bed – whether taking a relaxing warm bath, reading a book, listening to smooth music or writing a to-list for the next day, helping to free your mind from worrying about things that you want to get done tomorrow.

Avoid technology.

Avoid using your phone, computer and tv an hour before you go to bed, as these kinds of devices emit a blue light which suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin.

Don’t clock watch.

If you’re constantly worrying about whether you are getting enough sleep can in itself, be the thing that stops us from sleeping. But did you know that the best way to make sure you have the best night’s sleep? Rest in bed before actually going to sleep, and think about nice thoughts rather than tossing and turning or looking at the clock every five minutes.

Darkness promotes sleep.

Before the times of clocks, people would wake up when the sun rose and go to sleep when it got dark. Similarly, a dark room can help to promote sleep or even turning the lights down can make you feel sleepy. And if you find that the street lights shining in through the window are disturbing your sleep, then try to invest in some heavier curtains, extra lining or blackout blinds.

Focus on sleep quality.

We often focus on how many hours we’re asleep, but the quality of sleep is just as important. Did you know that we go through five stages of sleep? This is where we experience a cycle, around five times a night and during the later stages of the sleep cycle our memories are consolidated and information is processed, among other things. This means getting up in the night to go to the loo can interrupt the cycle causing you to not reach the later stages. Tip: Avoid drinking too much liquid before going to bed.

What helps you to fall asleep at night? Feel free to let your tips in the comments, as I would love to know.