Top Tips for a Great Nights Sleep

This week we are talking about sleep! Sleep is something that is often taken for granted because it is just something that we do, but if you have ever had difficulty sleeping, you will soon become very grateful when you get a good night sleep and notice the impact it makes to your overall wellbeing.

Did you know we spend a third of our life sleeping?! Well there is good reason for it! Sleep is essential for our physical and mental wellbeing. Whilst we are sleeping, our body is able to recharge and repair which is essential for the health of our brain and body. It is also essential for our joint health because sleep allows the body to replenish the fluid in our joints and spinal discs, which will help to prevent injury and assist with proper function.

What impacts our sleep?

There are a number of things that can impact our sleep, but the biggest areas that interrupt our sleep is stress, which can be from things such as every day tasks and work, as well as exposure to light before bed. The light can be from screen use or may just be from the artificial lights we have in our homes. The reason behind this is because our body has an internal body clock called our circadian rhythm which regulates our sleep. As we wake up and see light, our body releases the hormone adrenalin which makes us feel energetic and alert. As the day goes on and it gets darker, our body releases melatonin which makes us feel tired. If we are looking at screens and bright lights or dealing with a stressful situation late at night, you can see how our body may start to get confused and release more adrenalin when we really want to be winding down.

The good news is there are a number of things you can implement to help you get a great nights sleep. Here are my Top 8 Tips below:

1. Routine
Where possible try to go to bed and wake up at similar times whether it is a Monday or a Saturday. This will help to keep your circadian rhythm functioning at its best and allow you to get good quality sleep. If you work shifts I know this is almost impossible when you are in the midst of your working week, but try and do this on your days off and do your best to incorporate some of the below steps which will really help.

2. Avoid heavy meals and processed foods
Eating a heavy meal straight before bed can impact the release of our melatonin and also cause heart burn as we lie down. Ideally allow a couple of hours for your food to digest, and try to avoid high sugar or processed foods before bed because this will cause a spike in energy, which is not ideal before you try and sleep.

3. Caffeine
If you love your teas or coffees which are caffeinated, try to stick to drinking these earlier in the day. My recommendation would be to have a cut off point by the afternoon, because if we go beyond this point, it will likely impact you being able to switch off in the evening. Try to avoid drinking a lot of liquid before bed also because this will likely cause your sleep to break due to the need to go to the toilet.

4. Move your body
Exercise during the day has been shown to increase the quality of our sleep at night. So try and get your body moving as much as you can in the day. I would recommend you avoid doing intensive exercise too late however, as this can have an impact on you being able to get to sleep. If you do want to do something at night, a gentle walk around the block can be a great way to wind down.

5. Screen use and bright lights
Anything with a screen such as our tablets, phones, computers, and televisions all emit bright light which will cause confusion for our body and reduce the amount of melatonin to be released. Try to switch off your devices two hours before going to bed and keep them out of your bedroom. If you have a dimmer switch or lamps, use those around your home over bright LED type lighting in the evening.

6. Get comfortable
Allowing your body and spine to be in a nice comfortable position when going to bed is essential for a good nights sleep, but also for the comfort and function of your spine long term! A great place to start is looking at your pillow. Here is a short video I recorded about what pillow I would recommend. Click here to view.

7. Check your bedroom environment
To get the best night sleep make the room as dark as possible, black out curtains or blinds are great for this, especially if you work shifts. Cover over any LED lights from clocks for example, and make sure your phone is out of your way or ideally in another room! Having your bedroom at a slightly cooler temperature will also help your sleep.

8. Time out
Having a routine before bed where you get to wind down can be really beneficial to get a good nights sleep. We often have them for our children, but as we get older this can be forgotten. If you have had a hectic day how about writing down all the tasks you still have to get done to clear your head? Reading a book, taking a warm bath, listening to some music or going for that short walk around the block consistently can all help prepare you for sleep.

I hope some of these tips are helpful. I understand if you have young children or work shifts some of these are physically not possible all of the time, but even if you are able to incorporate one or two of them into your routine I’m confident they will have a positive impact long term. Give them a go and see how you get on!

Here is to a great nights sleep.

With love,
Sarah