Sleep is arguably the most important aspect in maintaining a healthy immune system, a healthy mind and a healthy body. Most studies recommend getting 8-9 hours of sleep per night, but it’s often the first thing we neglect when we get busy!
We’ve compiled a list of our top sleep tips to help you achieve a decent night's sleep and maximise every second of slumber. With just a few small changes, you may be able to dramatically improve the quality of your sleep.
Avoid Eating Just Before Bed
Eating a heavy meal just before bed can affect sleep quality in some people, especially if it’s something heavy in sugar. When you eat a meal prior to bed, your body will go through the digestion process while you sleep and this can impact your ability to fall asleep, leaving you instead staring at your ceiling in frustration! Hitting the sack right after enjoying a tasty meal can also lead to heartburn or reflux according to Mayo Clinic, and this discomfort will likely lead to restlessness. Lying down straight after food consumption loses the effect gravity has on your body during digestion and can cause the gastrointestinal juices within to travel back up the esophagus. 🤢🔥
Create a Sleep Routine
Try to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day. This guides your body into a routine and also helps avoid those sluggish mornings where you just want to hit snooze on your alarm ten times over. Creating a sleep cycle helps maintain your body's internal clock allowing you to fall asleep and wake up easier. We love The Sleep & Evening Routine Sidekick Journal to help establish a consistent routine, and practice good sleep hygiene.
Natural Remedies
Essential oils, melatonin, and products containing Ashwagandha and Valerian Root are just a few natural sleep aids that can help shake up your evening routine and improve the quality of your sleep. Studies show that natural aids can have a variety of therapeutic properties to help calm and relax the body and some even act as an anxiety reliever to boot!
Power Down Before Bed
Winding down before bed can be quite difficult when you’re living your best night owl life binging the latest Netflix series, or mindlessly scrolling Instagram. But cutting out screen time at least 30 minutes prior to bedtime can greatly improve your sleep! Your laptops, TVs and mobile phones emit blue light which has been shown to impact the quality of your sleep and can leave you feeling groggy in the morning. Switching off from your electronic devices and meditating before bed instead can help calm the mind, body and reduce insomnia promoting overall relaxation. We love using the Calm App to play out sleep meditation, soundscapes and relaxing music from the bed side table to drift away for a great night of deep sleep.
Vitamin D - Get some sun during the day
Studies have linked adequate Vitamin D levels to improved sleep quality and quantity. Low levels of Vitamin D within the blood can lead to reduced sleep time, and a higher risk of sleep disturbances such as insomnia. By simply enjoying some time out in the sun each day and ensuring you’re getting the correct nutrition from your diet, you can greatly improve your sleep cycle.
Adopting a couple of new bedtime routines can greatly improve the quality of your overall sleep as well and have a positive impact on your immunity, health and wellbeing too 💤