The NHS advises that most adults need between 6-9 hours sleep. On the face of it, that seems pretty easy but in reality it can prove difficult to get as much sleep as you need. There are countless reasons for this: maybe it’s small children keeping you up, or you stay up to watch your favourite programs (and end up binge watching the whole series), or perhaps you don’t even know why you struggle to sleep. Whatever the reason, in this blog we wanted to explore what makes up good sleep habits and how you can incorporate them into your life and hopefully, improve your sleep.
Our first tip is to create a bedroom that induces sleep. This may sound simple but it’s something that is frequently overlooked. A room that’s busy and cluttered is not conducive to a good night’s sleep. The bedroom should be calm, relaxing, welcoming and somewhere you look forward to spending time in. Consider these points:
Bed – Is your bed comfortable? An uncomfortable bed might explain why you struggle to sleep. A good bed and a high quality mattress & pillow are extremely important. As bed experts, we can help you find the perfect bed for you – don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Light – Is it too bright? Try introducing some gentle lighting to ease you into sleep.
Temperature – Is it too hot or cold? We’ve all woken up with a leg hanging out of the duvet because you’ve become too hot during the night. Ensuring the room is just the right temperature will help you fall and stay asleep.
Noise – Is there a noise that helps you sleep, or do you need absolute silence? Either way, addressing this could be really helpful. If you like white noise or soothing sounds to help you drift off, maybe invest in a home smart speaker or an app on your phone that can play anything from pouring rain to whale song. On the other hand, if you need silence, investing in some good ear plugs might stop any irritating sounds from disturbing your sleep.
Aroma - A light pleasant scent can help to relax you as you drift off. Natural aromas such as lavender are very popular for aiding a restful night.
Tip two is get into a solid routine. Try your best to keep to regular sleeping times. This can obviously prove difficult but if you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, your internal body clock will know when to sleep. Also, whilst it might seem like a great idea to catch up on sleep when you get the chance, doing this too often can disrupt your body clock and make you feel worse.
Our third tip is wind down. Making time to wind down before bed is integral to creating good sleep habits. Try to do this at least 30 minutes before you want to go to bed. Things you can try to help you wind down are:
Avoid using your smartphone. I think most people are guilty of doing this but if you can, try to turn your phone off or put it up out of the way before you go to bed. The blue light emitted from screens can disrupt your body’s production of melatonin (the hormone that induces sleep) and even with the blue light filter on, the brain is still being stimulated. Unplug, unwind!
Try a warm, relaxing bath (but make sure it’s not too hot as this can have the opposite effect)
To do lists. If you find your mind stressed and busy as you’re trying to drift off, try writing a list of to do notes before you go to bed to clear your mind.
Ease your body into sleep by trying some gentle yoga stretches. However, do not do vigorous exercise before bed as this will wake you up!
Try reading a book or listening to relaxing music or soundscapes to relax your mind.
Our fourth and final tip is foster pro-sleep habits during the day. This may seem odd but what we do throughout the day can have an impact on how we sleep during the night. Thing to try are:
Get some daylight. Natural light has a really big impact on your circadian rhythm (your internal body clock). Try getting outside in the morning to kick start your day.
Exercise. Daily exercise has many obvious health benefits but in terms of sleep, it can be a key component to a better night’s sleep. As we’ve said before, avoid doing this close to bedtime.
Cut down on the caffeine. Most of us turn to caffeine when we’re feeling a little sleepy but it’s really important not to rely on it too much. Try to cut down the overall amount you drink and avoid it entirely in the late afternoon / early evening.
Alcohol. Whilst alcohol can induce sleep, the quality sleep you get is actually very poor and can have long term negative effect on your sleep. So, if you’re partial to a night cap, perhaps cut that out of your routine and see if it helps.
Sleep and good sleeping habits are something we’ll be exploring more in upcoming blogs in the hope we can help you foster better habits and achieve better sleep.
If you’d like to talk to our team about our beds and how they can help you sleep better, you can visit our website here, call us on 01903 773 225 or email us at reception@stuartjones.co.uk
