Good Sleep Tips

We have put together some simple tips below to help you get a better nights sleep. Many problems associated with getting a poor nights sleep can be resolved by following some or all of the good sleep tips below.

Don’t eat too close to bed time

Eating speeds up your metabolism. As a result eating a big meal before you go to bed can make it harder to get to sleep. Aim to have your evening meal at least 4 hours before bed time, allowing you plenty of time to fully digest your dinner before going to bed.

Invest in a good mattress

Spending 8 hours a day in bed (the recommended amount of sleep you should be aiming for per day) means that you’ll be spending just over one third of your life in bed. If you are spending such a large proportion of your time lying in bed it makes sense to a bit extra on one invest in a good quality one.

Never mind and expensive bed frame, it is the mattress that dictates your comfort. Personally if i am spending one third of my life lying on something i’ll gladly pay a bit extra to make sure it is as comfortable as possible. Take a look at our guide explaining How to Choose a Mattress.

Make the bedroom peaceful

To help aid your sleep try to make your bedroom a peaceful, relaxing place to be. Where possible try to de-clutter your bedroom, decorate it in natural soft colors, remove things that don’t belong in there.

Another thing to consider is getting rid of that TV from your bedroom. Watching TV before bed stimulates the brain which can make it harder to doze off. Try taking the TV out of your room and making the bedroom somewhere just to sleep, not watch TV.

Relax before bed time

We all do different things before we go to bed such as watching TV, reading, eating, catching up on paperwork, working etc. Many of these activities don’t allow you to fully unwind and relax before attempting to go to sleep which can result in you lying there unable to sleep.

• Yoga. Light exercises such as yoga can help both your mind and body to relax and get you in the right frame of mind to sleep. Spending only 10 minutes doing yoga stretches and breathing can help you slow your body down and help separate your hectic daily lifestyle from your peaceful night time sleep.

• Breathing Exercises. Doing some simple breathing exercises before you go to bed or if you wake up in the night can help you drift off into a peaceful sleep. All you need to do is to lie down on your back and concentrate on your breathing. Try to take long slow breaths from your chest, focusing on nothing else but your breaths.

• Dim the Lights. Our bodies are designed to wake and sleep according to the natural sunlight. Spending some quite time in your bedroom with the lights dimmed low can help mimic the sun setting and help convince your body it is time to sleep.

• Avoid Distraction. If you live in an urban environment your relaxation time may be interrupted by background noise of traffic, airplanes, sirens etc. To help you relax you can either try some soothing music or ambient sounds or if you’d prefer total silence some noise canceling ear plugs.

images by DanielJames

Get in a routine

Our bodies are designed for routine; three meals a day, 8 hours sleep a night etc. Simply going to bed at the same time every night allows our bodies to develop a routine. If you can stick to a regular bedtime and wake up time your body will reward you with better deeper sleep.

We all know how jet lag can throw our body clock off track and cause sleepless nights. Well this is caused when the body falls out of sync with it’s sleep routine. If you tend to go to bed at irregular times try going to bed at 10pm every night for two weeks – we sure you’ll feel the benefit.

Sleep in The Dark

It is amazing how much ambient light we are exposed to, particularly if you live in the city.  Our bodies are programmed to wake up when it gets light  so if we sleep in a room with lots of ambient light our body may not fall into as deep sleep. Investing in some blackout curtains for you bedroom will ensure that you can sleep in a totally dark environment meaning you’ll get a deeper, more restful sleep.

Eat Right to Sleep Well

What we consume every day can have a big impact on how we sleep.

• Caffeine & Smoking. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine or nicotine. This is pretty self explanatory really, both caffeine and nicotine are artificial stimulants that can hinder the amount or quality of sleep you get for many hours after consuming them. Don’t forget that many soft drinks such as Coke, Lemonade etc have caffeine in them, not just tea and coffee.

• Alcohol. Many people associate alcohol with making them sleep better or helping them to nod off. However alcohol has been proven to severely reduce the quality of sleep you get.

• Large meals. Large fatty meals take a long time to digest (up to 5-6 hours) so avoid over eating or eating lots of fatty food before bedtime. Instead opt for some fruit, a bowl of cereal or as a treat some cookies and milk. The key is to allow time for you body to digest the food before you go to sleep.

Stay hydrated during the day but avoid drinking too much before bed to avoid having to wake up during the night to go to the bathroom.

Regular Exercise Helps You Sleep Better

When trying to increase the quality of sleep you get you need to take a holistic approach. In order to maximize the quality of sleep you get you should aim to improve many different aspects of your lifestyle. One of the major areas most people can benefit from is the amount of exercise they get.

Increased exercise has been proven aid several factors that will help you sleep better including;

• lowering your resting heart rate

• reduce stress that can cause insomnia

• helping you fall asleep quicker

As with most things moderation is the key to success. Aim to get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, 1 hour if possible. Avoid exercising in the evening as exercises increase the heart rate for a short period which can make it hard to get to sleep. Be sure to seek medical advice before embarking on a new exercise program and listen to your body – don’t over do it.

Look After Your Mattress

What you are lying on can and obviously does have a big impact on how well you sleep. Be sure to follow a regular mattress care routine to keep it in tip top shape and maximize it’s life.  Also if you do have one off spills or accidents take a look at our guide on how to clean a mattress.

Avoid Long Daytime Naps

If you must take an afternoon nap then keeping it short is the key. Try the following ‘Espresso Nap’ that many people say works wonders if taken during the middle of the day.

• Drink an espresso coffee
• Set your alarm clock to wake you in 20 minutes time
• Get up as soon as the alarm goes, the key is not not exceed 20 minutes

This method ensures you are not waking up in the middle sleep cycle which can leave you feeling groggy and even more tired. Hopefully this method will allow you to feel refreshed and have enough energy to get through the day without keeping you awake at night time.

Get Up After 30 Minutes

If you have done everything described above and you can’t get to sleep in 30 minutes don’t lie there stressing about the fact you can’t sleep. Get up out of bed and go to a different, gently lit room and do a gentle activity such as reading until you feel drowsy. As soon as you feel drowsy head back to the bedroom and slide back into bed.

Summary

Hopefully by implementing some if not all of these good sleep tips you can kiss goodbye to your sleep issues.  Unfortunately there is usually not one single thing that can fix your sleep disorder however by taking a holistic approach and making lost of small changes hpefully you’ll be able to get more, better quality rest.

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