Top ten tips for a good night’s sleep.
Are you finding it difficult to get a good night’s sleep being able to wake up feeling relaxed and refreshed? In the last year we have all experienced profound changes to our daily routines from working at home, home-schooling our children and limited opportunities to socialise and exercise. It’s no wonder so many are now struggling to sleep. For some of us falling asleep is the problem. For others they can fall asleep but then wake on high alert in the middle of the night and there are those who never seem to sleep deeply enough to wake feeling rested and feeling positive about a new day. Professor Matthew Walker author of “Why we sleep “states that the optimum amount of sleep is 7 – 9 hours a night. This amount of sleep is vital for our psychological and emotional wellbeing as well as possibly being one of the most important things we can do for the health of our immune systems. If you are one of the many struggling with sleep at the moment here are my top ten tips: 1. Keep to a regular bedtime, even at the weekends 2. Dim down the lights in your home an hour or so before bed as well as switching your phone to night time mode. 3. Stay away from screens, especially LED screens an hour before sleep. 4. Keep your bedroom cool, the best temperature is about 18 degrees C. It’s easier to sleep in a room that’s too cold rather than too warm. 5. Avoid caffeine after midday and alcohol in the evenings. 6. Have a regular wind down routine in the evening; for example a bath, some gentle stretches or reading a couple of pages of a book (before you get in to bed). 7. Regular meditation practice before you go to bed or when you get into bed. Calm and Headspace are both useful apps. Calm also have excellent sleep stories to help you unwind and drift off to sleep. 8. If you have been lying in bed for longer than 20 minutes get up and move into another dimly lit room. Sit and read until you feel sleepy and then go back to bed. 9. If you have been awake for over 20 minutes and don’t want to get out of bed use the power of visualisation. Imagine yourself talking a leisurely walk along the beach or through the countryside. Try to create as much detail as you can. 10. Finally if you are regularly struggling to sleep, remove all clock faces from your bedroom to stop you becoming fixated on how long you’ve been awake. Hopefully some or all of these tips will help you to have a better night’s sleep. To hear more about the importance of sleep you may want to listen to Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s podcast with Professor Matthew Walker https://drchatterjee.com/how-to-improve-your-sleep-and.../ If you would like greater help and support in making positive changes in your life please get in touch. My 6 week programme “Building Strong Foundations for Health” is delivered on a 1:1 basis. Together we could look at techniques for creating positive new habits that can have an impact on your health and wellbeing. Sessions are currently delivered online or in “walking and talking” sessions. I am offering a 10% discount in January 2021 for anyone who books quoting “New start 21”.
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