Sleep is important. We all know this. How much deep sleep you need can depend on the person, but we all know that not enough sleep can have a huge impact on us.
From physical health to our mental health, lack of sleep can be detrimental. But is all this talk about sleep making your sleep anxiety even worse?
Rather than beat yourself up over a bad night’s sleep, we’ve pulled together some expert tips that can help you fall asleep faster – and they’re simple, short, everyday tips to introduce to your routine.
Clear your mind and get it all out
One of the very first steps which can encourage better sleep starts before you even get under your sheets.
Rebecca Robbins, a sleep researcher and sleep expert at Oura, a device that promises to help maximise sleep, activity and recovery, spoke to Huffington Post about the importance of a ‘brain dump.’
The idea is pretty simple and old-school. Whether it’s on a notepad or in a diary, simply spend about five minutes writing down everything that’s racing through your mind.
Rebecca explains: ‘This “brain dump” can help get thoughts out of your mind that might keep you awake.’
The bonus benefit is you might have a more linear list of things to tackle for the next day, reducing your anxiety about any forgotten tasks or to-do lists.
Ditch the devices
A digital detox in the hours before bed is a well-known tip – but one worth repeating.
Abbas Kanani, a pharmacist and health advisor for Chemist Click, previously told Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s no surprise at all that using screens before bed time can leave our mind feeling wired, this is because the amount of information it’s processing right before bed is huge, and often using apps like social media before bed can leave us feeling more awake than before.’
‘Not only this, the blue light emitted from screens can also leave us feeling awake and wired. This is because artificial blue light can boost alertness and mental sharpness – but, of course, this right before bed means you may have trouble sleeping or getting to sleep.’
Experts suggest leaving all screens outside of the room two hours before you go to sleep – this includes phones, laptops, tablets and TVs.
Breathe
Spend a few minutes focusing on your breathing and you might feel your body physically start feeling more relaxed and ready for bed.
Or so says experts like Sarah Silverman, a holistic sleep doctor.
She explained to Huffington Post: ‘Breathing helps reduce physiological arousal, which is when your nervous system is in a heightened or activated state, usually due to stress or excitement.’
‘You don’t have much control over when you actually fall asleep. Sleep is a passive process and happens when you’re not actively trying to sleep. But you do have a lot of control over your breathing and what you do to prepare your body for sleep.’
One of the expert’s preferred exercises is boxed breathing.
This involves inhaling for four seconds, holding for four seconds, exhaling for four seconds and pausing for four seconds.
Don’t think about sleep – occupy your mind
This one might seem a bit contradictory, but Sarah Silverman again reiterates that sleep isn’t something you can really focus on doing – it happens when you’re not trying so hard.
Once you’ve cleared your mind, doing something gentle but distracting could help lull you into a relaxed state.
Silverman explains: ‘Spend five minutes putting together a jigsaw puzzle, colouring a page in an adult colouring book, or playing a one-player card game like Solitaire,’ Silverman said. ‘This is a way to do something lighthearted and also distracting, and it takes the focus away from trying to fall asleep and instead gives you something relaxing to do.’
Just don’t do a crossword or a game on your phone!
Get your room ready for bed
It’s not just you that needs to prepare yourself for a solid eight hours – your bedroom also needs to be optimised for sleep.
The Sleep Foundation finds that approximately 18.3C is the best room temperature for catching your beauty sleep.
Spend a few minutes each night making sure your room is nice and cool – remove any clutter blocking airflow or set up a fan (you can buy ones that shut off after a certain time, too, if you’re worried about energy bills).
Sip yourself to sleep
Avoiding caffeine hours before bed is something most of us know to do to aid a good sleep, but it’s not just focusing on what you can’t drink.
There are some drinks you should enjoy before bed that can promote a good snooze.
The Sleep Charity lists some of these perfect nightcaps, including:
- Cherry juice (high in melatonin, the ‘sleep hormone’)
- Chamomile tea
- Warm wilk
- Valerian tea
- Peppermint tea.
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