A good night’s sleep is often few and far between, with kids, stress and everything else we have going on it can be hard to have a good 8 hours a night. Good sleep helps us maintain a healthy life – it helps with controlling your weight, repairing your body, supporting your mental health and even keeping your sugar levels stable. So, at this time of year when we’re all so focused on eating well and being healthy, getting your sleep pattern down is really important to helping you achieve your other wellness goals.
Here are five tips to help you fall asleep easy and stay asleep. The best thing? You can apply these to every member of the family, so you can all feel well rested.
- Creating the right sleep environment
For many of us, the bedroom is also the study and an alternative to the living room, we have televisions and computers and all manner of distractions in there. Where possible, bedrooms should be somewhere to unwind, so all those other things need to go – keep your room as tidy and minimal as possible, try to create an even temperature, perhaps by changing the tog rating of your duvet or turning the heating down in that specific room. - No more screens
It’s been widely documented that the blue light emitted from phones, tablets and televisions contribute to sleepness nights. The light actually tricks your brain into thinking it is daytime and will prevent sleep, so introduce a no phones/tablets etc rule in the lead up to bedtime. Many phones etc offer a do not disturb function which can help with weaning you off checking them constantly. - Develop a routine
A routine can really help you wind down. Try going to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning, another thing to add to the routine would be reading an hour before going to bed, or dimming the lights to get yourself used to a change in light. Try to start your routine an hour before going to bed. - Avoid certain foods
Some of the foods and drinks we consume during the day can affect the quality of our sleep. Try to avoid anything caffeinated after 2pm, alcohol can cause restlessness even though it initially makes you a little sleepy. The same goes for exercise, exercising during the evening will raise your body temperature which will also make falling asleep more difficult. - Use an eye mask
While not always practical, especially if you have little ones, one sure fire way to help with a good night’s sleep is to ensure a completely dark room and one way to do this is to use an eye mask. You don’t have to splurge either, there are plenty of budget options that work wonders and are a good way to try them out.
Do you have any other suggestions for a good night’s sleep? Let us know!
