5 Tips for Improving your Sleep

Sleeping well is important for being able to function effectively and productively throughout the day. There are a range of benefits to getting regular restful sleep including improved mood, better concentration and attentiveness and good sleep has also been shown to go some way to improving the experience of physical pain. If you are not getting enough sleep, you might be noticing issues in some or all of these areas. Thankfully, there are active strategies you can use to give yourself the best chance of getting a good night’s sleep. These strategies are based on our understanding of how the sleep cycle works and what the brain and body need to induce restful sleep.

If you’re finding it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep or get restful sleep, try implementing these strategies.

Bed is for sleeping, not worrying

Most people are aware that they should try to avoid alert activities in bed such as paperwork or working on a lap top. This is because when you do these activities in bed, you create what is called a “learned association”, meaning that your brain and body learn to associate bed with being awake and alert. This means that when you are in bed, your brain does not receive the right signals to start the winding down process. What some people are not aware of is that worrying is also an activity that can create this learned association. Instead of lying in bed, worrying about not falling to sleep, try getting up and doing something relaxing. Then wait until you feel tired again before returning to bed. Whilst it might seem counter-intuitive to get out of bed when you’re unable to sleep, this strategy allows you to keep bed just for sleeping so that you are more likely to fall asleep easily when you get into bed the next time.

Get meditative

Meditation is a proven strategy for aiding relaxation and the more relaxed you are, the more likely you are to fall asleep. There are some wonderful apps that provide guided meditations especially designed to get you off to sleep. Our favourite is Smiling Mind and they have several sleep-specific meditations that can be really effective for helping you to fall asleep.

Routine, routine, routine

Having a routine that you follow each night before going to bed is a way of signalling to your brain that you are starting the process of going to bed and it should start the winding down process needed for restful sleep. Try to have a sequence of activities that you complete before going to bed. This might include washing your face, brushing your teeth, reading a relaxing book or whatever activities help you to get ready for bed. Going to bed and getting out of bed at the same time each day is also helpful for your brain to learn when to make you feel sleepy and when to make you feel alert, further helping you to sleep well.

Check your environment

There are certain environmental factors that can disturb your sleep and trying to minimise these as much as possible can be helpful for improving your sleep. The types of conditions that aid sleep are: low or no light, a relatively quiet space (although some people find total silence difficult and soft music can be helpful for them), comfortable bedding and an environment that is neither too hot nor too cold. In considering the temperature of the environment, it is better to have a slightly colder environment with warmer blankets, for restful sleep.

Don’t forget about your daytime activities

Whilst it is natural to focus on what is happening at night time to disturb your sleep, your day time activities can also impact on how well you sleep. Napping during the day can greatly interrupt your sleep routine and is generally not recommended. Drinking caffeine late in the day or drinking alcohol have also been shown to negatively impact on sleep. In contrast to reducing these things, trying to increase your activity during the day will also help you to feel tired enough to sleep well at night.

Unfortunately, there is often not one magic cure for your sleep problems. However, the more of these strategies you can consistently implement, the greater chance you give yourself of a restful night’s sleep.

Wishing you the best of luck with trying these out and happy sleeping! Zzzzzzzzzz….