Sleep: love it or hate it, we all need it. Sleep is essential for good health, but it can be challenging to maintain our sleep quality. Having a strict bedtime routine and a full night’s sleep should be respected without the stigma of laziness or being a boring person. We can’t survive consistently burning the candle at both ends - we should recharge and reclaim our sleep.

Getting enough sleep has a huge amount of benefits, including helping brain functionality, improving concentration levels, preventing health conditions, lowering the risk of weight gain and heart disease, protecting your mental health, and strengthening your immune system. If you can make it to Stage Three NREM Sleep (non-rapid eye movement) then at this deepest stage of the four stages of sleep your body repairs itself, regrows tissue, and builds bone and muscle. This is the Shangri-La, the utopia of sleep, where you can wake up afterwards feeling refreshed. Sleep experts believe we need REM sleep (Stage Four) and Non-REM sleep (Stages One, Two and Three) for a full sleep cycle.

Sleep hygiene can be practiced and good quality sleep could be achieved with some simple changes and actions to your life and environment. Here are some tips to avoid a restless night:

  • Your space for sleep; Where you sleep should be as calm and inviting as possible. Be careful about what you choose to put on your walls or around your bed, as well as coloured bedding. Although under-bed storage can be useful, for some it will be a distraction knowing that the space under your bed is full. Try to limit the number of books and technology distractions in your room. Noises, clocks and bright lights can deprive you of sleep that you need  

  • Sleep schedule; Stick to it. We should go to bed and wake up at the same time each day and this is vital for sleep quality. Sleeping later at weekends won’t make up for lost sleep in the week and will only make Monday morning harder. We know about alarms for waking up but what about an alarm for bedtime?

  • Sleep apparatus; If you can, really look into what duvet, bedding, cushions and pillows you choose to use. There are different duvet togs for different climates and seasons, and different bedding fabrics to compliment what you prefer against your skin. A high threat count (around 600) will mean sateen sheets whereas a lower thread count (200) will provide you with a crisp, cotton feel. The right pillow will alleviate any neck and shoulder pain. If too many scatter cushions seem like a chore to take off every night and put back on every morning, then get rid.

  • Daytime drinking; Limit the caffeine consumption for a better night’s sleep. Some stimulant caffeine (found in coffee, tea, chocolate, fizzy drinks) can take up to eight hours to wear off fully. There are many caffeine-free drinks available nowadays and if you find the right one for you, you can easily slot it into your routine.

  • Exercise, but at the right time; Exercise will help you sleep better as your body will be tired, but you shouldn’t exercise too late in the day and no later than two to three hours before your bedtime or it can act as a stimulant, making it harder to drift off.

  • Take Naps; Naps are actually encouraged by sleep experts to help make up for lost sleep, but they warn not to nap after 3pm as it can make it more difficult to sleep at night
  • Relax before bed; Reading, listening to music, or whatever activity you find relaxing should be done before bedtime to help you unwind. It’s an important component to add to your sleeping ritual to help your brain slow down gradually, enabling an easier slide into sleep.
  • Cool bedroom, dark bedroom; The UK organisation, The Sleep Charity, advise that 18℃ (64°F) is the ideal temperature for your bedroom. This is in comparison to 21℃ (69.8°F) in your living area. If there’s a warm spell and you can’t cool your room down, try removing your duvet and sleeping with only the sheet over you. Dark colours also absorb a lot of heat, so try using white sheets in summertime. Darkness in your bedroom promotes relaxation and help you fall asleep quicker. The brain and eyes are very sensitive to light and darkness can offer relief. There are a few easy ways to make your room darker at night; you could use blackout blinds or curtains, wear an eye mask and remove anything from your bedroom that gives off light, like digital clocks or TVs on standby.

  • Avoid certain things; Avoid alcoholic drinks before bed, medicines that delay your sleep and large meals late at night. Alcohol close to bedtime can affect your REM sleep and keep you in the light stages of sleep (Stage One and Two NREM). A large meal can bring on indigestion and drinking a lot can break your sleep due to the need to get up for the toilet. If you’re not sleeping well you could try speaking to your local pharmacist about any medication you’re taking to understand whether it could be impacting your sleep
  • Lastly and perhaps the simplest tip of all, is getting outside in natural light for half an hour each day. Sleep experts encourage an hour of exposure to morning sunlight as daylight is a important factor to regulating a sleep pattern.