After a long, hectic day, the thought of snuggling deep into your duvet is heavenly … until you spend all night watching the clock and missing out on precious shut-eye.
The effects of prolonged sleepless nights could be much worse than an embarrassing yawn in the middle of an important work meeting. In serious cases, prolonged lack of sleep can impact your overall health.
The good news is that getting a better night’s sleep can be as easy as making a few changes to your sleeping environment and routine. This month is Sleeptember, to celebrate all things sleep. Run by The Sleep Charity, the month-long awareness campaign, Sleeptember, to highlight the health benefits of sleep – how to do it and why it’s good for you.
More ways to get better sleep at night
Good sleep is a matter of three factors: the quality of sleep you get, how long you sleep and the timing of your sleep. To start you off, here are some sleep tips that are as easy to implement as A, B … Zzzzzzz.
- GET MOVING – At least 20 minutes of exercise every day will help burn excess energy so when it’s time for bed, you’re ready.
- WIND DOWN – A warm bath or shower before bed will help your mind and body relax.
- DINNER TIME – Eat dinner at least two hours before bedtime to avoid indigestion.
- SWITCH OFF – Make your bedroom a device-free zone. If your phone doubles as your alarm, invest in an alarm clock instead.
- KEEP COOL – The ideal temperature for a good night’s sleep is between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius.
- LIGHTS OUT – It’s easier to get to sleep and stay asleep if your bedroom is quiet and dark. If you work night shifts and sleep during the day, invest in blackout blinds.
- GET INTO ROUTINE – Go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
- FIND THE PERFECT BED
We spend one-third of our lives in bed and one of the most important investments you’ll ever make is selecting a bed suited to your needs. If you don’t know where to start, go into a bed store and have a chat with a bedding
specialists will help you select the best mattress and pillow for your sleeping position (within your budget). - STICK TO YOUR NATURAL CIRCADIAN RHYTHM. Fighting your natural circadian rhythm or inadvertently altering it with blue light coming from devices can seriously affect the quality of sleep you get. It can also be frustrating to lie in bed at 2:00 a.m. and not feel tired at all.
By creating a good sleep environment and building healthy sleep habits, you have a good chance of helping to program your body to sleep better at night. We hope you’ll be snoozing much more soundly soon.