Sleep (Top Tips)

A good night’s sleep is a vital element to help you feel your best for the rest of the day. If you’re struggling with getting to sleep, or staying asleep, take a look at our tips below and click here to download the presentation notes from Martin’s recent talk about sleep…

Avoid Alcholic Drinks

Alcohol sedates the brain rather than help us sleep, it means that we might feel like we go to sleep a lot easier but actually, we don’t sleep naturally and end up feeling worse for it the next day.

Avoid Blue Light at Night

Blue light stimulates the brain, keeping us awake – phones, iPads, TV’s, computers etc… If you can’t help yourself then change filter setting. On iPads and iPhones you can go onto ‘display and brightness’ and turn on ‘night shift’ setting.

Avoid Caffeine

Caffeine can take 8 hours to be removed from the body (even decaff options) and prevents us from sleeping. It can be found in coffee, tea, chocolate, pain relief medication, even hot chocolate (so always read the label!).

Avoid Large Meals

Being too full will make it difficult to fall asleep and to stay asleep. If you’re feeling hungry have a small snack (being hungry also affects sleep).

Avoid Naps

Avoid naps after 3pm as these really do make it difficult for you to go to sleep in the evening / night.

Avoid Sleeping Pills

Sleeping pills work in the same way as alcohol, they sedate the brain rather than letting us have natural sleep.

Bedtime Routine

Your brain has its own clock but it sometimes needs a little help, it responds well to set patterns (the change from day to night for instance) so try and set a routine that you follow, including setting an alarm for ‘bedtime’ as well as the morning.

Check Your Medication

If you take medication, check if a side effect is difficulty sleeping. If you’re not sleeping well and there seems to be no other reason, have a chat with your GP about the medication you take (don’t stop taking prescribed medication before you’ve spoken GP).

Exercise

Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day but remember to avoid exercise 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Reduce Fluid Intake

Reduce fluid intake in the mid to late evening to reduce the chance of needing to wake during the night to use the toilet.

Sunlight in the Morning

Make sure that you have exposure to natural light in the morning (even on a cloudy day), this acts as a reset / starting point for the brain so that it can begin building towards sleep again, keeping the cycle going

The Bedroom

Keep it dark, keep it cool and keep it gadget free!

Warm Bath

Having a warm bath as part of your bedtime routine might really help because you get out of the bath and your core body temperature begins to drop which is exactly what your body needs to do to fall to sleep (and stay asleep).