Strategies for getting more and better sleep
Where sleep is concerned, for many people there is room for improvement! As we all will have experienced, poor sleep can leave you feeling fuzzy headed, easy to annoy and low in energy. Beyond this extended periods of poor sleep can feed in to poor health such as through promoting weight gain, insulin resistance, reduced immunity and increased inflammation.
But the good news is there are many strategies you can try to improve your sleep. Some of these strategies may need a bit of will power, so you may want to read my previous posts on The links between diet and sleep, and sleep and diet and on Why sleep is important for your health if you need some extra motivation! Some of these suggestions may also sound obvious - don’t dismiss these ones, sometimes the simplest changes can have the greatest results.
Strategies to improve your sleep:
Get to bed earlier!
This is of course obvious, but for many people very challenging to implement. I meet a lot of resistance when suggesting getting to bed earlier. For many people, the evening is the only time they have to themselves, so going to bed earlier may feel like wasting this precious time. I do get this, but consider how much better you will feel with more sleep, and how much energy you will have to do the things you enjoy. Also, what are you doing in the evenings? If the answer is watching TV/Netflix etc, is this really quality time?… No?… So get to bed earlier!
Adults are recommended to get at least 7-8 hours sleep. Many of us would struggle to stay in bed longer in the mornings as work and/or childcare beckon, so instead move your bedtime earlier to ensure you are getting at least 7 hours sleep (but ideally more).
You may get best results by moving your bedtime forwards in small increments rather than a large jump. So trying to go to bed 10-15 minutes earlier, and the once you have achieved this for a few nights, moving to another 10-15 minutes earlier could be easier to stick to compared to trying to go to bed a whole hour earlier in one go.
Switch off from your devices
Exposure to blue light has been shown to reduce your ability to produce the hormone melatonin, which is responsible for making you feel sleepy. Blue light is emitted from smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, LED and fluorescent lights, so if you are glued to your laptop in the evening and can’t sleep, the blue light you have been exposed to may be playing a big role.
What to do? Clearly, tuning out from electronic devices before sleep would be a good idea, ideally for 2-3 hours before bed.
What, 2-3 hours apart from my tablet?! I know, this is a huge ask as many of us basically live online these days. Alternatives to try are blue light blocking glasses and dimming the light on your devices (most have night mode that reduces the amount of blue light).
Take time to wind down
Jumping straight into bed after a busy day and expecting to drop off to sleep does not work well for most people. Having some time and strategies to help wind down can really help prepare your body and mind for relaxation and sleep.
Take a bath, do some light stretching, read a novel, listen to music … what you might choose to do to unwind will be very personal to you. You may even want to put this in your diary if you are the kind of person who works well with a schedule, or rope in a family member to wind-down with you if you need some outer accountability. Taking time to detach from the day and relax can really work wonders for dropping off to sleep.
Mind still busy? Note down circulating thoughts
If your mind is still buzzing as you hit the hay, you could try writing down your thoughts in a note pad by your bed. This might be your list of ‘to dos’ for the next day, thoughts on what happened today, things that you are worried about… whatever it is, getting these thoughts down on paper can help you feel more in control and therefore able to let them go while you sleep.
Noting down your circulating thoughts can make them appear less numerous. For example, if you have a ‘to do’ list running round in your head, the repetition of going through each ‘to do’ again and again can make your list seem massive! But writing your thoughts down can help you see that there is not actually as much as you thought and help make things seem more manageable again.
No caffeine in the evening
I don’t think this one needs much explanation! Be aware of hidden sources of caffeine, like chocolate and also some soft drinks (for example pepsi) contain caffeine. Try swapping caffeinated drinks for soothing herbal teas such as chamomile.
Balance your blood sugar
Having unbalanced blood sugar (so blood sugar levels that are not well controlled, and fluctuate between being too high and too low) has been shown to disrupt sleep.
Adopting dietary strategies to help your body regulate blood sugar levels can not only improve your sleep but also help in other areas too such as energy, weight control and prevention of diabetes.
I plan to write more extensively on balancing blood sugar soon as blood sugar levels play such a fundamental role in health, but for now some tips are: cut down on sweets, cut down on sweetened beverages, increase fibre rich foods, swap to complex carbs (i.e. from white to brown bread, white to wholemeal pasta …), eat more slowly, exercise regularly, and guess what, getting better sleep can help you regulate blood sugar levels!
Create a sleep-friendly space
Make you bedroom sleep friendly by making sure it is dark (thick curtains can be a good investment) and quiet (even if this means ear plugs). Moving electronic devices to other rooms can be a good idea to stop them buzzing with the latest facebook messages, and also most electronic devices have small lights that can disturb your sleep. Reducing clutter in your bedroom can also help create an oasis of calm to help you drop off.
Consistency is important
For sleep, a key thing to remember is consistency is important. Don’t think you can sleep in at the weekend to catch up on lost sleep the week before or top up your sleep ready for a busy week ahead. This may help a bit, but the science shows that it is your long-term sleeping habits that are important for your health and wellbeing.
I hope you find something in these tips that will help you improve your sleep. Remember we are all individual, so what works for someone else might not work for you, or you may need to address several of the above to get results. Try to listen in to yourself and find out what the route causes of your poor sleep are - this can help you then choose a strategy suited to you.
That all being said, I wish you sweet dreams tonight :)
Fabia x
