3 Top tips to sleep better
We all know the feeling. For whatever reason you’ve barely slept and you know already today is going to be a struggle. You dose up on coffee and sugar but your brain is at least ten minutes behind your body. Even one night of bad sleep is a one-way road to struggle-town.
Now, of course, there are countless factors that go into whether you get a good night or not - stress levels, lifestyle, exercise, diet, genetics, family, and many more - and this blog isn’t a magic wand for any of these. But having spent years as a poor sleeper I have found these three small, easily accessible changes have made an outsized difference to me - not only in how long I sleep but also how well.
Seeing natural light for 20 minutes first thing in the morning. I like to combine this with some gentle stretching in the garden - but even looking through an open window with a hot drink (ideally avoid too much caffeine first thing - sorry!) will do the trick. Among myriad other benefits, early morning light exposure has been proven to regulate our circadian ryhthyms which directly inform our sleep patters. I truly found this improved my sleep in a short amount of time. Ideally do this before you’ve looked at any screens (see #3).
Eat at least 2 hours before bed. Poor eating habits have dominated parts of my life, with late-snacking a part of my routine, and I will discuss changes to diet in other posts. But since enforcing a strict ‘no food 2 hours before bed’ rule, I have been amazed at the impact on sleep as well. It’s not that I necessarily fall asleep any easier, but I definitely feel the quality of my sleep has improved massively - which makes sense, if you think that my body is not being disrupted during night hours by having to work through that last piece of late-night toast and marmite (or whatever weird thing is your go-to after dark!)
Don’t look at your phone at least an hour before bed AND don’t take it with you into the bedroom. I suspect this one may feel hard for many people - but in the back of our minds many of us know our relationship with our phones isn’t healthy. So first of all, invest in a cheap alarm clock so your phone doesn’t need to come into the bedroom with you. Then try to put your phone away or even better turn it off an hour or so before bed to discourage one last scroll. There is good evidence that looking at your phone before bed can interfere with melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep and affecting sleep quality, and I found once I got past the inital wrench I never looked back - and even felt less called to pick up my phone during the days.
Are there other sleep hacks you’ve found that you swear by? Maybe your Grandma used to tell you to drink a cap of vinegar before bed and it’s always worked for you (or, I dunno, something!) Or how is your experience with trying these tips? I would love to hear all about it - please let me know in the comments below!
