1 Make Sleep A Priority

If you want to improve your sleep then you need to make it a priority for you. We need between 7 and 9 hours sleep each night once we become adults. Teens and children will need more sleep. (You can find a blog and podcast on sleep and helping children/teens through the link.)

No one can function effectively on 6 hours or less. We become cognitively impaired when we don’t get enough sleep which we may not even be aware of at the time. A lack of sleep can lead to all sorts of mental and physical health problems. Not to mention all the accidents and injuries that has occurred as the result of a lack of sleep.

2 Be Careful Of How Many Hours Do You Really Need.

As I said we need between 7 and 9 hours of actual sleep time each night. Let me say that again because it is important. We need to be asleep for between 7 and 9 hours not any less. Don’t be tempted to use some of that time to do other things either.

But what most of don’t realise is that we also need a wind down period of up to one hour before we will fall asleep. So it is important to factor this in when you decide what time you will go to bed at.

In fact we need to think of this in reverse. What time do I need to get up at? That will dictate what time you need to be asleep by. Then add another hour to help you unwind enough so you will actually be asleep at that time. For example if you need to get up at 7 am then your wind down would need to start by 10 pm so you will be asleep by 11 pm. That would give you eight hours of sleep.

3 It All Starts When You Wake Up.

We need natural light to help regulate our sleep/wake cycle, one of our internal circadian rhythms and one of two internal controls for our sleep process. This is very important for other internal circadian rhythms also. If this circadian rhythm is off it will also knock out our other circadian rhythms in the body.

So make sure you get as much natural light throughout the day to help improve your sleep quality, unless you suffer from summer SAD. Here are some ideas you can try:

1. Open your curtains and blinds as soon as you get up.
2. If you work at a desk all day then try to move it as close to the window as possible.
3. If you are working indoors all day make sure to take your breaks and spend some of your lunchtime outdoors to take advantage of the natural light. This can include a 15 minute walk at lunchtime. This walk will be particularly vital in the winter months to help our mood and sleep.

4 Creating A Healthy Sleep Environment.

Make sure to make your bedroom as comfortable and as conducive for sleep as possible. So with that in mind we really need to remove items that won’t help us sleep such as TVs, computers/laptops, tablets, phones, etc. I know this isn’t always practical with the TV but it will make a world of difference to your sleep. I’ll talk more about the affect of electronics below.

A few other things to watch out for:

1. First off your bedroom needs be to a safe place to sleep in. Your home should be one place you can feel safe and that is especially true for your bedroom. If you don’t feel safe your body will be in a constant state of high anxiety and you will not be able to fully relax enough to get good quality sleep. You might find yourself being unable to reach deep sleep which we need to repair our mind and body each night. Some questions you might find useful: How do you feel about your bedroom? Maybe you don’t like your bedroom, it could be time to take back control of that space and decorate it the way you like. Are there things in my room that belong to another period of my life that made me feel unsafe? These need to be removed or at the very least stored out of sight until you can let them go.
2. Clutter in the bedroom: Make sure to keep you room as clutter free as possible. There is nothing worse than coming into sleep and seeing piles of laundry or rubbish on the chair, bedside table or floor. It will make you stressed and that‘s the last thing you need just before you go to sleep. So make sure you have wastepaper baskets and laundry baskets to help keep the chair and floor clear.
3. Watch the temperature in the room: Make sure it is not too hot or cold. You need it warm enough that it is comfortable for you to be relaxed and sleep well.
4. Check the noise levels: If there is a lot of noise just outside your room, or even outside your home, then you might need to think about wearing swim plugs to help. Any noise that is loud enough to either wake you or keep you awake will not be conducive to you trying to sleep. If this is a noise issue then it’s time to make a complaint.
5. Bedding: Is your mattress old? Be honest how long have you had it? If you know it’s long past it’s sell by date then you know it needs replacing and won’t support a good night’s sleep. Something else we don’t think about is our duvet. Is it too heavy, so therefore you are too hot, or too light, thereby you are cold? Perhaps you need two duvets on your bed? So that when your hormones fluctuate you can throw one off during the night.
6. Make sure you are not stressed or anxious. I talk more about this below.

5 Stick To A Regular Routine Even On The Weekends.

Having a regular bedtime and wake up time, even on the weekends, is another key to getting a better night’s sleep. And it’s not just sleep that needs a regular routine your brain also needs this too. By going to sleep or waking up at different times we create what has been coined as “social jetlag”.

With social jetlag we get all the affects of jetlag on our brain and body by keeping this irregular schedule. Even the loss of one hour can take several days of normal sleep to catch up on and has been shown to cause injuries, accidents and mood problems. So sticking to a regular sleep routine is vital for our mental and physical health.

6 Watch When You Exercise.

Taking a walk after dinner (6 pm) will help you relax and use up any adrenaline from stress or anxiety. But any form of strenuous exercise after this time has been shown to unimprove your sleep quality.

So try to schedule this type of exercise for first thing in the morning or by the latest in the afternoon. You could try yoga or tai-chi also after 6 pm as long as you find them relaxing.

7 Reduce The Blue Light.

Electronics have a blue light that may not be noticeable to the naked eye but our eyes still pick it up. Our brain is very susceptible to this blue light and it has been shown to stop the production of melatonin. Melatonin causes us to get sleepy and we need it to kick in at the right time in our wake/sleep cycle.

So to help that along we need to dim the lights and cut out the electronics in particular during the wind down period. If we don’t we are pushing our sleep cycle later and later and this as I said can have huge knock on problems for our mental and physical health.

So do yourself a favour and dim the main light after 6 pm. Plus reduce the background light on your devices at that time also. Then turn them off completely an hour before you want to be asleep.

8 Watch When You Consume Caffeine.

Not getting enough sleep will have you reaching for the caffeine, craving sugar and carbs. But the consumption of caffeine in particular will interfere with our sleep leading to craving more caffeine the next day. This is not a good cycle to get into.

Caffeine interferes with the second control for sleep called the sleep hunger drive (homeostatic sleep drive). We need this sleep drive to build naturally during the day so that by the time we reach bed it has built up enough that we need to sleep.

Try to cut caffeine by lunchtime, at the latest, if you want that good night’s sleep.

9 Relaxation In And Out Of Bed.

If you are stressed, or anxious, during the day you will find it difficult to have a good night’s sleep. Try to find ways to reduce your stress over the course of the day and in life.

There are a number of techniques you can use to help you to relax. I have discussed these in my blog stress in women. These can include a progressive muscle relaxation as part of your wind down routine you can find one on my podcast.

If you do wake up in the night don’t reach for the phone to check the time. We can be very tempted to do this but it will only wake you up further and then the thoughts start. Instead try a bedtation.

This is simply a meditation in bed. Any meditation will do but keep it simple, so either repeat the progressive muscle relaxation (there’s one on my podcast) or try a 3 minute breather.

You can train your brain to go back to sleep very quickly once you start to practice this. It may feel hard at the start but stick with it as it does work and you will find that you can train your brain to go back to sleep after a few minutes.

10 Give Your Brain A Break.

 If you tend to worry or are stressed during the day then use a brain dump as part of your wind down routine. Brain dumps allow you to get out everything that is on your mind and tells the brain that it doesn’t have to keep thinking about these things.

Remember your brain is extremely active during the night anyway. So if you can give it less to do it will help you to relax and have a better night’s sleep. So get it all down on paper.

Keep a notebook or journal beside the bed and write down everything that is on your mind. Get it all out. Sometimes it helps if we start with a to do list for tomorrow or mark down items we need to buy or appointments. Then let whatever random thoughts you have just flow out on to the paper.

11 Evening Meals, Snacks And Alcohol.

Try to have your heaviest meal of the day at least four hours before you go to sleep. This will allow your body to fully process your food before you sleep. There is nothing worse than being woken up by acid reflux. Try to leave your dessert or snack to mid-morning also particularly if it has any caffeine in it.

We need to be aware that any alcohol we consume may also wake us up. Alcohol does relax us initially but may wake us up as it leaves our bodies. Try to finish your drink at least three hours before you go to sleep if you want a good night’s sleep.

Consider CBT If You Have Insomnia.

If you have tried all the tips above and think you may have insomnia then consider working with a therapist. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help with insomnia by helping you recognise and identify different factors that may contribute to insomnia. In addition, cognitive therapy can give you the proper information about sleep and help you set reasonable goals to help you improve your sleep quality.

Work With Me.

Remember you are allowed to ask for support. No one is an island. If you need extra support then you can also work with me. We all struggle with stress and overwhelm from time to time. If you find this has become a problem for you and you’d like some support then schedule an appointment with me.