Some habits that can improve your sleep health:
- Be consistent. Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning.
- Limit stimuli. Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature.
- Remove electronic devices. Light entering your eyes determines how much melatonin the body secretes. When it is darker, your body secretes more melatonin, which makes you feel drowsy. The screen on your mobile device normally emits a blue light, which is fine for daytime use but can disrupt your sleep at night (because the blue light fools your brain into thinking it’s daytime!)
- Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime. Large meals kick start your digestive system, when there will be little need for energy at night. Caffeine decreases the restorative phase of sleep and alcohol will help induce sleep to start but actually fragments sleep and delays the onset of the ‘deep sleep phase’.
- Caffeine(yes, again!):Only have caffeine 1-2 hours after waking. Equally, you should try limit your last caffeinated drink to 8-10 hours before going to sleep, to ensure that deep sleep is not affected. In the morning our bodies naturally release ‘wake up and focus’ hormones. This means we already receive a natural built-in ’pick me up’ stimulant! Saving your first coffee for a couple of hours after waking, allows the caffeine to stimulate your nervous system only when your natural ‘pick me uppers’ start to wear off. (In case you were wondering we are talking about Cortisol and Epinephrine)
- Get some exercise. Being physically active during the day can help you fall asleep more easily at night. On the flipside, inactivity can cause insomnia!
- Stress management and relaxation techniques. There are many relaxation techniques out there; one being the ‘4,7, 8 sleep trick’. Close your mouth and quietly inhale through your nose to a mental count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven. Exhale through your mouth for a count of eight. Do this for four breath cycles, repeated three times.
- Taking a magnesium supplement just before bed. Magnesium is known to relax muscles and induce sleep, which may be partly due to its ability to regulate melatonin production.
- Lavender aromatherapy may help improve sleep. Several studies have suggested that simply smelling lavender oil shortly before sleep may be enough to improve sleep quality in those with mild insomnia.
Aimee
