Sleep: How To Get A Good Night’s Rest- Written By Michelle Arscott

The morning alarm goes off and let’s face it, who really wants to get out of bed, especially if it’s dark? During the day you fantasize about being in your bed and sleeping! Yet at night your intentions of sleeping early are often thwarted by the call of Netflix and the urge to read the entire Internet. In this article, the importance of why we need to have a good night’s sleep will be examined briefly, with some practical tips on how to achieve it, enabling you to positively face the day ahead and realise why you need to get into a good night-time routine.

Why Is Sleep So Important?
Fact: according to the NHS (National Health Service), when you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you can feel sluggish, grumpy, not able to concentrate properly, quick-tempered, and forgetful, to name but a few of the side effects. And if sleep deprivation is very severe, it can lead to serious health concerns such as mental health issues and being over-weight. Sleep is required so that we can properly function in the day.
Sleep is so important for our general well-being. When we sleep it is an opportunity for our body to rest, restore, and replenish, a chance for your body to carry out important functions, such as creating new learning and pathways by filtering memories and experiences from the day, and fighting off illnesses.
To get all the wonderful benefits of sleep, an adult requires, according to the (NIH) National Institute of Health, 9-10 hours per day of sleep, though this varies from person to person. The test to see if you are getting enough sleep is to ask yourself whether you are waking up feeling bright and bushy-tailed or sluggish?

How can you improve your sleep?
1. End your day positively by journaling, a great way to unwind and reduce stress.
Try journaling and use these prompts to guide you;
o What went well today?
o Even better if…
o My intention for tomorrow is…
o What do I want to achieve tomorrow (3 things)?
o End your journaling with- 3 things that you are grateful for from the day.
If your mind is very busy, you could just write for 5-10 minutes anything that comes to mind – a very cathartic exercise and a great way to leave the day behind and reduce anxiety!

2. Have a set night-time routine. Doing the same thing every night helps to trigger the brain into knowing that it is almost sleeping time, so your body starts winding down, making it easier to fall asleep. Go to bed every night at the same time, if you are not sure what the right time for you to sleep is in order to feel refreshed in the morning, maybe go to bed half an hour earlier each night, until you get to your desirable bedtime.
Ideally, switch off your screens one hour before you go to sleep. The blue screen, according to the (NSF) National Sleep Foundation, can suppress the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin, which can delay you falling asleep but most importantly, it can cause poor quality sleep.
During the one hour before bedtime, get into the habit of doing something relaxing, e.g. taking a warm bath, reading a book, talking to your partner, or doing gentle yoga. Moreover, exercising regularly during the day can contribute to helping you unwind further in the evening too.

3. Don’t eat anything heavy before bed and avoid the sleep-thieves: caffeine, which is a stimulant, and alcohol, which affects your quality of sleep. Ideally have a big lunch and a light supper. If you do feel peckish before bed, eat sleep-inducing foods like bananas, which help your muscles and nerves to relax, a handful of almonds, which help to steady your heart rate, or oatmeal, which is rich in melatonin. These foods will relax your body and help you to fall asleep.

4. Invest in a quality pillow and mattress. This may not be cheap, but it is cheaper than medical bills and an investment in your health.

5. Have the right sleeping ambience in your bedroom. Don’t bring work into the bedroom. Have a calm and peaceful room with no clutter, minimise the light with blackout curtains, have gentle lighting, and make sure the room is not too hot or cold.

6. Use sleep-friendly technology apps to aid your relaxation and sleep:
o Moshi Twilight Sleep stories – a great bedtime stories app, where the narrator’s voice deliberately gets slower and slower as the story progresses, lulling you to sleep
o Headspace Meditation –Not one for meditation, Headspace is a great way to easily get into meditation. Their guided meditations are great, and you can experience short and longer ones, or select sleep-inducing meditations or music. A great way to pause and clear your mind.
o Use Alexa, for less than $50 she really is an investment. Her skills now include sleep skills varying from being able to listen to white noise, the sound of a campfire, or other nature sounds.

Sleep glorious sleep. What things are you going to do today to improve your sleep tonight?