January 22nd, 2020 by Becky Calvert

Sick of constantly feeling tired and like you have no energy? Then it’s time to start improving your sleep! Whether you’re going to bed too later, not reaching deep sleep or simply not setting yourself for a good night’s sleep during the day – here are our top 5 habits for you to form that will help you feel more rested and refreshed when you wake up.

1. Set a Routine

Nowadays, sleep isn’t seen to be as important as it is. At the end of a hard day, we climb into bed and expect to be able to fall asleep straight away. Although this is the case for some lucky people, most of us find it difficult. This is because you haven’t given your body time to prepare for sleep and instead, you’ve brought all the stress and thoughts going on inside your head into bed with you!

By establishing a routine so that you go to bed at the same time each night, as well as giving yourself time to relax and clear your head before you start to try to sleep, your body will be more likely to drift off. If you go to sleep at roughly the same time each night, you’re also training your brain to be prepared for sleep at the same time each night so when you finally get into bed, you’ll feel more relaxed and tired.

2. Eat Smart

If you’re eating your tea really late on an evening or snacking until you decide to go to sleep, then there’s no wonder you’re having difficulty sleeping! Your digestive system is having to work hard to digest all of that food (especially if it was a particularly heavy or fatty meal) and this can stop your body from being able to sleep. It can also cause you to have stomach aches and cramps – definitely not what you want when you’re trying to get some much-needed sleep!

3. Limit Your Blue Light Exposure

If you don’t know much about blue light exposure but you’re constantly looking at a screen, whether that be your TV, phone, laptop or tablet – this could the answer you’re looking for! It’s been noted that a lot of time on technological devices (especially late at night) can mess with your bodies natural sleep cycle and melatonin levels. Melatonin is a hormone that tells your body when it’s time to sleep by sensing when it’s dark. However, large amounts of blue light exposure tell your body that it’s still daytime which reduces your melatonin levels and makes it super hard to sleep.

To prevent this, you can download apps or wear glasses that reduce the amount of blue light and if possible, make sure that you turn bright lights off and stop using your phone or watching TV 2 hours before you go to sleep.

4. Limit Your Naps

When you have trouble sleeping, naps can be a real saviour. However, naps can really negatively impact how you’ll sleep that night. This is because, yet again, your natural sleep cycle is being messed with.

If you feel like you really need one, limit them to 15-20 minutes in the early afternoon. Longer naps will make you feel less tired on a night and therefore, will hinder your sleep greatly. Short naps, however, will still give you that added bit of energy you need, whilst still allowing you to drift off and enjoy your sleep on a night.

5. Wind Down

This can be a hard one to do. When your life seems to just get busier and busier, it can be hard to allow yourself time to switch off from your day to day tasks and worries. Although it’s hard, it’s essential for those who struggle to sleep. By just giving yourself half an hour to read, meditate or just simply lay in bed and relax, you’re giving your body chance to feel relaxed and stress-free. This will help you sleep easier and make you feel much more refreshed when you wake up!