Trouble sleeping? Tips on how to sleep better
How you perform at work and function throughout the day depends greatly on your sleep or lack of. Sleep can be effected by a lot of factors and there are various things you can do to help to boost the quality of your sleep to ensure you are productive, mentally and emotionally balanced.
The amount of sleep that individuals require varies greatly from person to person, but generally, most adults require about 8 hours of quality sleep. If you know you are not sleeping well or enough, then it is about experimenting with variables in your day to day life to find out what can help it.
A relaxing bedtime routine…
Before bed it is important to wind down and make yourself relax so you can easily fall into a deep sleep. Try to keep the bedroom for sleep time and not any other activity that may create anxiety, emotion etc It is not advisable to play computer games, work on your phone or watch an active movie just before lights out. You can make your bedroom more sleep friendly by keeping your bedroom cool and maintain it at an optimum temperature of around 18c. You can ensure there are no distracting noises, by for example, keeping your windows closed to avoid car noises and neighbours. And you need to make sure your bed is comfortable for you and if not work out whether you need to invest in harder/softer pillows or mattresses.
It may be a good idea to write a list of things that make you relaxed and re-visit these before you go to bed e.g. have a warm relaxing bath, read a book, listen to relaxing music etc
Food and Drink…
Food and drink play a massive part in sleep routine and they have a huge effect on your body and how it functions, especially in the hours just before bedtime. Here are some very simple tips:
- Avoid too much alcohol – it disrupts the sleep cycles and you get a much worse quality of sleep. You may have experienced waking a lot, tossing and turning and waking early.
- Avoid caffeine – it is a stimulant and can affect people hours after consumption. If you think you may be consuming too much caffeine, cut it down or only have it before lunchtime as an experiment.
- Avoid smoking – nicotine can stimulate which will therefore disrupt sleep.
- Avoid heavy, rich meals too late – maybe try to eat earlier in the evening as some foods can take its toll on the digestive system meaning the body is working hard when it is sleep time.
- Avoid too much liquid - whether these are hot drinks, water, alcohol, fizzy or fruit juice drinks. Drinking too much before bed will mean you may need to get up in the night to visit the toilet disrupting your sleep.
Everyone is different so it is important to experiment with the tips above to see if anything works for you. Some people find that a light snack before bed can help them to sleep and feel calm but others may find that food can give them indigestion and make sleep more difficult.
Exercise…
The body needs to exercise and this can help sleep for some people. It is not advisable to exercise too late in the day as it can stimulate the body and make the body less able to relax and unwind when you lie down. If you cannot go running, cycling or do a class at the gym, try a more relaxing exercise like yoga or Pilates or just walking, housework or gardening but remember to stay active!
Find your natural sleep schedule and keep it…
It can help your sleep quality if you get yourself into a regular sleep schedule that is maintained. Going to bed at the same time every night and waking naturally at the same time every morning is key. You will need some time to experiment with this over some weeks and get your body into the cycle but you can begin by making sure you go to bed every night at the same time for a duration of time. If you miss out on a few hours, you could catch up on the sleep in the day but do not do this too late in the day or you will end up not being able to go to sleep at the same time. If you are tired before bed time then try to distract yourself by washing the dishes or speaking to a friend on the phone until it is time to unwind for bed instead of falling asleep on the sofa early.
Light and Melatonin…
Melatonin is a hormone released by the body based on the amount of light it is exposed to. It makes you sleepy, so in theory, your body should release more at night when dark. There are some key points to remember to try to increase light exposure in the day and boost melatonin at night:
- Spend more time outside in the day
- Try to make your workplace light
- Keep curtains/blinds open at home in the day
- Do not wear sunglasses all day
- Do not use the TV, computer or phone just before lights out or any backlit device
- Use dull lights in the bedroom
- Keep the bedroom dark with good heavy curtains/blinds
- If you have to get up in the night, avoid turning on the light
Getting back to sleep in the night…
It is quite normal to wake in the night but some people find it difficult to get back to sleep. This is important to ensure you are not losing those quality hours of sleep your body needs. If you wake up, do your best to avoid light which will stimulate your body and any technological device. Try not to start thinking about the jobs you have to do the following day. If you have woken up worrying about something, then make a quick note so as to get it off your shoulders and quickly get back to relaxing again. Avoid getting stressed and anxious about the fact you are not asleep. It is difficult at the time, but just try to relax and do some visualisation, meditation or just think of something that makes you relaxed instead of desperately trying to make yourself sleep!
Many people suffer from distracted and poor sleep, so it is about experimenting to find what you need and how YOU can sleep better. Everyone is different so what works for one person will not necessarily work for another. If you are someone who worries, gets stressed and anxious due to everyday life, then it may be worth looking into what it is that is on your mind and dealing with that in the first instance.
We hope that some of the above advice has been helpful and you can at least begin to start experimenting with techniques to get your sleep back on track. It will certainly have a knock on effect on how you perform and function at work.