“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together” (Thomas Dekker)

Sleep is an active process that is essential for our mental and physical wellbeing. It impacts everything from your immune function, your appetite regulation and weight, to your mood, your brain function, memory and almost everything else that goes on in your body! As adults, we need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, and that doesn’t include the time lying awake before you go to sleep. Given that sleep issues are so common, here is what you can do that might help.

1.Set your body clock

  • Try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day, including weekends, even if you have had a disturbed night’s sleep. Your internal body clock and hormones that control sleepiness and wakefulness work best when you have a regular sleep routine.
  • Keep your daytime routine the same, even if you’ve had a poor night’s sleep the night before. Avoiding daytime activities because you are tired can reinforce your sleep issues.
  • If you really need to catch up on sleep, it is better to go to bed earlier than normal and still get up at the same time as normal.
  • Get out in bright light as soon as you wake up – light is the best regulator of your biological clock.

2. Prepare your bedroom for sleep

  • Try to keep your room cool. 16-19 degrees C is ideal. While an electric blanket can make your bed nice and cozy, if it is too warm, it is likely to prevent you from sleeping rather than helping you.
  • Make sure you have curtains or blinds that are thick enough to keep out the light. Alternatively a good eye mask to block out light and ear plugs to block out noise can work well too.
  • Have a good supportive mattress and pillows.
  • Change the sheets and pillowcases regularly as a fresh bed is more inviting.
  • Avoid having a TV in your room, it is best for you to just associate that space with sleep.

3. Be active in the day and avoid naps

  • Regular day-time exercise improves sleep.
  • Morning walks are a great way to start the day feeling refreshed.
  • Avoid strenuous exercise within 3 hours before going to bed.
  • Napping during the day can interfere with you ability to fall asleep at night.

4. Reduce blue light exposure in the evening

  • Blue light has a short wavelength that affects levels of melatonin (a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle) more than any other wavelength does. This disrupts your body clock causing poor sleep.
  • If you use your phone or computer in the evening, switch it to night-time setting or, better still, turn it off.
  • Use dim red lights for night lights – red light is the least able to affect your melatonin and change your body clock.
  • If you work a night shift or use a lot of electronic devices at night, consider wearing blue-blocking glasses or installing an app that filters the blue / green wavelength at night.

5. Wind down time 

  • Include an hour of quiet time before bed such as reading, having a bath, or listening to music. Avoid screens for as long as possible before bed, but if you are using your phone for music or for a meditation app, turn the screen brightness right down and be sure that you have set your screen to night mode in your settings. On an Apple phone, this is setting > display & brightness > nightshift.
  • Play calming music and or read before bed, ideally a paper book rather than from a screen. Make your bedroom dark, cool and quiet and ensure that your pillows, sleep surface and coverings are comfortable.
  • Use ‘smell association’ to your advantage. This is where your brain can connect a particular smell with a certain situation. So, a calming lavender spray or a few drops of lavender oil on your pillow or wrists can help your brain connect that smell with sleep time.
  • Keep your evenings stimulant-free. Don’t smoke and avoid alcohol or caffeine-containing drinks late in the evening. Cannabis can also affect your sleep.

6. Night waking

  • Avoid the association between bed and not sleeping. If you wake up and find yourself awake for more than 20 minutes, get out of bed, and go into another room with a dim light, listen to calming music, or read (as long as it is not screen-based), and then return to bed when you are feeling sleepy.
  • Try to avoid lying in bed and getting frustrated! This includes checking the time, as this creates worry and a spiral of negative thoughts about the problem of not sleeping and having to get up in 3 hours, 2 hours and so on. If you have an alarm that you know will wake you up when you need to be up, that is enough.
  • Go back to using an old-school-style alarm clock if you need one or one that emits no light rather than relying on your phone. It is too easy to pick up your phone to check the time and then start reading messages or emails. Have your phone in another room.

7. Try relaxation techniques 

  • Meditation, guided imagery, deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relation (alternately tensing and releasing muscles) can help to calm anxiety and racing thoughts.
  • Try an app or online sleep programme to support you to unwind and get into good sleep habits. The CALM app is a good one that we recommend.

Adapted from https://healthify.nz/hauora-wellbeing/s/sleep-tips/