Experts recommend that you aim for between 7 and 9 hours’ sleep each night. Sleep is vital for your health and wellbeing. Sometimes, the worries of day-to-day life can preoccupy our minds and we may struggle to fall or stay asleep. We offer seven suggestions of ways to help you try to get your seven hours’ sleep each night.
Reduce your caffeine intake
Caffeine can stay in your system for between six and eight hours after consumption. It is therefore advisable to avoid drinking coffee, or other drinks containing caffeine, from mid-afternoon. Moreover, caffeine can be somewhat addictive and is known to have a negative impact on anxiety and the digestive system.
Upgrade your bed
Let’s face it, if you’re not comfortable in your bed, you’re unlikely to get a decent night’s sleep. A new mattress might be exactly what you need. Don’t forget to make sure you have mattress sizes explained to ensure you get the right one for your existing or replacement bed frame or base.
Stick to a routine
You’re much more likely to trick your body into a sleep rhythm if you go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Lie ins at the weekend may feel like a luxury, but they are detrimental to your aim of seven hours each night. Eventually, you will start to fall asleep within minutes of being in bed and you will naturally wake at a similar time each morning.
Increase your daily exercise
Being active on a daily basis is helpful for everyone, not just those suffering from insomnia. Whether you partake in an energetic class or simply add in a brisk walk, it will do you good. Try to time it right though as exercising too close to bedtime can have the opposite effect to the one you desire. Plan to finish intense exercise around two to three hours prior to heading to bed.
Relax before bed
Having a little down time before heading to bed can help. Try to avoid watching hard-hitting television programmes and resist the temptation to check work emails. Being preoccupied and having an active mind are both negatives when it comes to your efforts to fall asleep.
Change your window coverings
Winter time brings shorter days, but as soon as the lighter mornings and evenings begin to arrive, we can find this impacts on our ability to sleep. Consider investing in blackout blinds or curtains to stop the light from shining in too early.
Move the clock
Experts believe that having a clock in your line of sight can be a bad thing if you are struggling to sleep. Waking up and seeing those bright red numbers almost shouting the time at you means you worry about how little sleep you can possibly get from now on or how little you’ve already managed to get.
Doing this will also mean that you must get out of bed in order to switch off your alarm and are less likely to fall back to sleep, running the risk of being late for work.
