Do you ever find yourself awake at 2am, scrolling through your social media feeds unable to fall back to sleep? Or maybe, you wake up worrying about work? While you’re certainly not alone, you’ll be well aware of the grogginess that follows the next day when you don’t get a good night’s sleep.
Everyone experiences a poor quality of sleep from time to time, especially if you are under a lot of stress, have a new baby or are even jet-lagged. But, if it’s becoming a constant issue then you’ll need to work to fix it, as a good quality of sleep is integral to our mental and physical health.
Here are our top tips on how to sleep through the night without waking up to tell you more.
Establish A Wind-Down Routine
It’s practically impossible to go from a hectic day running around doing your day to day job, looking after the kids and any other responsibilities you may have, and then suddenly being able to just fall asleep.
As tiring as all that may seem, you’re actually in constant alert mode which isn’t that simple to just switch off. Whatsmore, most of us spend far too much time looking at screens, which stimulates our brain activity and prevents the changeover into rest mode from happening.
Instead what’s needed is an active effort to switch off from the day and head into a more relaxed pace at night, ideally sans screens. Such activities can involve spending quality time with your family, walking the dog, doing some yoga, meditating or even running a nice bath. Essentially, you need to get into a frame of mind where all your thoughts close off for the day so that they don’t wake you up while you’re asleep.
Take a further look at our advice on wind down/shutdown routines for a little more info.
Create The Right Environment For Sleep
As mentioned, screens can play havoc with your sleep cycle so try wherever possible to remove them entirely from the bedroom (they still make alarm clocks, you know!). However, screens aren’t the only distraction that threatens your 40 winks.
Think invasive streetlights bursting through the window, sunlight, noise, uncomfortable mattresses, the wrong temperature, clutter in the room – anything that doesn’t feel relaxing to be around, they all have the potential to disturb your sleep.
Now is the time to address any such issues which are preventing you from being able to fall asleep or making you wake up earlier than is ideal. Whether you need to install blackout blinds or wear earplugs to counteract noisy neighbours if you don’t get on top of the problem it will never go away.
Don’t Drink Liquids Too Close To Bedtime
If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night because your bladder is full, then you could be drinking too close to bedtime. In addition, foods such as tomatoes and celery are diuretics meaning they’ll make your kidneys produce more urine as you sleep. All of this can mean your body wakes you up to empty your bladder, as the signals from the bladder are telling the brain it is full.
While drinking water throughout the day and especially first thing in the morning is essential for your hydration levels, be sure to avoid drinking any fluids ideally 2-3 before you go to bed. By also removing any diuretic foods from your diet, you should notice an improvement.
It’s also essential to avoid caffeine after midday since the effects of even one cup of coffee can stay in your system for hours afterwards.
Address Your Mental Health
It is estimated that 1 in 4 people are experiencing a mental health condition at any time, with the likes of stress, anxiety and depression extremely common among adults. If you aren’t quite feeling yourself, it makes perfect sense that you won’t remain relaxed enough during the night to stay asleep, as your brain is most active when it’s sleeping.
While there are treatments such as medication or talking therapy, sometimes even a chat with friends and family can be hugely beneficial in relieving symptoms. Some people also feel stressed because of their working environment or a personal situation that is taking its toll mentally. Even worrying about your finances can impact your sleep, which is why it’s so important to be able to address whatever it is that’s keeping you awake at night.
Compared with remaining as you are, you’ll feel so much better having spoken to a professional or at least those around you who can offer support. As a result, your sleep is a lot more likely to improve too.
Supplementation
If you’ve tried all the above, or if your doctor hasn’t been able to find a medical cause for your sleepless nights, then supplementation may hold the key to getting a sound slumber.
Optml is a two tablet supplement with a Rise and Rest formula. As well as improving brain function, reducing stress and increasing energy during the day, our Rest formula includes ingredients such as Ashwagandha, Chamomile and 5-HTP which help the mind relax so you’ll get a better quality of sleep.