Do you want to Sleep Better?
Like most people, I’m sure you would like to sleep better. Who doesn’t?
Many of us have trouble sleeping at one time or another, and it is thought that a third of people in the UK have bouts of insomnia – sustained difficulty getting to sleep or not staying asleep for long enough to feel refreshed in the morning.
World Sleep Day is on Friday 17th March 2017. Based on research, we have complied our top 10 tips and techniques which may help you to sleep better.
The effects of not getting better sleep
Research shows that we spend up to one-third of our lives sleeping but sometimes our sleeping pattern becomes interrupted and problematic.
The pillars of good health are sound sleep, balanced diet and regular exercise.
In the short term, poor quality sleep or sleep deprivation can negatively impact on our attention span, memory recall, learning and our ability to make effective judgements.
In the longer term, it has been associated with significant health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, weakened immune systems and other illnesses.
Did you know that there are three elements of good quality sleep?
These are:
- Duration: The length of sleep should be sufficient for the sleeper to be rested and alert the following day.
- Continuity: Sleep periods should be uninterrupted and continuous.
- Depth: Sleep should be deep enough to restore your mind and body.
Our 10 Tips and Techniques that may help you sleep better and wake up feeling more refreshed.
1. Establish a Routine: Having a regular bedtime and waking time regulates our body clock. Try to limit daytime napping but if you do regularly take naps, try not exceed 45 minutes of daytime sleep.
2. Be Alcohol Aware: Avoid excessive alcohol intake 4 hours before bedtime. Having some alcohol free days can also help. We all might think it helps us relax and get to sleep quicker but the quality of our sleep become affected. This is because you can go straight into deep sleep, missing out on the usual first stage of sleep, called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, as well as reducing the number of REM cycles, which can leave you feeling exhausted. It can also increase snoring, as drink relaxes the muscles in your body which can stop air flowing smoothly.
3. Avoid caffeine: Caffeine, is a stimulant which can effect and disrupt good sleep. The generally accepted wisdom is that excluding caffeine at least 6 hours before sleep helps, this includes coffee, tea, as well as chocolate.
4. Be food Aware: Diet can affect sleep, so eat a healthy and balanced diet and avoid heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 4 hours before bedtime. A light snack before bed is acceptable and warm milk might also help.
5. Prepare for Bed: Having a hot shower or bath can help your body temperate in preparation for sleep but allow one-and-a-half-to-two hours before bedtime to facilitate the cooling-off process which the body is meant to experience before sleep. In addition, try and avoid using devices before bedtime to reduce blue light which can interfere with your sleep.
6. Letting go of thoughts: Reflecting and recapping in a positive way on the days events, can help you make sense of what has happened and let go, so as you can get to sleep.
7. Try a meditation: Mindfulness involves focusing on your breathing and bringing your attention to the present moment. It can evoke a relaxation response, as well as helping you to acknowledge, sort and then ‘clear’ out the mind to enable you to get to sleep. You can try mindfully listening to music or a meditation. Click here to access some meditations from Frantic World.
8. Create the conditions: Make sure your bedroom environment is set up to induce a positive and relaxing environment; declutter, create the right temperature (whilst opinions vary, somewhere between 16-21 degrees is probably optimal), if you are too cold wear extra layers, avoid blue light (from mobiles and other devises or turn to night setting to reduce the intensity), make sure your mattress is suitable, eliminate excessive light and reduce all distracting noise.
9. Get Up: Although opinions have varied, the general wisdom is that if you wake up or cannot get to sleep, get up out of bed to create separation with your thoughts. Try doing some mindful colouring in or another relaxing activity before returning to your bed.
10. Know that everyone is different: Find the sleep cycle that suits you. Up until the 19th Century, the research shows that people slept over two blocks of time – biphasic sleeping rather than the current popular wisdom of monophasic 8 hour sleeping. Click here for more information.
For further details on how we might assist you get a better sleep contact us about our Acceptance and Commitment Training Workshops in Northern Ireland.