Sometimes referred to as sleep hygiene, these small steps can make the world of difference to your sleep experience.
1. Sleep Schedule:
Go to bed and wake up at consistent times every day, including weekends. If you ever take a nap don’t do it after 3 p.m.
2. Go Outdoors:
Expose yourself to plenty of daylight in the day to help tweak your body’s inbuilt clock for sleep.
3. Wind Down:
Take an evening bath (it’ll make you feel toasty but actually helps lower your core body temperature) and dial down the radiators in your bedroom to between 16 degrees C and 18 degrees C.
4. Physical Activity:
Regular exercise literally does tire you out but leaving it until late in the evening has the reverse effect; don’t exercise within 2 hours of your bedtime.
5. Caffeine Intake:
Caffeine can interfere with your body’s natural sleepiness; if you’re sensitive to its effects, avoid caffeine-containing drinks and chocolate.
6. Mood Lighting:
Avoid bright lights in the evenings, especially the blue light of LED devices, to help your body listen to its melatonin sleep trigger.
7. Take a Deep Breath & Let Go Of Worries:
A bedside duo of pen and notebook allows you to write down worries or urgent to-dos, so you can unwind and focus on falling asleep instead of fretting about tomorrow.
8. Skip The Nightcap:
Skip the nightcap-alcohol before bed disrupts your deep sleep, so you’ll wake up feeling unrefreshed.
9. Screen-free Time:
If you need to check your email one last time or quickly catch up on social media, make sure the last time you look at your phone is 1 to 2 hours before your bedtime; keep those last hours before sleep sacrosanct.
10. And Relax:
Find what works for you to de-stress, be it meditation, breathing exercises, podcasts, a sleep story or just settling down with a good book.
