Health

Eight essential tips to getting a good night’s sleep

Mar 14, 2017

Tips to get a good night's sleep.

Are you one of many who struggle getting a good night’s sleep?

It is recommended that adults get seven to nine hours sleep a night, with that figure reducing to between seven and eight hours for those aged 65 and over.

Research from the Sleep Health Foundation says 66 percent of people who took part in a survey in 2015 experienced disturbed sleep.

The most common reason was having to go to the toilet, but others also reported noise, aches and pains, partner disturbances and thoughts on their mind as other reason.

Here are a few tips to help not be one of these statistics.

Stick to a schedule:

Get up and go to bed at the time time every day. You should try to do this even while on holiday, to keep the routine in your mind. Just as you might have an alarm to get out of bed, why don’t you try an alarm to go to bed. It might just kickstart the mind into knowing it is bedtime.

Establish a routine:

This can help your brain get used to the idea and get settled ready for sleep. Do things in order each night to wind down, such as, then getting into pj’s, brushing teeth, washing face and then reading a chapter of a book, or listening to soothing music before getting under the sheets. Hopefully that will then trigger your mind to know it is time to go to sleep.

Watch what you eat:

If you are hungry of feel too full, both are going to cause issues with you having a good night’s sleep. Avoid drinking too much before bed too, as you don’t want pressing bladder issues causing you to get up during the night and disrupting that great sleep. Avoid stimulants such as nicotine and alcohol.

Add exercise to your day:

Physical activity will promote better sleep, and helps get a deeper sleep too. Don’t do it before bedtime though, as it may make you feel too energised to sleep.

Get comfortable:

This includes what you are wearing to bed, your sheets and pillows, and your surroundings. If your room is too bright, why not try darker curtains. Replace your pillow if it doesn’t feel comfortable. Even splash on on some good quality sheets. The higher thread count the softer they feel.

Try a cooler bed:

Mattresses absorb your body heat, which can make it feel too hot. A memory foam mattress will retain even more heat. There are other factors, thanks to nature that might cause you to feel hot too, such as a fast metabolism, being overweight, menopause, or even being male, as they usually have a higher body temp than females. You may not be able to afford the top of the range cooling mattress which is now on the market, but can still try some of the cooling accessories that are much cheaper. Cooling mattress pads and pillows are two options.

Get rid of distractions:

I’m not saying get rid of your partner because they snore (although many say sleeping in a separate bed helps), but you can minimise those distractions. Noises keeping you awake? Try earplugs. Make sure you have enough room to be comfortable. That might mean getting a bigger bed, or simply getting rid of excess pillows that are just there for decoration. Remove anything that moves and might catch your eye as you are starting to doze off. This includes the tv or other technology.