Tips for a better night’s sleep
Sleep is one of the foundational pillars of good health and as most people have probably experienced themselves, as soon as we aren’t sleeping, the rest of our life seems to fall apart. Not getting enough sleep is a major stressor on the body and is linked to numerous health conditions like cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and impaired cognitive function.
Here are my top tips to help achieve a better night’s sleep.
Keep your bedroom cool - temperature impacts our ability to fall and stay asleep. Research shows us that approximately 19-20° celsius is the ideal temperature for optimal sleep.
Keep your bedroom dark and restrict artificial light exposure - exposure to even small amounts of light while we sleep disrupts our circadian rhythm. We want to be sleeping in the darkest room as possible. Some ways to achieve this are black-out curtains, sleep masks, putting your phone on sleep or airplane mode overnight or ideally keeping your phone out of your bedroom.
Exposure to natural light during the day - research has shown us that natural light, especially in the morning, regulates our circadian rhythm. This exposure to morning sunlight begins the production of our sleep hormone, melatonin, which regulates our sleep cycles. An easy way to introduce morning sunlight to your routine is to do your morning exercise outside or to sit outside with your morning coffee or tea.
Manage stress - if our nervous system is in a state of “fight or flight” during the day, it makes sense why we may have difficulty falling asleep at night. Managing stress and being in a parasympathetic state (our rest and digest state) during the day, will make it much easier to fall asleep at night. Stress management practices such as yoga, breath work, meditation and walking are known to improve sleep.
Reduce your exposure to blue light before bed - blue light tells our body that it’s time to wake up and suppresses our natural melatonin production. Ideally, we want to not look at devices with blue light 2-3 hours before bed to optimise sleep, however 1 hour before bed is a good start. This includes phones, tvs, laptops etc.
Move more, sit less - there is so much research on physical activity improving sleep, even a 30 minute walk can make huge difference to sleep. If you are sitting down at a desk a lot during the day, try to get up every 45-60 minutes to stretch, move your body or make a tea.
Ensure you are breathing through your nose while you sleep - mouth breathing negatively impacts sleep and can cause waking unrefreshed, snoring, insomnia and sleep apnoea. If you are unsure of whether you breathe through your mouth while sleeping, trial using mouth tape. You can buy this from pharmacies and chemists, ensure you buy a gentle microfibre type one.
Eat a nutrient dense diet - many nutrients play a critical role in sleep. Magnesium calms our nervous system, with a lot of research on it treating sleep disorders and insomnia. Low vitamin D is linked to sleep disorders while iron deficiency is one of most common causes of restless legs which disrupts sleep for many people.
Supplement if needed - getting nutrients and vitamins through our diet is always recommended first, however many people suffer from nutrient deficiencies due to declining soil quality, our high stress lifestyle and the increasing toxic load on our bodies. Nutrients that support sleep, have a role in neurotransmitter and hormone production include magnesium, selenium, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin C and choline. Always talk to a healthcare practitioner before introducing new supplements.
Written by Madeleine Gates