Ah sleep, when we process information, consolidate memories and is essential to our wellbeing. I’ve covered the Benefits of Sleep in a previous article, so today I will focus on actually getting a good nights sleep.
Do you have trouble switching off at night, getting to sleep or staying asleep? Welcome to the 21st century where we are always in “on” mode! Going to bed late and/or not getting enough sleep, in the short term leaves us feeling tired, irritable, less motivated and more inclined to snack on sugary foods (usually combined with caffeine) to get an energy boost throughout the day. In the long-term getting less than six hours sleep per night increases the risk of a stroke, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, memory loss, cardiac disease, accidents and a reduced resilience to managing stress.
One of the major contributors to having difficulty falling asleep or disrupted sleep is our addiction to technology (and I’m no different in his respect). Technology is necessary to function in today’s world but can be our biggest foe when it comes to sleep – most important of all it is necessary to SWITCH OFF!
Do you want to wake up feeling refreshed, energised and ready to take on the day? Daily habits and routines are the keys to success in anything, so to establish sleeping habits with the corresponding benefits we need to have a great bed-time routine. So along with getting your nutrition right, exercising earlier in the day and reducing caffeine consumption (and none after 2pm), try these tools for getting a great nights sleep.
Take back bedtime:
• Create a perfect sleep environment by sleeping in total darkness and having the temperature 15-20*C. A warm bath two hours before bed will raise your temperature enabling a steeper drop and a deeper sleep – even better if you add Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) to your bath.
• Right now, set all of your devices to “Night Shift” from 8pm through to 7am. The blue light blasted at our eyes from screens is thought to mess with our circadian rhythms, tricking us into thinking it’s still daytime and stopping us from getting to sleep. Night Shift changes the colour of the screen to a warmer, reddish hue at dusk and resetting to the usual blue tones in the morning. Go here to find out how to do the same for your computer.
• Set a reminder for 9:45pm on your phone to prompt you to start getting ready for bed, with bed-time being around 10:15pm.
• As soon as that reminder goes off, put your phone into “Airplane Mode” to stop any alerts coming through and resist the urge to check social media – that rabbit hole we can all disappear down at times!
• If you are able to, dim the lights as you are getting ready for bed, a great way to do this is with a Lumie Lamp. The added benefit of this light is the sunrise feature to help you wake up naturally in the morning. I’ve been using a Lumie Lamp for a couple of years now and can totally recommend it – especially useful in the winter! Though I find the alarm a bit annoying, so still use my phone alarm as a back-up for my 5am starts.
• If you have trouble relaxing, then I recommend taking Magnesium about 30 mins before bed (when your reminder goes off). Magnesium is needed for over 300 functions within the body, is known as “nature’s relaxant” and will help you to relax and drop off to sleep.
• If you find it hard to switch off at night, a programme of guided meditations will release lingering tensions. From the App Store, try the “Calm: Meditation techniques for stress reduction”.
These are the kind of things my clients learn when working with me – to be healthier, happier, more productive and keep their weight down, so contact me “here” or email jackie@age-drop.com to learn more about how I can help you look fabulous, feel fantastic and love the body you are in!
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