“A good night’s sleep starts with good habits during the daytime. Try to make time to do some regular exercise every day, since this will help your body have more deep sleep at night. Don’t exercise too close to bedtime though, or you might be too hot to sleep.”
Dr Lyndsay Browning
Create a routine
A consistent approach and regular bedtime will help your body start to listen to sleep cues. Parents use this method for preparing babies and young children for sleep with a warm bath, fresh pyjamas and bedtime story as steps leading up to ‘lights out’. Think about what routines might suit your lifestyle and allow your body to wind down for a good rest.
Before you get into bed
A popular idea is to have a stretch and meditate before bed. Make it a gentle stretch rather than a fully-fledged high-energy jump around, which would of course have the opposite effect to winding down. Turn the lights down low, breathe deeply and let go of your worries from the day. A recorded guided meditation can help if you don’t know where to start.
Regular timing for sleep
It doesn’t necessarily matter what time you go to sleep, but aim to head for bed around the same time each night to get yourself into the habit of being ready to rest. It might take a little while to get into a routine that your body is prepared for, but consistency is key.
Relaxation
Listening to music is one method many people use to prepare for sleep, while for some an audio book is guaranteed to lead them to the Land of Nod. Experiment with a few different subjects and playlists to see what works best for you. Switch it off before you go to sleep or set the audio to switch off automatically after 25-30 minutes so that it doesn’t wake you up again.
Getting up at the same time
If you wake up feeling like you’ve had a terrible night’s sleep, it’s not always the best idea to stay in bed as it can sometime create a knock-on effect for your next night’s sleep. Get up, get moving and do your best to prepare for your night-time routine that evening. If this is a problem long-term, you may need a different approach and some help from a professional.
Good sleep habits – expert tips
We’ve been speaking to Wokingham-based chartered psychologist, neuroscientist, author and sleep expert Dr Lindsay Browning about healthy sleep habits you can start with as part of a move towards improving your health.
These are suggestions for those who have the occasional sleep problem. If you’re having a long-term issue with lack of sleep, you may want to see your GP as a starting point for more in-depth help.
“A good night’s sleep starts with good habits during the daytime. Try to make time to do some regular exercise every day, since this will help your body have more deep sleep at night. Don’t exercise too close to bedtime though, or you might be too hot to sleep. Also, ensure that you leave the house to get some daytime light exposure every day, as this will help your circadian rhythm to know the difference between day and night, boosting your melatonin production at bedtime. Open the curtains wide as soon as you wake up and have a morning cup of tea in the garden or take a lunchtime stroll to get lots of light exposure.”
On the subject of caffeine, Dr Browning adds: “Caffeine has a six-hour half-life, meaning that six hours after you last had a cup of tea or coffee, half that caffeine will still be in your system, keeping you awake. If you struggle to fall asleep you may want to replace caffeinated drinks with decaf from about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. If you find that you are really struggling, you may start worrying about your sleep during the day and becoming increasingly anxious as night-time draws near. Try not to put pressure on yourself to ‘have’ to sleep well tonight, as that is likely to make things even worse.”
These are suggestions for those who have the occasional sleep problem. If you’re having a long-term issue with lack of sleep, you may want to see your GP as a starting point for more in-depth help.
Dr Lyndsay Browning, Wokingham, https://troublesleeping.co.uk/
