How can you improve the quality of your sleep?

Sleep is one of the most important ‘pillars’ of wellbeing. I would arguably say it is the most important. When we sleep, we:

1. Restore and repair tissues, muscles, and other cells that have been damaged during the day.
2. Convert short-term memories into long-term memories. Getting enough sleep can help us retain information more effectively and improve our ability to learn.
3. Re-energise and support our immune system function, which is responsible for fighting off infections and diseases. Lack of sleep can weaken our immune system and make us more susceptible to illness.
4. Get swole! Ok, during sleep, our bodies produce hormones like growth hormone, which is essential for growth and development.
5. Simply, sleep is also important for our mental health. Getting enough sleep can improve our mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and help prevent mood disorders like depression.

This is great, but so many struggle with either getting to sleep or staying asleep. So, here are my top tips to dialling in your sleep:

1. Set a sleep reminder. This is like the morning alarm clock that wakes you up, however, we set it to notify us to start getting ready for bed. I would recommend you set this for no less than 1 hour before the time you wish to be in bed.
2. No screen time ideally two hours before bed, but at least no less than one hour. Screen time will keep us alert, active and awake, preventing us from winding down (circadian rhythm).
3. Blue light blocking glasses on two hours before bed. Let’s block out that junk light that keeps the brain alert and firing. We want to start winding down and relaxing.
4. Do not drink caffeine (coffee, black or green tea) after 3pm (earlier for some people). These stimulants have a half-life that will still impact you as the night rolls on.
5. Avoid eating big meals and eating too late. We want to rest and digest, but not rest and digest a 1kg tomahawk steak. Eat lite and eat clean.
6. Lavender oil on your t-shirt, pillow or even the soles of your feet. Lavender has amazing calming properties and helps with dropping into a relaxed state.
7. Magnesium at night-time. Magnesium is a great natural offset to cortisol and aids in deeper sleep. There are many types of magnesium out there, but Magnesium Threonate is reported to be the best for sleep.
8. Binaural beats. If you are still struggling to get to sleep, then download a binaural beats app that has a frequency for deep sleep. Binaural beats change the brains frequencies to encourage relaxation and sleep. In essence it changes our state.

I am sure there are many more, but this would be what I class as my ‘go to’ of sleep hacks. When we are well rested we are healthy, we are happy we are able to focus and be productive for longer. The great thing about the suggestions above, are that you can travel with them. So if you find yourself on a plane a little more than normal at the moment, be sure to pack and prep your sleep aids.