Sleep Hacks

---

Simple tips for a good night’s sleep

We all want high quality sleep, and yet many of us find ourselves tossing and turning hours after we’ve hit the pillow.

To help you out, we’ve rounded up some of the best sleep hacks for you to try, to help you curl up under the covers and nod off at night.

Read a book before bed

One of the best and most renowned sleep hacks is to turn down the lights and snuggle up with a good book. Reading helps facilitate sleep by forcing you to remove yourself from electronic devices – items designed to keep your mind visually stimulated – and into a relaxed activity. So, next time you’re struggling to get to sleep, try picking up one of those books on your bedside table. It might just be the thing to help.

Set a regular bedtime

Setting a regular bedtime for yourself and actually sticking to it, can be extremely beneficial. Not only can it help you physically, it also has some strong psychological benefits. When you consistently go to bed at the same time each night, your mind begins to recognise that it is time for you to start unwinding and relaxing at that time. It also helps your brain adjust its levels of serotonin and melatonin, and helps balance your circadian rhythm out.

Turn off the electronics

One of the best sleep hacks for today’s digital society, is to keep all devices (phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) out of your bedroom at night, removing any temptation for a late night Instagram check or Netflix binge session.

Numerous studies have found that the blue light from these electronic devices disrupts your brain’s ability to begin relaxing for better quality sleep. They also keep you engaged for longer, thus reducing your ability to properly relax before bed.

Try and ditch the screens about an hour before you go to bed, so that your mind can unwind properly, and give your body the best chance at getting the quality sleep it needs.

Cut out the caffeine

We’re all guilty of downing some caffeine at one point or another, whether it’s in our tea, coffee, or even out of chocolate. However, if you want to make sure you go to sleep as soon as possible, try and cut caffeine out of your diet towards the end of the day. Studies indicate that cutting it off after 3pm helps to improve your quality of sleep, and the time it takes for you to get to sleep. So, if you want to try something to help you nod off in record time, try ditching that late evening cup of coffee, and see what happens.

Keep your room cool

Years of scientific research have found that your body temperature is key when trying to get to sleep, as it naturally drops when you start to nod off. Therefore maintaining a cool, but not cold, temperature in your room is essential. Have you ever felt sleepy coming out of a hot bath? This is thanks to your body’s temperature dropping. Try putting a fan in your bedroom or opening window to keep cool air circulating.

Invest in some blackout curtains

If you’ve got light pollution seeping in through the cracks in your curtains, such as your neighbour’s backyard spotlight, the streetlamps outside, or car headlights beaming in at 1am, then it might be worth investing in some solid blackout curtains. If you’re already struggling with the quality of your sleep, all of that extra light will make it even harder. Blackout curtains are a great preventative measure, as they’ll make sure your sleep is longer, better and less likely to be disturbed.

Meditate

Meditation has been commended as a kind of ‘cure-all’ for many common physical and psychological ailments. In this case, it’s being unable to go to sleep. Meditation allows you to calm your restless mind and focus on slow, rhythmic breathing, which helps make sleeping better. If you are new to meditation, there are a heap of apps out there that can help guide you through.

Eat a healthier diet

Research has found that increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, and pulses can help dramatically improve your sleep and the time it takes for you to go to sleep. This is thanks to enhancing your levels of magnesium, potassium, and other essential minerals that your body needs.

Try some yoga

If you’re down for exploring something a little differnt, then why not try doing some yoga to help relax your body and get yourself to sleep in record time. Certain sequences such as ‘Salute to the Moon’ are designed to be slow, gentle movements that promote a feeling of relaxation, which can help to relieve any bodily aches that might be keeping you up at night. Yoga gets a lot of attention for its health benefits, and research shows that it may just be the answer to your sleepless nights too.

Drink some warm milk

Sometimes the old wives’ tales actually turn out to have some surprising truth in them. For example, the old adage about drinking warm milk to help you get to sleep, actually turns out to be a beneficial hack for anyone struggling to get some Z’s in at night.

While it was originally considered that the tryptophan (a substance found in milk) was the reason for this, there has been ongoing debate over the actual effectiveness of this in aiding sleep. However, psychologists have considered that drinking warm milk may instead have an unconscious psychological effect, and that it relates to the childhood experience of breastfeeding and the comfort associated with it.

So, next time you’re struggling to get to sleep, why not ditch the boozy nightcap and give some warm milk a go instead.