How did you sleep last night?
Is that “do to” list keeping you awake, tossing and turning or did you sleep like a baby and wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start the day.
Not everyone finds getting a good nights sleep easy and having had a few weeks of really poor sleep, I can’t tell you how refreshed I feel this morning after the best nights sleep. It’s the best medicine for sure!
It’s so important rest is for your body and mind and it’s one of the first things we discuss when I first meet my clients. Now I know I’ve shared my top tips for better sleep before but the programme that Ruth and Eamon shared recently has again reignited that conversation about how well we do or don’t sleep and what we can do about it..
Here are some of the best reasons to get more sleep:
Improves your memory
Extends your life
Boosts your creativity
Strengthens your immune system
Reduces your risk for depression
Improves your physical performance
Sharpens your attention
Reduces your stress
Helps your body heal itself
Helps you lose weight
Makes you more alert
The list goes on and on…..
So whether you wake up mid way through or have trouble getting off to sleep, try these top tips to a better, peaceful nights sleep, start feel happier and healthier – NOW!
Turn off the television, laptop, and mobile phone at least 1 hour before bed.
Read fiction before you go to sleep. They allow you to absorb the information, whilst relaxing at the same time. Work or no-fiction books pre-occupies the brain as you try to interpret the information.
Have a pad by the bed if you wake with that nagging thought of needing to remember something in the morning, write it down and you’ll get straight back off to sleep.
Aim to get to bed & to sleep by 10.30pm each night. It amazing how good you feel after a good solids night’s sleep!
Try to reduce the stress in your life – I know it’s easier said than done!
Dim the lights! Literally! Aim to have a completely blacked out room, it will make all the difference.
Get your daily dose of Vitamin D and fresh air – aim to get outside for at least 30 minutes each day, regardless of weather.
Eat a banana before bed, a piece of fruit 1 hr before bed will stimulate I-trytophan, which in turn helps to secrete dopamine, which REALLY helps sleep.
Take a bath – add some magnesium oil or salts. It’s a fabulous relaxant and has the added bonus of being beneficial to every cell in the body. The secret is bone health not calcium as most people think.
Consider your diet. Reduce the caffeine, salt, sugar and alcohol in your diet and you’ll be amazed at just how well you will sleep. The jet-lag feeling has vanishes and the “fog’ clears!
Finally, a tidy room and lovely bed linen makes a huge difference. Nothing quite as gorgeous as new bed linen and a fresh room to help those zzz’x come easily.. My favourite company for bed linen is the White Company – bedroom goals right there. Well, let’s be honest – house goals! Their products are totally gorgeous. I always open all the bedroom windows in the morning for at least an hour, even in winter, to make sure the air is clear and room is fresh.
Try one or a combination of these for an amazing nights’ sleep where you will wake up with phenomenal energy ready for the day ahead, including increasing the intensity of your workout, perfect!
A good nights’ sleep will leave you feeling refreshed AND you wouldn’t have the feeling of “need to survive” on caffeine.
Try these tips tonight and let me know how you get on.
Sleep well!
PS If you’d like a call to help you get started on your health, fitness and well-being journey as you’re not sure where to start – simply hit reply and let’s book a call. I’d love to help x
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