So recently I have been making my way through the book "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker, it's an interesting informative read and has definitely made me realise the importance of sleep.
Sleep can have a huge impact on our overall health, here are a few tips that could help contribute to getting a great nights sleep:
1. Unwind - leave time to unwind before bed, you could read a book, listen to music, meditate.
2. Sleep routine - try to aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
3. Caffeine intake - the effects of caffeine can take up to 8 hours to fully wear off. Caffeine in the late afternoon could make it harder for you to fall asleep.
4. Lighting - daylight can help with regulating your sleep pattern (circadian rhythm), wake up with sunlight or bright light and in the evening turn the lights down as you unwind and have darkness in your bedroom for the night time.
5. Temperature - in order for us to sleep our core temperature needs to drop by about 1°C so a cooler bedroom is recommended, the average optimal temperature for sleep is around 18°C.
6. Hot bath or shower - a hot bath or shower might help you to relax, when you get out the bath or shower you will have a drop in body temperature which can help you feel sleepy.
7. Blue light - light in the day time is beneficial but in the evening we want to avoid exposure to too much light especially blue light which comes from electronic devices such as your phone, laptop or television.
8. Exercise - regular exercise can help with a good nights sleep, however it is probably best to carry out exercise in the day time due to the stimulatory effects exercise can have, if you exercise later in the day try to do this 2-3 hours before bed so you still get chance to wind down.
Sweet dreaming!
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