We all know how important sleep is for repairing and healing our bodies, boosting our wellbeing and immune system, and making us feel fresh and alert.
The recommended amount of sleep to leave us feeling replenished and ready to jump out of bed in the morning is the full eight hours, but many people struggle to get this on a regular basis.
If you’re having trouble with tossing and turning at night, then we’ve got some helpful advice for you – there is a special five-part technique you can try out which can help send you off into a deep sleep.
10 HOURS BEFORE BED: NO MORE CAFFEINE
You should stop drinking all caffeinated beverages 10 hours before bed. This will give your body enough time to eliminate caffeine from the bloodstream.
3 HOURS BEFORE BED: NO MORE FOOD OR ALCOHOL
‘This will help you avoid heartburn (gastric reflux) and interrupted sleep. Alcohol might make you feel sleepy, but it impairs your natural sleep cycle and interrupts valuable deep sleep,’ Ballantyne says.
2 HOURS BEFORE BED: NO MORE WORK
As you get closer to bedtime, stop all work, such as checking emails, taking phone calls, and planning for the next day. If you don’t, your brain will be active and very much awake when you lay your head on the pillow.
1 HOUR BEFORE BED: NO MORE SCREEN TIME SO TURN OFF PHONES, TABLETS, COMPUTERS
To give yourself a better chance of drifting off easily, then switch off your electronics an hour before sleep. The blue light emitted from their screens is stimulating and can keep us awake.
‘Spend the final hour reading real books, talking with your spouse, meditating, taking a bath or enjoying “other” activities in the privacy of your bedroom — but do not use your iPhone or tablet, unless you want to stare at the ceiling for another hour,’ Ballantyne suggests.
0: THE NUMBER OF TIMES TO HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON IN THE MORNING
How much good is that extra five or 10 minutes in the morning really doing? Ballantyne suggests that if you find you’re snoozing a lot in the morning, then try to go to bed earlier. This will make getting up in the morning at the first sound of your alarm much easier.
