Ten Great Tips for A Good Night’s Sleep

All too often, when we can’t sleep, it’s because something that we’ve done - or haven’t done - in the hours leading up to bedtime is interfering with our ability to doze off. The more steps we can take to ensure that our bodies and minds are ready for sleep, the more likely we are to fall asleep quickly and easily and have a restful and refreshing night. 1. AVOID CAFFEINErn Most people know that coffee before bedtime can cause wakefulness because of its caffeine content. But there is caffeine in other drinks as well - tea, hot chocolate, cocoa and soft drinks (especially those marketed as ‘energy drinks’) all contain it, as does coffee flavoured ice-cream and bars of chocolate. Not only does caffeine wake you up by increasing your alertness and raising your heart rate and blood pressure, but it can also result in you having to get up in the night because it makes you produce more urine. Unfortunately, the effects of caffeine can last for over six hours, so if you’re particularly susceptible, you may want to restrict yourself to decaff tea or coffee or, better still, fruit teas, in the late afternoon and evening. 2. AVOID SMOKINGrn Nicotine affects the body in much the same way that caffeine does and its effects, too, can last for several hours. If you smoke and you can’t give it up altogether, try not to smoke in the evening. And if you’re in the process of giving up, could it be your nicotine patch that’s keeping you awake? You may want to remove it an hour or two before you go to bed. 3. EAT SENSIBLYrn If you go to bed hungry, you will have difficulty getting to sleep. Make sure you’ve had enough to eat in the evening . . . but not too much. If you load your stomach at night, your digestive system will still be working hard when you go to bed. But to sleep well, your whole body needs to be relaxed. 4. CHANGE YOUR LIGHTINGrn It has been discovered that blue light makes us more wakeful, whereas pink light is soothing. It is now possible to buy light bulbs that cut out the blue component. And if you watch television (a powerful source of blue light) in the evening, special tinted spectacles are available. 5. GET THE TEMPERATURE RIGHTrn If you’re too warm or if you’re cold, it can prevent you from falling asleep. Exercise raises your temperature, so avoid doing anything too vigorous in the three hours before bedtime. 6. REDUCE YOUR STRESS LEVELSrn Listening to music or meditation can be a great way to wind down. If stress is a real problem, you might want to consider using a biofeedback technique or doing yoga. If specific things are troubling you, write them down and then shut the list in a drawer overnight to show your subconscious that you can put them out of your mind until the morning. 7. HAVE A WARM MILK DRINKrn The calcium in milk is a muscle relaxant. And another constituent prompts the brain to produce the chemical serotonin, which makes you feel sleepy. 8. GET THE RIGHT CLOCKrn A clock with a loud tick can keep you awake. And one which you can see in the dark can tempt you to keep checking the time . . . which will just make you anxious about the fact that you’re still awake. 9. BED IS FOR SLEEP - AND SEXrn Once you’re in bed, don’t read, talk or watch TV. Your mind needs to be able to associate the bedroom with sleep, not with activity. Fortunately, sex is OK because the body’s response is to feel drowsy afterwards. 10. DON’T WORRY ABOUT SLEEPING! The more you worry about not being able to sleep, the worse the insomnia is likely to become. So try not to worry. Accept that, for the time being, you’re not sleeping well, and tell yourself that it will get better in due course.