I often lay in bed wide awake just hoping to nod off but struggling to do so. Then I have a feeling of dread knowing I have a busy day at work ahead of me the next day and I will be drained and find it hard to focus. Other times I wake regularly throughout the night, so wake up exhausted each morning.  This article looks at how you can improve your sleep hygiene so you can finally get the right amount of sleep.

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

It is recommended that you get between seven and nine hours sleep a night. So if you are achieving less than this than evidently you need to make some changes and fast. My nights are disturbed and my energy levels are always very low. Not getting enough sleep is linked to developing more health issues so its very important to get it resolved quickly.

Sleep Space

When it comes to sleeping, your sleep space is definitely the number one place to start.

Sleeping in a cluttered mess can really impact you sleep because it can make you feel more stressed. Recently we have changed our bed for a Sherwood Bed from Simba. It’s a higher bed than the one I was using previously, which means I now have space for storage boxes tucked underneath it. The bedroom is looking much tidier. I have less distractions after that much-needed decluttering. I feel calmer when its time to go to sleep.

Along with your bedframe, ensuring you have a good quality mattress is essential. That might be a firm or soft mattress that meets your preference, whatever feels most comfortable for you. But for us all it should always be one that helps to keep you cool. That should always be what you have that in mind when you are picking your ideal mattress. You are more likely to wake repeatedly in the night if you are too warm, so its worth bearing that in mind!

An issue we had in our room is the amount of light that comes in through our blinds in the morning, especially now the clocks have changed. By simply updating your blinds to either black out blinds or curtains can really mean you can enjoy your sleep until your alarm clock wakes you. Without a dark room the pineal gland will not be stimulated and you will not produce as much melatonin.

Routine

For me my routine is rather hectic. Often I will go to sleep nearer and nearer midnight and then wake up 3 or 4 times in the night after watching the latest series on TV. I have found that making small changes over time can really help with sleeping. Recently I have changed my sleep habit to ensure I go to sleep by 11pm, with no TV for 30 minutes before I sleep. The blue light from screens stops your body producing that all important melatonin which helps promote sleep.

I still tend to wake up once in the night at around 4 am. However, I am quite quick back off to sleep and woken by my alarm. If you cannot go back to sleep there is no way to force it, but with small changes, like a comfortable room temperature and avoiding screen time before bed you should sleep for longer.

Ideally you want to be getting your full seven to nine hours. This is my aim but bringing my bedtime in line slowly so it should help you keep on track for the long term.

Relax

When it comes time to head to bed, try to limit your time on devices for better sleep. Pick up a book and read a few pages or tune into some of your more calming music that you have on your playlists. I always find listening to a few tracks before falling asleep to be beneficial.

When I was having a particularly bad time with sleeping, I also found have a warm bath with lavender oils really help ease me into a good night’s sleep. Additionally, take time to look at some mindfulness work you could do before bed. For me that takes the form of some mindfulness colouring in books. I have a stressful job and stress can play havoc with your sleep, so distractions that help you refocus on more positive activities is worthwhile.

Whatever your preference I think we can all agree we all could do with more sleep. Hopefully this sleep hygiene guide will help you to achieve a few extra z’s.