Drift Away: Methods To Get That Good Night's Sleep You Really Need!

When was the last time you had a good night's sleep? Can you even remember? Sleep has been deemed one of the least important things, way down on the list in comparison to keeping up to date with your social media and the latest shows on Netflix. And in the Western world, sedentary illnesses like obesity have increased massively. We are staying up later, and we are staring at our mobile phones more than we are getting a good night of slumber. Research has now shown that if you sleep two hours less than the recommended 8 hours a night over a period of two weeks will make you as fatigued as someone who has been awake for forty-eight hours! If it doesn’t need to be said already, having a good night’s sleep is one of those most important things for your health. These are a few ways to make sure you get that good night’s sleep:


Reduce The Amount Of Light In Your Bedroom
Before the invention of lamps, we went to sleep when it went dark. Reducing a number of distractions in your bedroom can begin by making it so dark that you cannot see your hand when it is right in front of your face. So, either try blackout blinds or sleep masks to get the desired effect. (I have to be honest and say this is one aspect I can never achieve because I'm scared of the dark, ridiculous I know, but I bought a dimmable bedside lamp so at least I can vary the brightness.)


Make Your Bedroom Comfy
If you are not in a comfy bed, how can you relax into a wonderful night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed? There are many little things that can help you improve the quality of your sleep. If you sleep on your left side as opposed to your right has many health benefits, for example. But if you get a nice comfy bed with the right accessories, such as goose feather and down pillows, and a mattress with breathable material. Don't forget the blankets now it's getting colder.


Take Your Clothes Off!
If your body is cooler, you will get a better quality of sleep. If you are overheated, you won’t be able to get into a deeper state of sleep. So, keep your body cooler than 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 Centigrade) to help the body regulate the melatonin levels. Another method to cool your body down is to have a cold shower around two hours before going to bed. Not only are there numerous health benefits to cold showers, such as clearing out your lymphatic system. But it reduces your cortisol levels (the stress hormone) which will prepare you for sleep.


Make A Bedtime Routine For Yourself
With things like mobile phones emitting blue light, it is a lot harder for our bodies to fall asleep and stay in a good quality of sleep. A great way to combat this, apart from not using your phone an hour before bed is to make a bedtime routine. If you think back to when you were a kid, having a nice bath before getting tucked in and having a bedtime story read to you was all you needed to help you drift off. Well, as an adult you can do the same. But why don't you add into the mix a nice herbal tea such as chamomile? And instead of being read to, you can get cosy with a good book?

These are just a couple of ideas on how you could improve your ability to get a good night's sleep, and if you find you're still having issues, why not try a sleep tracker like the S+ which I reviewed here.


Let me know if you have any tips of your own!

Stay safe, and sleep well! x