Preparing for a good night’s sleep

Stuggling to get some zzz’s? Sleep has an important role to play to help us feel both physically and mentally well. But, when we struggle to get to sleep, stay asleep, or maybe we even sleep too much, it can have an impact on day-to-day life.

Here are some practical things you can do to set yourself up with some good sleep hygiene, which will hopefully lead to you getting some good quality sleep.

CREATE A BEDROOM YOU FEEL RESTFUL IN

This might mean tidying it up, opening a window for some fresh air, or just making the bed in the morning.

CREATE A NIGHTTIME ROUTINE

What you do in the lead up to when you go to bed can impact your sleep. When babies learn it’s time to go to sleep, their parents might read them a story, dim the lighting, and have some quiet music playing. Be gentle on yourself – like you would a baby. Have some time away from screens before you go to sleep. Maybe take a bath, read a book, listen to some relaxing music. Dim your lights throughout the evening, this will help your body know it is time to go to sleep.

WRITE DOWN YOUR WORRIES

Maybe you’e got lots of thoughts and worries going on, and are finding it difficult to relax? Write them down. Often writing our worries down can help to take them out of our mind, and quieten our thoughts.

SKIP THE CAFFEINE AND ALCOHOL

Both of these are stimulants. Often we can think alcohol can send us to sleep quicker, but it can impact us from getting good quality sleep – the kind of sleep that makes us feel restored when we wake up.

GET UP AT THE SAME TIME EACH DAY

Yes, even at the weekend! It can be so tempting to have a weekend lie-in, but your body will get used to getting up the same time every day and it then won’t feel so difficult.

GO OUTSIDE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING

Even just to drink a glass of water outside on your doorstep! Exposure to natural light first thing in the morning can help your body to get in sync with it’s circadian rhythm.

We hope you find these suggestions useful. Of course, we understand that some of these things might be too difficult to put into practice – if you are struggling and need support text HECTOR to 85258.