Sensible and Practical Sleep Tips to Make the Most of 2015 Down Time

Trying to improve the quality of your sleep is a luxury usually only affordable for adults without children.

But sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan at Silent Night, believes it’s just possible for everyone to make positive changes to poor sleep quality.

“The New Year is the perfect time to look at your sleeping patterns and try to develop new habits,” she says.

“A lack of sleep can affect many different aspects of our lives, but a few simple steps can change this. Try some of these tips to improve the quality of your sleep, both in the New Year and throughout 2015.”

According to Silent Night, 79 per cent of adults aren’t getting enough sleep, causing knock on effects with health, relationships and work.

Dr Ramlakhan, recommends carrying out two to three of the surprisingly sensible and easily followed tips ever day for at least a month to gain long-lasting benefits.

Don’t skip breakfast – skipping breakfast or eating breakfast too late (an hour after your get up) suppresses the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone) and causes the body to produce stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. People who don’t eat breakfast never feel like eating so it’s a vicious cycle. Include protein in your breakfast to help to optimise melatonin production.

Drink enough water – not drinking enough water throughout the day causes dehydration and creates restless muscles and ‘scratchy’ sleep. Aim to drink two to three litres per day.

Get some rest – working or pushing yourself relentlessly throughout the day overstimulates your nervous system leading to that ‘tired but wired’ feeling when you get into bed. Take three to five minute breaks every 90mins throughout the day – move, close your eyes, eat something nourishing but most importantly, try to get away from technology. Your sleep at night will be deeper and more restful.

Reduce technology before bed – electronic devices overload the ‘working memory’ of the brain and leads to noisy thought-filled sleep. Aim for an electronic sundown of 60-90mins before getting into bed.

Don’t take emotional baggage to bed – write your worries or ‘to do’ lists down before going to bed and think of all of the small positive things that happened in your day as you drift off to sleep, let go, let go, let go…