What is the answer to a perfect night’s sleep? This is a question that health professionals all over the world have been trying to answer for centuries, but sadly there is no magic fix. The quality and quantity (both are equally important!) of our sleep is affected by many different factors including environment, emotions, stress and anxiety, age, certain medications and diets. Lifestyles for Sleep vary from person to person, day, to day, but there are some general tips and advice to follow.
Why is sleep so important?
When we sleep it allows our bodies to rest, repair and regenerate. It gives us energy for the next day and has a huge impact on how we feel, both physically and mentally. Sleep impacts practically all areas of our health, including:
- Memory, learning, productivity mood and behaviour
- Immunological responses
- Metabolism and digestive processes
- Hormone levels, including sex hormones like testosterone and oestrogen
- Hunger (tiredness drives our hunger and satiety hormones, ghrelin and leptin)
- Skin
You may have heard the term “sleep hygiene” – this refers to our sleep and can be objectively measured in a clinic, although you don’t need a doctor to tell you when you’ve had a rough night’s sleep! It is recommended that adults get between 7-9hrs sleep per night for optimal health.
For more on how food impacts sleep, check out teh campaign blog: Eat, Sleep, Pilates! The Recipe for a Good Night’s Sleep
The Optimum Lifestyles for sleep
As well as improving our diets, we can also improve a number of lifestyle factors as these have a huge impact on sleep too. Some of my favourite tips are below:
- Set a digital curfew: try and disconnect from technology 1hr before bed to prevent exposure to stimulating blue/white light from TVs, laptops and cell phones
- Share the load: stress and anxiety are one of the top contributing factors to a bad night’s sleep. Try meditation or breathing exercises to calm the nervous system before bed or if you wake in the night
- Exercise regularly: if you can exercise outside, getting exposure to natural light will help to regulate the circadian rhythm. Avoid vigorous exercise before bedtime though as this will make you feel more awake!
- Sleep routine: creating and sticking to a sleep routine is important. Try and go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and avoid long lie-ins at the weekend. If you need to nap, limit these to 20mins
- Camomile, valerian, passionflower or tulsi tea – enjoy a small mug of soporific herbal tea before bed to help you relax and unwind
- Epsom salt baths – this contains the mineral magnesium which supports our nervous system. Soak in a warm bath for 20 mins after adding 2 handfuls of crystals to the water
The bottom line
Sleep is very personalised, and what works for one person may not work for someone else. Some of the recommendations may also involve an element of trial and error, so don’t be discouraged if your sleep does not improve immediately – give it a chance and keep going until you find something that works for you.
