March is Sleep Awareness Month, and this always brings lots of publicity around sleep and more importantly, sleep quality.
We are encouraged to consider taking a look at our mattress and whether it needs replacing. The environment of the bedroom and our overall sleep patterns.
Sleep Awareness Month is the perfect time to take a look at simple changes you could make to improve your sleep.
A number of organisations are actively promoting good sleeping habits and awareness throughout the month including World Sleep Day on 13th March with the theme ‘Sleep well, live better,’ and the European Sleep Research Society promoting Sleep Awareness Month to coincide with this.
The campaign’s message is ‘Good nights start with good routines.’ Focussing on promoting healthy bedtime habits particularly for children, but of course everyone can benefit from good routines and sleep habits.
What simple steps can you take to make your sleep better quality and more beneficial? We are all well aware of aiming to keep away from our screens whether phones, tablets, television or the computer, for at least an hour before going to bed. Many people find even this simple step helps them get off to sleep better.
Having the bedroom the right temperature is also key. An ideal temperature is around 16-18°C. When body temperature naturally drops towards the evening, the body is getting ready to sleep. This helps us naturally produce the sleep hormone melatonin. Too hot a room can make us restless and unable to relax, too cold can delay us falling asleep. If you are very sensitive to light, it might be useful to use curtains with a blackout lining to block out more light. Others find waking up with natural light a gentle and relaxing way to start the day. What works for you?
Many people find a warm, but not hot, bath with essential oils such as lavender can help set them up for a good night’s sleep. Relaxing music and especially natural sounds such as the waves crashing on a beach, or the sound of the wind can help others drift off. As always, it is finding what works best for you and also understanding that with changes in the seasons as natural light, your sleep pattern can change slightly and you may need to adjust your routine.
If you enjoy drinking coffee but don’t sleep well, try to limit your intake of coffee in the late afternoon and evening.
Your diet can also have an impact on your sleep. Coffee is well known for being something that can keep us awake due to the caffeine content, be aware that tea and green tea also contain caffeine. A smaller amount than coffee, but if you are very sensitive to it, the amount in tea can be enough to contribute to you not sleeping well. Also remember that energy drinks and cola drinks can be a source of caffeine too. Try to reduce your caffein intake from around 3 pm each day to help you be more relaxed by bedtime.
Milk naturally contains the amino acid tryptophan which is a precursor to 5HTP which in turn makes serotonin. A neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and produce melatonin. Some people find a warm milky drink useful to have in the evening. If you are avoiding dairy, oats are a natural source of magnesium and an extract of oats known as Avena sativa has traditional been used to support healthy sleep.
Herbal teas such as chamomile and lemon balm are also worth trying. You can also find some good herbal blends of calming herbs in a tea bag format that can make an ideal evening drink.
Sometimes you need to think about why you are not sleeping, it might not just be the environment of a hot bedroom or too much screen time. Are you stressed or anxious during the day. Is your mind so busy that you can’t switch off once you go to bed? Are you dehydrated through too much coffee or alcohol during the day or evening? Increasing water intake during the earlier part of the day can be very beneficial.
How you are during the day can impact how well you sleep. Consider stress levels and hydration during the day and assess their impact on your sleep.
Getting overwrought and stressed during the day can have a massive impact on our sleep. If this sounds like you, taking a B Complex supplement in the morning or at lunch time can be helpful B vitamins contribute towards the reduction of tiredness and fatigue as well as supporting normal psychological function. However, as they play a role in energy production, some people find they can contribute towards keeping you awake at night or give you vivid dreams. So do try and take them no later than around 4 pm. Once taken regularly, you may find you are more balanced during the day and therefore sleep better.
A good companion supplement for the B Complex is magnesium. Again, supporting psychological balance and reducing tiredness, Magnesium is important for muscle health and can be helpful if your muscles are tense or you suffer from cramp. Best taken in the evening to help set you up for going to bed.
We hear a lot about how important a healthy gut microbiome is for a good digestive system, but it can impact other areas too. Not only would digestive discomfort contribute to not being able to sleep well, our friendly bacteria can also play a role in serotonin production and signalling. This is an important pathway for mood regulation and other psychological processes.
Creating a health digestive microbiome could involve taking a friendly flora supplement and also eating fermented foods regularly such as kimchi and kefir.
A good night’s sleep has so many benefits. Your overall wellbeing can be improved by sleeping well, take the time to consider how you can improve your sleep quality.
Getting a good night’s sleep has so many benefits, not just waking up feeling refreshed, research suggests it helps our weight management, our moods and cognitive function and the body’s ability to repair and rebuild. So this March, take some time to make your sleep habits as good as they can be and take a look at your diet and supplement regime to maximise the benefits. Sleep well!
