“One hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after.” - Old proverb

Sleep isn’t just something you do when you can’t keep your eyes open at the end of the day it is absolutely vital to good health.

Whilst you’re dreaming the night away your body is hard at work and sleep is actually an important part of your body’s healing and detoxification process.

Lack of sleep impacts on all aspects of your health. So, if you experience any health symptoms you’d rather not have, getting a full eight hours of sleep every night could make the world of difference.

These seven simple strategies for better sleep can help you to get more, and better quality, sleep.

1 - Go to bed earlier

It’s often said that an hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours after so aim to be in bed by 10:30 for maximum benefits.

If you’re currently a night owl try going to bed earlier, maybe just go 15 minutes earlier than usual to start off with and slowly adjust your bedtime over time.

2 - Don’t overeat at dinner time

Your body shouldn’t be digesting food whilst you sleep. This diverts energy and other resources away from the healing and repairing tasks that should be taking place during the night. Eat a light meal in the evening with plenty of vegetables. Heavy, stodgy foods and animal protein take longer to digest than lighter plant-based foods.

3 - Don’t eat too late

Don’t eat dinner within two hours of bedtime. As well as thinking about how much you eat it’s also a good idea to eat earlier if possible. If you eat your meal close to bedtime, you’ll have the same issue of digesting your dinner whilst you’re sleeping.

4 - Avoid alcohol in the evening

Alcohol has a detrimental effect on the quality of your sleep so although you may not have been awake all night the kind of sleep you get after drinking alcohol is far from restorative. Alcohol puts a strain on your digestive organs, particularly your hard-working liver, so drinking alcohol in the evening means your body has to work extra hard during the night and you won’t wake feeling refreshed.

5 - Have device-free time before bed

Switch off electronic devices at least an hour before bed. The blue light from phones and tablets impacts on your body’s melatonin production and can affect your ability to sleep. This is true for TV screens too so consider low tech activities such as reading instead.

6 - Avoid caffeine after noon

The half-life of caffeine is around 5 or 6 hours. This means that after drinking a cup of coffee half of the caffeine is still in your system, playing havoc, after 5 or 6 hours So even if you have no problem getting off to sleep you might not be getting the restorative sleep you should be if your body is still dealing with your 3pm latte.

7 - Meditate

If you haven’t already tried meditation, I’d definitely recommend giving it a go. The health benefits of meditation extend well beyond a good night’s sleep.

Listen to a few different meditations to find one that you like. Listening to a meditation if you find the voice or accent irritating won’t be a relaxing experience. There are lots of apps with free guided meditations so finding one that works for you is easier than ever.

Why not combine some or all of the above to create an evening routine to help you wind down before bedtime?

If you follow this same routine each night your body will soon learn that this is the time to prepare to sleep and you should find yourself sleeping like a baby.

Do you need support?

If poor sleep quality is impacting on your health, and your success, and you’d like to understand how you can better support your body in a gentle and natural way with simple food, lifestyle and mindset changes, please click here to drop me a message so we can arrange a no obligation chat.