Is there anything dreamier than the idea of a good night’s sleep? Many of us long for undisturbed eight hours: the kind that’s so deep and restful, we wake up refreshed, rested and ready for the day. However, today’s busy modern lives and an excess of digital disturbances means that disrupted sleep is, for many of us, a reality, playing havoc with our health and well-being.
Poor sleep, whether self-imposed or caused by a chronic condition such as insomnia, snoring or sleep apnoea, can have drastic short- and long-term side effects on your emotional well-being and body health. In fact, an irregular sleep pattern has been linked to everything from poor work performance and relationship problems, to serious health conditions such as heart disease and weight gain.
We are, however, waking up to the problem. Our growing awareness of the importance of sleep quality and wellness, is now becoming a priority. However, with such a growing problem, sleep treatment can be overwhelming– via trackers, teas, tablets, eye masks, sprays, natural sleep remedies and sleep mouth guards. How then, do we make the correct informed choice, specific to our individual needs?
Before anything else, try following the basic rules of sleep hygiene:
1. Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Keeping your routine consistent effectively trains your brain to start releasing and alerting factors at the same time each morning. It also alerts natural sleep cues such as melatonin at the same time each night. This makes the process of falling asleep easier and more efficient for you, leading to better sleep overall.
2. Wind Down
One to two hours before bed, avoid any screen (smartphones, laptops, iPads, etc.) that give off blue light, which stimulate our brains. Instead, try reading, meditating, taking a warm bath, or doing some light stretching. Doing this, helps trigger a relaxation response that will reduce anxiety, decrease stress, and lower blood pressure.
3. Stay Comfortable, Cool and Dark
Having a cozy, dark sleep environment greatly helps improve your sleep routine. Invest in a quality mattress, make sure your pillows are comfortable, install blackout blinds and keep the room at an optimal 18 to 20 degrees.
4. Introduce a Balanced Diet
Prioritise a diet of well-balanced of whole foods, as well as incorporating ingredients that naturally foster sleep, such as melatonin-boosting bananas, or incorporate a chamomile herbal tea, as it aids digestion and calms the nervous system.
If troublesome sleep persists, you may want to seek help from a sleep specialist, specifically one that offers a multi-speciality approach.
Auckland Sleep boasts a collective of experts who specialise in eight different domains of sleep health. This team of eight different specialities under one roof provides an unparalleled multi-faceted approach, which helps you achieve better sleep health, simply.
Get in touch with the friendly Auckland Sleep team to find out how they can help you.