What causes a bad night's sleep?
There are a number of things that can cause a poor night's sleep. For me, there are two types of poor sleep - unable to get to sleep and unable to stay asleep. I most commonly suffer with the latter.
The vast majority of people who struggle to get to sleep are probably suffering from an overactive brain prior to getting into bed. If our body is too busy digesting food, this is also something else that can prevent us from falling asleep. This along with not moving sufficiently throughout the day and lack of fresh air.
The most common reason for people waking in the night is because they overheat, which causes them to become uncomfortable and wake up. People also wake as they drink too much in the evenings and therefore find themselves waking up to visit the loo.
How can I improve my sleep?
Avoid blue light before bed
Scientific evidence has proven that too much screen time prior to bed is not good for those struggling to fall asleep, as it is a stimulant. Try putting your screens down at least an hour before bed to see if this helps.
Stick to regular meal times
Enjoy your meals throughout the day and don’t eat too late. Digesting food is better done upright, perhaps even when taking a gentle stroll. Avoid drinking gallons of water before bed. Most of us are often so busy during the day that we forget to drink and make up for it in the evening.
Develop a healthy sleep pattern
Plan your bedtime and spend an hour winding down beforehand by reading a book or taking a relaxing bath with natural oils such as lavender.
Try natural wool bedding
Make sure that you have breathable bedding so that don’t overheat and wake in the night. Wool bedding is thermoregulating and hypoallergenic, it’s also sustainable and natural, so it can help create the perfect microclimate for quality sleep. It’s scientifically proven that sleeping on or under wool leads to longer periods of restorative sleep.
Avoid caffeine
Make note of what time it is when you reach for coffee, tea or chocolate as all of these are full of caffeine. I normally try to have my last cup of the tea at lunchtime and if it gets much later I avoid it as It directly impacts my ability to fall asleep at a reasonable hour.