7 simple yet effective ways to get a restful night’s sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is hugely important for our overall health and wellbeing. 

Getting enough sleep means our body has time to rest and rejuvenate after a long day, which helps to improve our cognitive function, mental health and physical performance. 

Not only do we need enough sleep, roughly 7-9 hours, but this sleep should be uninterrupted and fully restful. 

While you may struggle to get a restful night’s sleep, we’re here to share our top 7 tips to help ensure you are catching some good Z’s once your head hits the pillow. 

Create a routine 

Set up a wind-down routine for yourself to teach your body when it should be getting ready to sleep. Whether that involves a bath before bed, getting into comfy pyjamas or doing some meditation as you get ready to climb under the covers, stay consistent with a schedule to slow your body and mind down so you can sleep soundly.

Avoid screen time 

Spending time scrolling on your phone or browsing on your laptop right before bed is one of the worst habits to get into if you want to have a peaceful night’s sleep. The bright light from your screen will trick your mind into thinking it’s earlier than it is. We all know how easy it is to get distracted on TikTok or YouTube and before you know it, it’s 1am and you're tossing and turning in bed. Try reading or doing breathwork exercises as an easy way to calm down before sleep.

Limit naps 

Taking short naps in the afternoon can be refreshing and helpful to give you a boost in order to carry on with the rest of your day. But avoid taking really long naps or naps in the evening as this can affect your sleep and make your body not feel tired when it really should.

Avoid stimulants 

Try not to have coffee or energy drinks before bed as they can really disrupt your sleep due to their caffeine content. Instead, enjoy a cup of warming green tea or sleepy tea to help you conk out. Make sure not to have the tea too late as it may increase your chances of waking up during the night to use the bathroom.

Stay active during the day 

Make sure you get your body moving during the day to help your overall wellbeing and mental health. Doing physical exercise can help promote a better night’s sleep as you will already feel tired by the time you get to bed because of keeping active during the day. Getting outside in the natural daylight will also help teach your body clock when it needs to be active during the day and when it needs to rest at night time. 

Make it comfy 

Make your bed as comfortable as possible so you look forward to getting into it after a long day. Make sure the room is dark and a good temperature for you to sleep in. Aid your sleep in any way you can by using white noise, wearing an eye mask or having a hot water bottle to make sleep more enjoyable for you.

Only associate your bed with sleep

With many of us still working from home, it is too tempting to stay in bed and work there all day but this will confuse your brain and body to not know whether it should be active and working or restful to sleep. Others that do go out for work and jump into bed to watch TV or eat dinner are also creating a bad habit, meaning your brain won’t know when it should shut off to sleep.