The importance of getting high-quality sleep, and enough of it, is something that we hear about a lot, whether that’s from family members, educators, colleagues, or healthcare professionals. Discourse covers all the benefits of having healthy sleep habits, from increased energy and better moods to speedier recovery from injuries and illness, but how can we actually make ourselves sleep better?
If you’ve ever spent hours laying awake at night waiting to drift off, then you know how helpless you can feel at times when all you want to do is sleep, but it just won’t happen. What you might not know is that developing healthy sleep habits begins long before bedtime, and there are a lot of different steps that can be taken to create a sleep strategy that works for you.
How Much Sleep Do We Need?
Most adults in Australia need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. You might be thinking that this is just to ensure you go into each day with as much energy as possible, but there’s a lot more to it. Did you know that not getting enough sleep can exacerbate or lead to health-related problems? Sleep problems are a risk factor for a number of chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and coronary heart disease. If you are impacted by any of these illnesses or think you may be at risk of developing them, then speaking to a healthcare professional is critical. Along with their recommendations and treatment plans, implementing healthy sleep habits can support your body, keeping you as happy and healthy as can be. Be sure to take a look at our blog post for more information on “How much sleep do you really need?.”
Here, we’ll share some of our favourite tips for better sleep and how to set good sleep habits in place.
Stick to a Routine
You can employ all the tricks you want to try and improve your sleep, but without a good sleeping routine, it’s unlikely that you’ll be successful in the long run. Developing an evening or bedtime regime is a great tool to let your body and mind know that it’s time to wind down.
Taking it easy
Even on busy days when staying on schedule isn’t doable, working through the same few tasks before hitting the hay will subtly tell your system to prepare for sleep. This should start after dinner time, and can include small tasks like reading, showering, going through a skincare regime, or having a few minutes of quiet time. When practised consistently, going through the motions of a routine will train your system to know when it can begin to let go.
Reduce screen time
Screens are a normal part of everyday life, but the blue light from screens can negatively impact sleep quality. Not only this, but when we’re looking at screens, it usually means that our brains are switched on and processing information, which can take a while to relax from. This is why many experts recommend cutting out screen time and putting all devices down at least 30 minutes before going to bed.
Consistent sleep schedule
Our bodies run on a circadian rhythm (a natural 24-hour cycle), so sticking to a schedule around this is the key to staying on track with things like sleep. This means that although sleeping in on the weekends can be tempting, maintaining the same sleeping and waking hours is paramount to healthy sleep. So no matter what day of the week it is, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time to train your body into a healthy sleep routine.
Limit naps
For many people with busy schedules, taking an afternoon nap helps them to perform at their best throughout the day. If this works for you, then stick to it, but consider implementing a strict time limit. 20 minutes is the ideal nap length, and it’s best taken in the early afternoon to prevent any knock-on effect at night.
Set the Scene
It isn’t called “sleep hygiene” for nothing, and having a clean and tidy bedroom is just one of the habits you can adopt to achieve this. Your sleep environment can have a big impact on your overall well-being, with tidy spaces lending themselves to a feeling of calm.
Sleep-only space
The first step to creating an ideal sleep space is to designate the area for sleep only, not for lounging, phone scrolling, or TV watching- something a lot of us are guilty of. By using your room only for sleep, you’re telling your brain that that is the sole purpose of the space, which will, over time, have your brain sending sleepy signals to your body when you’re in it.
Temperature control
There are a few other things you can implement in your bedroom to optimise it for sleeping, aside from just keeping it tidy. 18.3° is the ideal room temperature for sleeping, so start by setting your thermostat to this and see how it feels. If you give this a try and find that it isn’t quite comfortable for you, play around with it by a couple of degrees and find what works best for your body. If you’re a hot sleeper, check out our guide on the “Essential Tips and Solutions for Hot Sleepers.”
Invest in your sleep
High-quality products can make or break your comfort while you sleep, so consider investing in pillows, doonas, and sheets that will help you stay comfortable throughout the night. At Tontine, we have a wide range of high-quality bedding to suit all sleepers, including temperature control quilts for the summertime, mattress protectors and toppers. If you suffer from allergies, then anti-allergy pillows are a worthwhile investment to prevent irritation caused by allergens in your sleep environment.
Calm your senses
Natural light helps to regulate our circadian rhythm but this is only half of the journey to healthy sleep. Darkness tells our bodies to produce melatonin, the chemical needed to induce sleep, which is why sleeping in a dark room is the best way to help yourself sleep well. Installing blackout blinds is an ideal solution if your room is disrupted by outside light, or if you prefer to go to sleep earlier before the sun has fully set.
Control Your Intake
Healthy eating habits translate to healthy sleeping habits, so your food and beverage intake is something you should be mindful of if you want to have better quality sleep.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant, and drinking this too close to bedtime will likely have you tossing and turning. Drinking caffeine has a number of health and sleep implications, increasing the time it takes to fall asleep, and also reducing sleep quality by around 7%. Whether you get your caffeine hit from coffee, energy drinks, or soft drinks , you should aim to have your last sip around lunchtime so that your body has enough time to process it before bed.
Alcohol
You wouldn’t be alone in thinking that a small drink before bed will help you get to sleep easier, and having a ‘nightcap’ is common practice among a lot of people. However, drinking alcohol might make you feel sleepy and help you to doze off quicker, but it has a negative effect on the quality of sleep you’ll have. So if you want to sleep more soundly, maybe give this a pass the next time it’s offered.
Cut-off times
Going to bed hungry is never a good idea, but neither is going to bed full. Eating and drinking right before hitting the hay can lead to indigestion, a boost in energy levels, and nocturia; the need to get up and use the bathroom throughout the night. To avoid these, it’s best to have your last meal at least 2 hours before bed, and only drink liquids as you need them from that point on.
Get Started
We could talk for days about different ways to develop healthy sleeping habits, but you won’t know what works for you until you try! There’s no time like the present to treat yourself to new top-quality bedding, so take a look at our extensive product ranges to find the right product that’ll help you drift off in style.
Explore our other informative blogs on our sleep centre, or contact us today for more details and support.
