Tips for a better nights sleep: My struggle with sleep has been with me all of my life, as a child I hated going to bed and I would do anything in my power to distract my parents so that I could get an extra half an hour downstairs. It’s something I’m still working on, I still can’t sleep on aeroplanes, public transport, if I’ve got exams, if I’m particularly stressed and so on.  Its not until moving to Australia, getting a bit older (i.e no more clubbing) and seeing the beauty in getting up early(ish) that I’ve really tried to work on my night routine to get those all important zzz’s that my body has been craving.

Diet and exercise has played a massive part in this and I thought I would share with you some of my tips for getting a successful nights sleep (or at least better than a few hours)

• I know I’ve said this before but create a nice space for you to sleep in. It doesn’t have to cost the earth, it might just be changing that bright orange curtain, or giving the room a fresh lick of (neutral, calm) paint. Make your bed nice and comfy with fresh sheets, pillows and blankets. Light some scented candles.
• Plan on going to bed at a certain time. If you are anything like me 10 pm quickly turns into midnight thanks to the internet (and online shopping!). I like to give myself at least an hour to get ready for lights off!
• Enjoy winding down in a leisurely manner: i.e: have a shower, wash your hair, take off your make-up, moisturise etc.
• Limit your caffeine intake after midday. This is probably easy for me to say because I don’t drink coffee and I don’t really need more than two cups of tea in the morning. However, if you are a coffee lover maybe just try and push the last coffee of the day back to 3pm.
• Nourish yourself. Eating well will work wonders for your metabolism, skin, hair, nails, eyes, digestive system (the list goes on) and of course sleep!!  Think no refined sugar, limited caffeine and alcohol, plenty of oily fish, fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Digital detox after 7/8pm. Give that phone and laptop a little rest. Constantly being in front of technology means we are getting exposed to blue light which disrupts our circadian rhythm and keeps us alert and awake for longer. Also, on a personal level….if someone desperately needs you they will call you. That e-mail or instagram status can wait until the morning.
• Find something relaxing. It could be reading, colouring, listening to music, meditating and so on and try and spend 30 minutes on this before sleeping.
• Plan for the next day. Usually for me this will involve a workout at 6/7am, if I know this is in my schedule then I am more likely to commit to it. Perhaps you want to start getting up earlier for other reasons, so a nice morning walk could be on your agenda or that lovely yoga class you keep on meaning to get to.
• Organise your things for the following day so you know you are ready with gym clothes, work clothes, breakfast and so on.
• Soon enough this routine will become more of a way of life and you’ll be feeling the benefit in no time.

Obviously, we all have nights out or late dinners and that is absolutely fine. This is something I like to adopt on ‘school nights’ to make myself more alert and fresh on a daily basis.

Enjoy x x

Wearing: Missguided Active