Your head hits the pillow, and you close your eyes and poof, you’re asleep. If only it was that simple, right? While for some lucky few, sleep comes easily, our recent study revealed it takes over 41% of 18-34-year-olds more than 30 minutes to drift off. Perhaps they’re doing something differently? Here are the five best and worse things to do before bed and how they can help you sleep better.

What are the best things you can do before bed?

Let’s start with how to do things right. Here is a list of three things good sleepers tend to do before bed that can help you fall asleep faster and wake up more refreshed:

1. Enjoy a hot bath

If you need a good reason to indulge in a warm tub of bubbles, research suggests they could help you snooze better. Hot water helps to increase your body’s temperature and drop again before you go to bed. According to a study, this can make you fall asleep faster by up to ten minutes. Add some Epson salts and lavender to your bath for extra sleepy benefits, and make sure you’ve got some soft, fluffy bamboo bath towels ready to dry off before you hit the hay.

Now you know the things to do before you hop into bed, check out this list of things to avoid. And why these sabotaging sleep habits can make it harder to get the recommended 7-9 hours that keep you feeling your best.

Why are certain habits before bed detrimental to sleep quality?

Falling into bad sleeping habits can reduce the quality and length of your shut-eye, taking its toll on your well-being. For example, going to bed early or drinking late at night can deprive you of the rest you need to stay healthy. Over time, these bad habits can lead to sleep disorders such as insomnia. It is important to be aware of how your habits are affecting your sleep quality in order to make the changes you need to improve your rest. Here are a few of the worse culprits;

1. Scrolling Instagram

Many of us are guilty of constantly scrolling our phones all day. With emails, social media, and all those TikTok videos, taking time away from our screens can be the ultimate challenge. Though avoiding blue light at least two hours before bed can not only make it easier to fall asleep, it can also improve the quality of your shut-eye. Try leaving electronics outside the bedroom and swapping those Instagram stories for a good book or some pillow talk with your partner. You will thank yourself when you wake up in the morning.

Setting a healthier sleeping routine does not have to be overwhelming. Here are a few snooze-friendly tips to get you started;

• Decide on a bedtime you can stick to- Aim to get to bed at the same time every night. This starts with setting a realistic time of what works for you giving you enough time to relax between finishing work and hitting the hay.

   

• Avoid bad sleeping habits- If any of the bad habits above sound familiar, make an effort to reduce them by swapping them for healthier alternatives.

   

• Get enough movement- Regular exercise can help you sleep better. Studies show that getting enough daily movement can reduce the time it takes you to fall asleep. A great reason to get those 10,000 steps in.

Creating your perfect bedtime can take trial and error. When it comes to rest we are all very different, from how firm we like our mattress, how many hours we need to our favourite sleeping position. Whether it’s allowing yourself more time to unwind, enjoying a bath or treating yourself to breathable bedding. Small adaptions to your sleeping habits will lead to a better night’s kip and far brighter mornings.

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Sleep is vital for maintaining good physical and mental health – getting just an extra 60 minutes of sleep per night will make you feel so much better in yourself. So when you’re struggling to sleep, it can feel frustrating. It definitely has an impact on your mood, memory and day-to-day abilities! Reaching for prescription sleeping tablets can be tempting, but these often come with negative side effects: natural sleep aids are a fantastic alternative, helping you sleep more soundly without any damage to your body.

How important is sleep?

Your body needs sleep for many reasons – resting gives you a chance to heal aches and pains, and sufficient sleep helps prevent health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. If you get a good night’s sleep, you’ll see an improvement in your mood; not only that, but you’ll notice an improvement in your cognitive function. Your memory and recall will improve, and you’ll function better at work.

On the other hand, sleep deprivation is terrible for our health. A lack of sleep can lead to health conditions, such as those above, alongside kidney disease and obesity. You won’t be able to function as well as you could, meaning there is an increased risk of accidents, and you’ll perform poorly in daily tasks. Mood swings and depression are common in people who struggle to sleep, and your immune system is naturally lower when you’re not getting enough rest. As you can see, sleep is incredibly important!

What are the most common sleep problems?

There are many problems which come alongside trying to sleep. For example, being too hot or cold at night can put the brakes on a good night’s slumber – as can sharing a bed with somebody who snores! Restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea are examples of diagnosable medical issues which prevent you from drifting off, along with narcolepsy, bruxism (grinding your teeth), and of course, insomnia. These are some of the most common sleep problems plaguing the population and keeping us up at night – insomnia being the most common. It is thought to affect 1 in 3 people in the UK alone!

What are the most common causes of insomnia?

The chronic inability to sleep is known as insomnia; about 10% of the global population suffers from medically diagnosed insomnia. Experts aren’t sure exactly what causes the problem, but there are some common causes to consider…

Genetics

Insomnia can be a genetic issue; these sleep problems are known to run in families. Your genes affect how much sleep you need to function well, so it isn’t too surprising that insomnia can be a hereditary issue!

Lifestyle factors

Your lifestyle can also stop you from being able to drift off. Excessive alcohol and caffeine consumption will keep you awake for hours – and a lack of exercise will also make it harder to sleep.

What are the best natural sleep aids?

There are definitely some ways in which you can improve your chances of a good night’s sleep without resorting to the use of prescription sleep aids. With plenty of natural options available, you should be sleeping soundly in no time. Some of the best natural sleep aids include:

• Lavender (scented candles lit for a while before sleeping, oils in a diffuser, or a scented pillow spray for example)

• Valerian root (available to make as tea to drink before bed)

• CBD (to be taken in gummy form or as an oil which you can drop underneath your tongue)

• Melatonin (available in gummy or capsule form, as well as present naturally in the body – foods like chicken, turkey, and pumpkin seeds will enhance production)

All of these natural sleep aids are available to purchase in supermarkets and health food stores. They are much better for you than prescription drugs, with fewer side effects.

Some other natural sleep aids come from switching up your bed and bedding. Making your bed more comfortable will help you fall asleep quickly (and stay asleep!) at night. Adding a bamboo mattress topper to your bed, for example, is more affordable than buying a new mattress, but it truly increases comfort levels. By helping to align your body and support you as you drift off, you’ll notice a difference. Picking up some breathable bamboo bedding, which is softer than silk and just as luxurious as cashmere, will also help you maintain the perfect comfort levels all night long!

Sleepy Girl Mocktail: A Trendy Natural Sleep Aid

In the realm of home remedies and wellness trends, the Sleepy Girl Mocktail has emerged as a popular choice for those seeking a natural aid to enhance sleep quality. This non-alcoholic beverage, which combines 1/2 cup of tart cherry juice with a tablespoon of magnesium powder, topped off with a fizzy drink like sparkling water, has been lauded for its potential sleep-inducing properties. The key to its appeal lies in its primary ingredients: tart cherry juice and magnesium. Tart cherry juice is a natural source of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating our sleep-wake cycles, while magnesium is renowned for its relaxation benefits, often used to alleviate muscle tension and stress.

When these elements are combined in the Sleepy Girl Mocktail, they create a drink that not only promises to soothe the body into a restful state but also offers a refreshing taste, especially when enhanced with optional additions like elderberry syrup, ginger-lime soda, or ice cubes infused with lemon and berries. Despite its growing popularity, it’s crucial to approach this bedtime concoction with a balanced perspective. While each ingredient individually supports sleep, the overall effectiveness of the Sleepy Girl Mocktail in improving sleep has yet to be validated by clinical studies.

Moreover, those considering this mocktail should be mindful of dietary restrictions and potential health implications, particularly when introducing supplements like magnesium powder into their diet

How can changing your lifestyle lead to better sleep?

There are many lifestyle improvements you can make to encourage a better night’s sleep. For the most part, they’re pretty simple too. Reducing alcohol and caffeine is a great way to feel healthier in general – and it can also help you sleep more soundly. Eating better and exercising more will help, too, as will getting into a good bedtime routine. Doing the same thing each night before you get in bed will show your brain that it’s time to drift off!

And finally, having less screen time in the evening is key. Tablets, phones, laptops and TVs emit a harsh light that can cause disruptions in the melatonin surge needed to help you sleep. Turning them off around 2 hours before you go to bed is easier said than done for many of us, but it really will help. Instead, read a book or play a board game.

Getting a good night’s sleep is so important to protect your mental and physical health – and with the natural sleep aids and lifestyle changes suggested in this article, you’re definitely on the way to sleeping much better. Sleep hygiene is crucial too! Hopefully, with all of this advice, you’ll be drifting off before you know it…

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