Sleep. It's something we all need. During sleep our cells are repairing, our muscles are rebuilding, hormones synthesize, and our brains undergo a process called “consolidation”. This basically is when our brain sorts through our short-term memories (what recently happened), and figures out what can be discarded and what needs to be stored as long-term memories. Getting a good night’s rest will improve concentration, productivity and maximize athletic performance. A good night’s sleep can leave you feeling rested, restored and ready for the day. As a mother, I definitely have struggled with sleep deprivation. My son gets up before 6.30 am (sometimes as early as 4 am!) every single morning. While my morning routine for my family is well established and flows effortlessly and my son has a bedtime routine, I realised I don’t have a bedtime routine for myself. And this Mamma is tired! So in an effort to get a better night's sleep, I decided to give myself a bedtime routine too. I did a bit of research and I’ve been testing different ideas to improve the quality of my sleep. If you or a loved one are struggling to get a decent night’s rest the following tips could help to naturally improve sleep quality…

Tips for better quality sleep

• Natural light exposure is fundamental for human beings. The daily rhythm of your body starts in the morning, so get outside for half an hour in the morning.

• Light exposure is equally important in the evening. At the end of the day close the curtains, turn down the lights. Turn off or minimize technology use. If you are using technology wear blue light glasses. Sleep in a dark room and/or wear a sleep mask to bed.

• Temperature matters. For a good nights sleep, a slightly cooler room (15.6 to 19.4 degrees celsius) is best. Having a lower body temperature when you fall asleep and improve the quality of sleep. Likewise, if you struggle to wake up and in the morning a hot drink to warm up your body can help to lift your temperature and get you going for the day.

• Exercise in the morning. People who exercise in the morning experience deeper sleep, have more efficient sleep cycles and sleep longer than those who exercise in the afternoon or evening.

• Your body doesn’t go into a deep sleep if it’s working hard processing. Have your last meal and drink of alcohol for the day three hours before bedtime.

• Consider your own unique circadian rhythm. There are morning larks; those who tend to wake up earlier and go to bed earlier. Night owls; are those who wake up later and also go to bed later. Hummingbirds; are the people who have neither tendency to wake up or fall asleep earlier or later. Not sure what you are? Click here to find out.

• Take time to wind your body and mind down before bedtime. This could look like having a cup of tea, journaling, meditation, listening to soothing music/sounds, cuddling with your loved ones, doing yoga or taking a relaxing bath in essential oils.

• Adults need on average 7.5 hours of sleep a night, some need more, and some need less. The part of your sleep cycle you’re in when your alarm goes off in the morning will affect how you feel when you wake up. To test how much sleep you actually need count back 7.5 hours from the time you want to wake up. Make that your bedtime and see how you feel when you wake up. If you feel like your need more sleep go to bed earlier, or if you wake up feeling fresh go to bed later. Maybe your ideal quality sleep is 8 hours, maybe you function well with just six hours. Test it until you figure out what is best for you.

Which tip for improving your sleep are you going to try? Leave your tips for getting a good night's sleep below, and if this was helpful to you please share the blog post!

Sweet Dreams.

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