Consistent good sleep can have a profound impact on our mental health, in addition to our physical health. Sleep expert Matthew Walker says that ‘Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day’.

But it isn’t that simple. We are all familiar with those nights when sleep just isn’t happening. And we are all familiar with how hard it feels the following day.

As more and more people are experiencing poor sleep and feel stressed about the thought of another bad night’s sleep, we need to start prioritising our ‘sleep hygiene’, which can improve our sleep quality. This can ensure we get the right amount of restorative rest that our bodies and minds need, in order to regulate our hormones and reduce stress and anxiety.

Sleep hygiene is the concept of keeping your routine and environment for going to sleep, consistent and regular so that you are in the best position to have a good night’s sleep.

Reduce screen time

• Limiting screen time before bed - turn your screens off at least 30 mins before going to bed. As well as reducing the bright light (more on this later), you will begin to wind down your mind, and start to get into the relaxed state that is needed for sleep to occur. Try and use an alarm clock rather than your phone so that if you wake in the night and check the time, you’re not engaging your brain in anything that may increase your stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol).

Calm your mind down

• Stay away from the news before you go to bed - consuming stressful information before you go to bed can give you a surge of adrenaline / cortisol which will impact on your sleep, so try to give yourself time to wind down your mind before bedtime. Equally we tend to feel more stressed / anxious in the morning, due to a surge of cortisol within the first hour of waking, so whilst it’s tempting to reach for your phone first thing in the morning, it is better for your anxiety to consume news once your cortisol has had a chance to decrease.

• Ensure important tasks or thoughts have been noted down, so that they don’t stop you winding down your mind and getting into a relaxed state. Some people find keeping a notepad by their bed helpful to note down any important thoughts that come to mind in the middle of the night.

Stay cool

• Reduce the temperature of your bedroom - our body temperature drops at night, so keeping our bedrooms cooler is a way to help this process along. Having a shower or a bath before bed can also get your body temperature down, which encourages sleep.

Exercise early

• Don’t exercise too close to bedtime - exercise raises our adrenaline and cortisol, which keeps you alert rather than relaxing you. If you want to exercise before going to bed it’s better to do something gentle, and complete vigorous exercise at least one hour before going to bed.

Quit the coffee

• Be mindful of your caffeine intake, especially before bed. Caffeine stays in the body for quite a few hours after consuming it - and while everyone’s response to caffeine differs, be aware of how it affects you and set yourself a ‘caffeine curfew’ so that you allow plenty of time before your last cup of coffee and going to bed, to minimise the chances of the caffeine keeping you awake.

Declutter

• Tidy your space where you sleep. Research shows that decluttering your bedroom promotes good sleep. It is thought that a cluttered room clutters your mind, whether you realise it or not.

Turn the lights down low

• Reduce the amount of light in the room - bright lights impact on melatonin production, which is the hormone that facilitates sleep. Try using a sunrise alarm clock or a dimmer switch / lamp so that the light you do use is more calming.

Keep consistent habits

• Keep your sleep routine regular and consistent as much as you’re able to - this means going to bed / waking at a similar time every day and prioritising sleep - even when it’s tempting not to.

Sleep hygiene practices are individual - what may work for you won’t work for someone else and sometimes it’s trial and error to find what works for you. Be patient and stick with it.

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