09/11/2020
S L E E P
Everything from increasing your learning capacity to how well your body recovers from exercise and how hungry you are, can be shaped by your quality of sleep.
The recommended amount of sleep for an adult is 7-9 hours, sleeping less than this over long periods of time can be detrimental to your health.
How can you get a better nights sleep? 💤
Get outdoors 🌳
Even though our bodies internal clock isn’t directly controlled by light and dark, light promotes your brain to produce hormones related to sleep, studies have shown direct correlation between time spent outside and peoples quality of sleep.
Avoid screen time late at night 📺
The blue light that comes from screens, will block the hormones your body needs to sleep and stop you feeling sleepy when you’re meant to. Try and avoid your phone for at least 30 minutes before sleep.
Find a wind down 🧘🏽♀️
It can be easy to sit scrolling insta or Tik Tok late into the night, but try and find an activity which helps you switch off and doesn’t involve a screen. Read a book or listen to a podcast to help you relax.
Caffeine ☕️
Caffeine is a stimulant which messes with your body’s internal clock, this tells you when it’s time to wake up/go to sleep. Caffeine can stay in your body for up to 5-10 hours, so having it earlier in the day will reduce how much it affects your sleep
Alcohol 🍷
having a glass before bed might seem like a great idea to knock you out but don’t be fooled.. it will affect how much REM sleep you get which is when all the benefits of sleep happen.
Wake up/go to bed at the same time 🛌
that internal clock loves a routine, which is why when you change time zones, jet lag sets in and you feel rubbish. Try and go to bed at the same time every night, and wake up the same time each day.
Exercise 🏃🏽♀️
Research hasn’t found an exact reason why exercise helps you sleep better, but it has been shown to improve quality of that important deep sleep we all need and stabilise mood
Magnesium
Magnesium is essential for health as it impacts hundreds of reactions in the body. It has been shown to help prepare your body for sleep as well as increase your quality of sleep too. We can get a lot of magnesium from our diet, but supplementation may be beneficial for sleep.
Create a routine 📖
Creating a wind down that makes you feel sleepy and some deep breathing to help your body relax will help prepare you for sleep and give your body cues that its time to sleep
Avoid drinking too much 💦
Now I’d love to tell you there was a really serious sciency reason behind this….. but getting all comfy and sleepy and realising you need to p*e isn’t the one
