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5 Tips for Better Sleep

5 Tips for Better Sleep

Posted by Emma Nolan on 23rd Mar 2022

Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you refreshed and alert when you wake up. What you do in the time leading up to sleep can determine how feel when your head hits the pillow. That’s why a regular evening routine is essential! Having a routine means that your brain will automatically go in to wind down mode and begin to prepare for sleep.

Below are some steps which you can involve in your night-time routine to have a great sleep every night.

1. TrueDark Glasses

TrueDark’s aim is to optimise your exposure to harmful blue light, day or night.

The circadian rhythm is an internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Varying amounts of blue light are required to keep your circadian rhythm aligned with the rise and fall of the sun. This blue light is needed to promote either wakefulness or sleepiness. However, the majority of people are over exposed to blue light which can suppress the body’s ability to produce melatonin, which negatively impacts your sleep. Introducing TrueDark glasses into you daily routine can help to avoid exposure to junk light and therefore improve your sleep. There are options for blue light blocking during the day (TrueDark Daylights) and also at night (TrueDark Twilights). The amount of blue light blocked will vary depending on the colour lens chosen, varying from 34% to 98%.

Shop the range here

2. Supplements

For those that find it quite difficult to get to sleep there are some supplements which may help. We have created a list of our favourite sleep support products below:

OSI Magnesium Body Lotion + Melatonin and OptiMSM

A unique formula made of 250 million years old ŐSIMAGNESIUM Oil, which delivers a large dosage of magnesium into the body by penetrating the skin, Melatonin for better sleep, OptiMSM for better absorption and joint support.

Pukka Night Time Capsules

An organic night time herbal blend including Valerian & Ashwagandha

Life Extension Enhanced Sleep without Melatonin

Enhanced Sleep without Melatonin contains bioactive milk peptides and a proprietary blend of ashwagandha and amla (Indian gooseberry) extracts.

Nordiq Nutrition Night Complex

A calming formula designed to help you achieve an optimal rest state by including magnesium and L-Tryptophan alongside synergistic soothing botanicals, such as hops and Montmorency cherry.

Shop our sleep support range here

3. Night-time tea

Relax, unwind, grab a good book and enjoy a nice cuppa!

A nice cup of warm tea or cacao can also send you into that relaxed state. My personal favourite is the Pukka Night-Time tea, which contains chamomile, lavender, and valerian root. It is key to avoid anything that contains caffeine close to bedtime (I would say at least 4 hours before). More options for a soothing bedtime drink are Four Sigmatic Cacao and Reishi and also Organic India Sleep tea. Another tip I found works for me is banana tea. The skins of bananas have a high magnesium content, which can help support sleep. To make a quick banana tea simply boil some water and put the banana skin into the water. Leave to sit for 10 minutes, pour into your favourite mug, and enjoy.

4. Mindfulness

Journaling

Winding down and clearing your mind before bed can result in falling asleep faster and having a deeper sleep. The main reason people find it difficult to get to sleep is because their thoughts keep them awake. It always seems that as soon as you get into bed it’s a great time for your mind to go into overdrive. These thoughts could be about something that happened that day or will happen tomorrow or even something that happened a year ago. I cannot recommend journaling enough if you are one of these people. Journaling is a simple way of getting those thoughts out of your head and onto paper instead. Take 5-10 minutes every evening to write down anything you have felt throughout the day whether positive or negative and also three things you were grateful for that day. After doing this you should feel a weight lifted and getting to sleep should so much easier.

Yoga

Yoga is another mindful activity which you can do before bed to help relax. Yoga involves slow movement and a lot of focus on the breath, this will slow you down and bring you into the present moment. This doesn’t need to be a long session either 10-20 minutes depending on how much time you have.

5. Bath

Taking a bath before bed has long been known to help improve sleep, 90 minutes before sleep is the ideal. There are two main reasons why this may be the case. The first is that a bath is a very relaxing and calming experience, helping you to destress and relax. I would definitely recommend adding some BetterYou Magnesium Sleep Flakes in there too. These bath flakes have been expertly blended, incorporating lavender, to help slow sensory activity and quieten the mind. The second reason a warm bath can improve sleep is because afterwards our body temperature will drop resulting in melatonin production, and this can induce better sleep. So why not have some you-time and have better sleep too!

Just remember your evening routine shouldn’t be something that causes you stress, it should be something you look forward to doing every night (I know I do!). Above are just a few tips for improving sleep, however it doesn’t mean you need to follow all of them. Pick and choose what works best for you and add your own ideas too!

In health,

Emma