Sleep MORE weigh LESS!

Don’t crash diet

If you’re eating fewer than 1,200 calories per day, as some diets recommend, there’s a good chance you’ll go to bed hungry which will naturally play havoc with sleep, so you’ll tend not to lose weight in the long run. Our diet is around 1,400 calories per day, which is high enough to ensure you don’t go hungry, but low enough to help you lose weight.

Embrace variety

Any restrictive diet which cuts out food groups could mean you miss out on nutrients vital for good quality kip. For instance, low levels of calcium (found in dairy) and magnesium (in dark green veg, nuts and seeds) are linked to poor sleep, as both these minerals are natural relaxants. Low iron can trigger restless leg syndrome and a deficiency in the B vitamin folic acid, found in wholegrains, may lead to insomnia.

Similarly, people deficient in vitamin C (found in fruit and veg) or selenium (typically in nuts, meat and fish) have been shown to sleep for fewer hours per night.

Our diet is packed with fruit and veg, wholegrains, low-fat dairy, nuts, fish and lean meat to ensure a varied supply of vital nutrients.

Skip coffee completely

Experiments show that caffeine actually stays in your system for up to 12 hours, which means the effects of that 11am latte could linger until 11pm.

Avoiding caffeine for just one day, on the other hand, can improve sleep quality that night, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. This goes for chocolate and tea too.

Tuck yourself in with tryptophan

This is an amino acid which helps to induce sleep. Good sources of tryptophan include: eggs, meat, seafood, nuts, yoghurt, milk, oats, bananas and beans. Our diet is packed with these foods.

Eat no later than 7pm

It’s best to eat your evening meal around three hours before bed as this will optimise your levels of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin in time.

Eating late at night, on the other hand, increases the blood flow to your digestive tract, causing your stomach to secrete more gastric acid and making your intestinal muscles work harder.

This stimulates your body’s metabolic systems at the very time when you want them to be slowing down for sleep.

Avoiding late meals also reduces your chance of suffering from acid reflux which can be a serious sleep disrupter.

Avoid (nearly all) booze

At first, alcohol induces sleep, but if you indulge in more than one or two small drinks you’re probably in for a fragmented night. One study pinpointed that booze increased slow-wave deep sleep during the first half of the night, but increased sleep disruptions in the second half of the night. This is why, after a heavy night out, we often find ourselves crashing straight to sleep but then waking in the small hours. For the first two weeks on this plan it’s best to avoid alcohol. After that, one small glass of wine every other night is the limit. Sticking to this will cut lots of calories too.

Get the right water balance

Research shows a direct correlation between your hydration level and the number of hours of kip you get. Aim to drink around 6-8 glasses of water a day. But if you often find yourself needing the loo in the night, it’s best to avoid liquids for three hours before bedtime.

Have a magnesium bath

Most of us know that a relaxing bath before bedtime can help get us in the mood for sleep, but by adding the muscle-relaxing mineral magnesium you can supercharge your soak’s snooze power.

Magnesium deficiency has been linked to insomnia but not everyone can absorb the mineral effectively from their diet, so getting it through your skin is a great way to boost your levels. Add some magnesiumrich Epsom salts (from most pharmacies) or Healthspan Magnesium Flakes Bath Soak (£11.95, healthspan.co.uk) to your tub tonight.