your best sleep ever!
FIND OUT HOW
UNLIKE most things that can boost our health, good sleep cannot be bought.
That’s why it’s so frustrating to lie there counting sheep.
That said, there are simple steps you can take to make sure you get your best night’s kip ever.
Some you will have heard before, but others are a little more pioneering.
The first thing you need is peace and quiet.
Use earplugs, or a sound machine that turns out pink noise (it’s much better than white noise).
You also need a quiet mind, so put the day to bed a few hours before you – which means no screens, work, worrying, reading or chatting for 45 minutes before you turn in.
Darkness is important for sleep so make sure you cover up any internal sources of light and use blackout blinds or heavy lined curtains to keep light out.
Next, your bed can be warm, but the bedroom needs to be cool – around 16 to 18C.
The body needs to lose heat, mainly through the head and face, so make sure they are not covered up.
Maybe consider sleeping in a separate bed from your partner.
If that’s not possible, buy as big a bed as possible – sleeping in a standard double bed means that two adults each have less space than a child in a single bed. Try to avoid eating big meals or boozing just before bedtime.
Headaches caused by dehydration, your body giving off excess heat as it burns calories, plus the need to visit the bathroom will all impact on your sleep.
Experts are all fairly unanimous in their advice to ditch the tech before bed. But some gadgets can really help you.
The Somnox Sleep Robot fits naturally against your chest and simulates a calming breathing rhythm which you will subconsciously mimic to bring your body to a state of relaxation.
You can also treat yourself to a set of thermo-regulating sleepwear to help you maintain a snooze-friendly body temperature, like those from Dagsmejan.
And you can even buy yourself a “gravity-defying” bed from Levitex! It uses foam technology, backed up by scientific research and evidence, to create the feeling of floating on air.