The gift every woman really wants… a good night’s sleep!

We all know how great we feel when we sleep well, and evidence is stacking up that the less kip we get, the worse the effect on our health. Here’s how to use the festive break to get to grips with your night-time routine and give yourself the best gift of

Get to grips with your night-time routine

When we go through our festive wish list, chances are many of us would place a good night’s sleep near the top. A recent survey found most of us would exchange anything from a hefty pay rise to a night of passion for a decent night’s slumber.

A massive 43% of us in the UK say we’re not getting enough sleep, with the majority of us managing fewer than seven hours a night. And, with fluctuating hormones, women are more likely to be affected.

The importance to our health of getting the right amount of good-quality sleep is now being understood following two decades of scientific research. Lack of sleep is linked to the development of just about every major disease, including Alzheimer’s, heart disease, strokes, diabetes and cancer. It can also lead to obesity and depression. One study found that an adult sleeping an average of 6.75 hours a night would be predicted to live only to their early sixties without medical intervention.

‘Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do for our health, wealth and wellbeing – even before diet or exercise,’ says neuroscientist Professor Matthew Walker, founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California.

How much is enough?

Forget what you might have heard about only needing six hours each night. Most mainstream research now agrees that eight hours of total sleep is the proper healthy amount for the average adult.

‘Knowing what sleep does is why

I give myself a non-negotiable eighthour sleep opportunity each night,’ says Professor Walker, author of Why We Sleep: The New Science Of Sleep And

Dreams (Allen Lane, £20). ‘Two-thirds of adults throughout all developed nations fail to obtain the recommended eight hours. Proper sleep is beneficial for us in myriad ways, nurturing our memory and learning, and boosting our immune defence, physical fitness and mental health.’

Professor Walker adds it’s a myth that older people need less sleep. ‘They appear to need just as much, but they are simply less able to generate that necessary sleep.’ He would like doctors to start prescribing sleep to patients. ‘Humans are the only species that deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent reason,’ he says.

Now we know how much sleep we need, and why, here’s how to make sure we get it…

Daytime preparation

What we do while we’re awake can really affect the quality of our kip.

Keep it regular ‘Pick a wake-up time and stick to it,’ says sleep expert Dr W Chris Winter, author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken And

How To Fix It (Scribe, £14.99). That includes weekends, when late nights and lie-ins will have an adverse knockon effect on your weekday schedule.

Get morning light Being outdoors in the morning stimulates the body’s 24-hour biological system, which regulates the sleep/wake cycle. Getting outside helps build up the sleep hormone melatonin, needed for a good night’s sleep. Aim for 20 minutes outside a day.

Office rules If you’re stuck indoors all day, make sure you’re close to windows. Employees exposed to sunlight through

windows have 46 minutes more sleep than those who work in an environment without natural light.

Exercise wisely People who exercise report better quality sleep, according to sleepfoundation.org. It also says the morning is the best time of day for a hard workout – one that speeds up your heart rate and raises body temperature. Gentle strength exercises and yoga can be done at any time of day.

Eat right The best time to eat your evening meal is two to three hours before bedtime to allow plenty of time for good digestion, says Rick Hay, nutritional director at Healthista. ‘Foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, sardines, nuts and

seeds, can help to decrease stress levels and lead to a restful night. Almonds contain relaxing magnesium, sweet potatoes are high in potassium, which assists with muscle relaxation, and tart cherry juice is great to drink before bed as it boosts sleep-promoting melatonin levels. Avoid sugary foods, as they’ll make you wake up more often, and steer clear of dinners high in saturated fat, especially those heavy on cheese or dairy, which make digestion sluggish and may disrupt the deep-sleep phase.’

Wind down…

Soaking in a warm bath really can help. The heat dilates blood vessels, which in turn makes your core body temperature fall.

To nod off, your core temperature needs to drop by about 1°C.

Aim to go to bed at 10pm.

Sounds too early? Studies show that owls (those who like staying up late) have a higher risk of ill health, including depression, cancer and heart disease, than early-rising larks.

Banish sleep enemies

Avoid stimulants No two ways about it, caffeine and alcohol can ruin your sleep. Caffeine taken even six hours before bedtime can affect sleep quality. Alcohol may help you nod off quickly but you’ll wake several hours later as the liver works to remove the toxins. Avoid both if you’re serious about sleep.

Cool it Turn down the thermostat on your heating before bed, as the optimum temperature for sleep is

18.3°C, says Professor Walker – but not too low, as anything below 12°C leads to poor-quality sleep.

Go dark Around an hour before bedtime, dim the lights and put your mobile phone away (its blue light mimics daylight and affects your body clock). Aim for complete darkness when you sleep.

Pets Sleeping with your dog in the room can actually help you sleep better, according to a report, but avoid letting it onto the bed, which can be a disruption. Cats wander around at night and find toys to play with, so you’re better off barring Tiddles from the bedroom.

Snoring partners The bane of many a woman’s life, but what to do? Earplugs are definitely worth a try. If snoring is chronic, get your partner to look into remedies. Otherwise it might be time for separate bedrooms!

Menopause help

Women need 20 minutes more sleep a night because they do much more during the day, according to a report. But fluctuations and changes in hormone balance during a woman’s life can play havoc with sleep patterns. The menopause and perimenopause (from around age 40) can cause huge disruption, with 61% of women reporting problems. The drop in levels of oestrogen and progesterone can produce hot flushes, which cause night-time wakefulness, and an increase in anxiety and snoring, leading to poor-quality sleep.

‘Sleep disturbances are very common in menopausal women, and if sleep problems were present previously, then they’re more likely to worsen around the menopause,’ says

Prima’s Dr Sarah Brewer. ‘Hot flushes and night sweats contribute to poor sleep, and as we age, the quality of sleep we get worsens, too. We spend less time in stage 4 (really deep) sleep with increasing age, so by the age of 70, most people get little or no stage 4 sleep at all. Sleep tends to be light and you may wake several times during the night but you may not recall this next morning and wonder why you feel unrefreshed.’

Dr Sarah suggests trying some traditional herbal remedies. ‘Valerian and lemon balm can help improve sleep quality,’ she says. ‘Black cohosh is believed to reduce menopausal symptoms through a direct action on the brain and can help to relieve hot flushes and night sweats. It can also improve sleep quality by reducing waking during the night.’

Night-time fixes

Still tossing and turning? Try these tips:

Temple massage Pressing the acupressure points in the temples can promote feelings of calm and relaxation, and is renowned for helping with insomnia. ‘With the index fingers, press on both sides of the temple for 20 to 50 seconds,’ says Danielle Collins at faceyogaexpert.com. ‘Then massage in a circular motion for 30 seconds.’

Gradual awakening In the dark winter months, it’s harder than ever to get up in the morning. ‘Leave your curtains open just a crack to allow any light to filter through’, says Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, sleep expert for Silentnight. ‘This prompts a natural awakening, leaving you in control of your alarm clock, rather than vice versa.’ Wear bed socks It may be a passion killer, but keeping feet warm can help you stay asleep, according to research. Love lavender The garden herb has been proven to relax the mind and so aid sleep. Pillow talk Remember when you were young and drifted off to a bedtime story? More than two million people have downloaded free bedtime stories from calm.com. Try Blue Gold, read by silken-voiced Stephen Fry.