Look and feel great Learn why quality sleep should be your main wellness goal, and how you can improve it tonight

Poor quality sleep wreaks havoc on your mind and body. Sure, you can survive periods of broken sleep and insomnia, but the long-term effects on your physical health, mental performance, productivity and happiness are considerable. So if there’s one thing you should work on in 2019, it’s your quality of sleep.

Why is good sleep important? When we’re asleep, our bodies get the chance to reboot and repair. Our brains are also at work consolidating memories and any new information we’ve learned that day. Poor sleep has been linked to weaker immune systems, depression, anxiety and weight gain – sleep deprivation is thought to cause higher levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates appetite, and lower levels of leptin, your natural appetite suppressant.

Sleep well and you’ll enjoy serious mind-body perks including elevated levels of concentration and productivity. Your energy levels also rise, so you’ll get more from your workouts.

What causes poor sleep?

Your diet choices from break of day to the end can affect how quickly you fall asleep, how long you stay asleep, and what quality of sleep you achieve. Sugar-laden breakfasts often lead to afternoon burnout, which creates a need for more sugar-loading to get you through the slump, leading to you being far too sugar-stimulated at bedtime.

A balanced breakfast of protein, good fats and complex carbs is better for sleep – think porridge with nuts, or an avocado and banana smoothie. Blenders can help, including the NutriBullet Balance (£149,

nutribullet.com), which measures, in real-time, each ingredient you place into the cup, toting up the sugar, calorie, fat and protein content of your smoothie.

Anxiety, depression and other mental health illnesses disrupt sleep too. It’s worth discussing with your GP whether a meditation app could be suitable for you. Apps like Headspace and Calm promote mindful ways of being, and can relax your breathing and your mindspace before bed. When you’re relaxed, you fall asleep faster.

Now, look around your bedroom. Is it too light? How does it feel? Is it too cold or too warm? Either one can prevent you from falling asleep, or wake you up in the night. A smart thermostat, such as the Nest Learning Thermostat (from £219, nest.com/uk), is your ally here. Set it to a sleep-friendly 16-18 degrees for the two hours before bedtime.

A blindfold and earplugs can block light and noise from the street, or you could mask the latter with the Bose Sleepbuds (£229,

Poor sleep has been linked to weaker immune systems, depression, anxiety and weight gain

bose.co.uk). These non-slip, sleep-focused wireless earplugs fill your ears with relaxing sounds, and wake you up with an in-ear alarm to avoid disturbing your partner.

Creating a sleep routine

As the word suggests, your sleep routine needs to be consistent. That means carrying out the same pre-sleep ritual at the same time every night. Okay, so there might be times when that’s unachievable, but sticking to your routine pays dividends in the form of consistent, high-quality sleep.

Some things you might want to consider drafting into your sleep routine include not drinking fluids after 8pm (so you avoid bathroom trips in the small hours), and wearing orange lens glasses at least two hours before bedtime. Why? Orange lenses diffuse the sleep-disrupting blue light emitted by your smartphone’s screen, your TV, your ereader (unless it has a dedicated nighttime reading light) and other displays. Gunnar makes effective blue light-blocking glasses; the Haus glasses (€94.95/£85.32,

gunnar-optiks.eu) are ideal for ensuring the use of tech at night doesn’t disturb your circadian rhythm (your internal clock).

Great sleep isn’t unobtainable. With small changes to your diet, exercising earlier in the day (instead of close to bedtime), and establishing a sleep routine, it’s entirely possible to turn the tide on poor sleep and achieve the rest you need to be your best self.