TIPS FOR A BETTER NIGHT’S SLEEP

Getting some decent shut-eye can be one of life’s biggest challenges. Yet science can offer some advice on how to better reach the Land of Nod.

• Close the blinds, draw the curtains and turn off all the lights before bed advises Northwestern University, which has reported the body can’t rest properly in a room with light.

• Put down the screens, recommends the University of Haifa, whose researchers found that on average, exposure to blue light emitted by screens (including computers, smartphones and tablets) reduced the duration of sleep by approximately 16 minutes. In addition, exposure to blue light significantly reduced the production of melatonin, disrupting the body clock and impacting the quality of sleep.

• Higher levels of omega-3 DHA, the group of long-chain fatty acids found in algae and seafood, are associated with better sleep, a study from the University of Oxford has found. • Researchers from the University of Texas found that taking a warm bath or shower 90 minutes before bedtime improved sleep quality. Warm baths and showers stimulate the body’s thermoregulatory system, causing a marked increase in the circulation of blood from the internal core of the body to the peripheral sites of the hands and feet, resulting in efficient removal of body heat and decline in body temperature. Therefore, if baths are taken at the right biological time – 1-2 hours before bedtime – they will aid the natural circadian process and increase one’s chances of not only falling asleep quickly but also of experiencing better quality sleep.