How to get the best kip

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EVEN though we spend about a third of our lives sleeping – or at least attempting to – it doesn’t always come easily. In fact, one in three of us experiences poor quality sleep on a regular basis and it can have a huge impact on physical and mental health.

Good sleep is vital for learning and memory formation. It also helps to regulate hormone levels, repair the body and boost immune function, as well as reducing the risk of various health conditions including obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Ever wondered why you feel so grumpy after a bad night’s sleep? Disturbed slumber can lead to poor concentration and make it harder to cope with stress. It is associated with a number of mental health issues too, especially low mood and depression.

So why do we sleep so badly and, more importantly, what can we do about it?

Create a sleep sanctuary

Your bedroom should be a place where your body and mind automatically think it’s time to relax and switch off. So, first of all, make sure the room is warm, dry, dark and quiet.

A comfortable bed and mattress are essential and worth investing in. The UK Sleep Council recommends replacing your mattress every seven to eight years and there is a huge variety to choose from, including those with extra spinal support, special cooling layers and hypoallergenic fillings. Next, spend time creating a space that relaxes you. It could be as simple as switching from your main ceiling light to a couple of bedside lamps that have a lower wattage. This will instantly bring a softer light into the room, making it more cosy.

Exposure to bright light reduces the brain’s production of melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, making it harder to drop off. So make sure you have some good curtains to block out any light from outside, or wear an eye-mask in bed.

Be active before bed

Research from the Sleep Council shows that people who work out five or six times each week are less likely to visit their GP with sleep difficulties than people who don’t exercise.

Therefore, it follows that staying active during the day and getting some exercise will help you nod off at night.

However, it’s important not to exercise too close to bedtime, as this can have the opposite effect and make you feel more alert.

You don’t need to dramatically overhaul your life. Instead, build activity into your daily routine. Even simple changes such as taking the stairs rather than the lift, walking to work, getting a standing desk or going for a lunchtime stroll can have a significant impact on your sleep health.

Find an activity that you enjoy and working out won’t feel like a chore. As I discovered when I appeared on Strictly Come Dancing last year, dancing is a great way to get fit and can be much more enjoyable than going to the gym.

Sign up to a class with friends, as exercising in a group can help with motivation.

Or, if you don’t fancy something too extravagant, simply going for a relaxing walk every evening can help to increase your step count and get you ready for bed.

The sleep diet

What we eat not only affects our overall health but can also have a major impact on sleep. The most common culprit is caffeine, a stimulant that blocks the action of certain hormones in the brain

that help us feel tired. It takes between three and five hours for the body to eliminate half of the caffeine consumed, so avoid any caffeinated products in the six hours before bedtime if you’re struggling to sleep.

Likewise, although alcohol is a depressant, meaning it quietens down the nervous system and makes you feel tired, drinking has been shown to cause low quality and fragm sleep. Even though you may get six hours of sleep, much of it

Exposure to light affects your sleep, so make sure you have good curtains to block it out or wear an eye-mask

won’t be restful or productive. There are some foods that are believed to help with sleep, although scientific evidence is limited. That old adage of drinking warm milk at bedtime does have some research behind it, however, but this is mainly for malted milk drinks. There is also evidence that tart Montmorency cherries have been shown to increase levels of the sleep hormone melatonin, so drinking cherry juice before bed may be useful. However, be careful of the sugar content.

There are studies that show eating kiwi fruit improves both the quality and length of sleep.

Eating more carrots, which contain chemicals called carotenoids, can also help. These chemicals filter out specific types of light that reduce the production of melatonin in our brains.

Power down hour

Watching TV or checking your email and social media on your phone or tablet before bed is a common habit. However, the light produced by these devices causes the brain to produce less melatonin, resulting in something called electronic insomnia.

Therefore, as well as trying to go to bed at a consistent time every night, make sure you have a “wind down” routine to prepare for sleep and ensure that you switch off all electronic screens at least an hour before bed. Instead, jump under the duvet with a good book.

Switch off your brain

Just as we should switch off electronic devices, we should also get used to switching off our brains. Stress, anxiety and worry are significant contributors to insomnia, so learning to manage them is vital.

There are many ways to achieve this, including modifying your daily work routine and getting more exercise.

Increasing numbers of people are also trying a meditation technique called mindfulness. Essentially, this involves eliminating unwanted thoughts by concentrating on the present and actively relaxing. Research has shown that it could help with insomnia, fatigue and depression and can be practised by anyone anywhere. There are even smartphone apps that can help, although be careful about using electronic devices too close to bedtime.

Power nap properly

When all else fails, sometimes it is necessary to grab a quick power nap just to get through the day. In fact, the UK Highway Code recommends that motorists take a nap when tired to avoid accidents. The best way to power nap is to drink a black coffee then go to sleep immediately for no longer than 30 minutes. The coffee provides a quick source of caffeine and the lack of milk means that it is absorbed into the bloodstream quickly. The nap allows some brain recovery as the caffeine kicks in. So, at about 30 minutes, you should wake up feeling much more refreshed and alert. Napping for longer than this is likely to make you feel groggy as the brain enters a deeper sleep state which is harder to come out of. This technique can be very effective but should only be used when necessary and not as a replacement for regular, good quality sleep.

Consult your doctor

Sleep Council research shows that just one in 10 people with sleep issues has consulted their doctor, even though three times as many have tried medication to help.

While this shows people are willing to seek some sort of remedy, they may actually be better speaking to a health professional when things are really bad.

There are many underlying medical reasons for poor sleep. Chronic medical conditions are associated with sleep difficulties, especially those that are painful.

Mental health issues can also result in issues, and dealing with these properly could make a huge difference. Once medical causes are considered and managed, specific sleep medication may be trialled and this should ideally be monitored by a health professional. More information on sleep and how to improve it can be obtained at nhs.uk and sleepcouncil.org.uk

Switch off all electronic devices an hour before bedtime so your brain has plenty of time to wind down