8 Tips for a Better Night's Sleep

1. Avoid caffeine based drinks in the late afternoon and evening as it has a half life of around 5-6 hours.                   
        
2. Expose yourself to full natural light during the day and turn off light emitting gadgets at least one hour prior to bedtime.
   
    
                                                                      
3. Try aromatherapy massages to help the body to relax and let go of tension.  Inhale sedative essential oils in the evening such as lavender, chamomile or clary sage.                                                                                         
4. Check your diet.  Magnesium deficiency has been linked to difficulty sleeping.  Try to increase your intake of magnesium rich foods such as nuts and seeds (e.g.almonds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds) green leafy vegetables (e.g. spinach), milk, figs and avocados.  Eat complex carbohydrates in the evening to keep your blood sugar levels stable through the night and also foods high in the amino acid tryptophan (e.g. milk, eggs, almonds, turkey and chicken).  Tryptophan is needed for the synthesis of two hormones, melatonin and serotonin, which are linked to our natural sleep cycle.                                                                                                                                                                
5. Practise breathing exercises before bed to calm the nervous system.    https://draxe.com/breathing-exercises/                                                                                                                                                                                            
6. Avoid adrenaline inducing TV programmes, phonecalls or contentious family matters before bedtime.  Have a dull book to read before bedtime or by your bedside if you wake up!                                                                        
7. For those that wake in the night, consider that “segmented” sleep may be a natural phenomenon.  Professor Roger Ekirch, a historian from America has found evidence that segmented sleep used to be common in pre-industrial times.  People would sleep at sunset for four or five hours, get up for an hour or so, before going back for a “second sleep”.                          
         
8. Try guided relaxation exercises or meditating before bedtime.

Please leave any tips you have for getting a good night’s sleep.