Sleeping Tips for a Restful Night

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1.Prioritise

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Sleep is one of the Next Practice pillars of health. Sleep is how the body regenerates every day. The impacts of reduced sleep are well documented on physical and mental wellbeing. By prioritising sleep and going through the tips below, you’d at least be on your way to a better night’s sleep.

2. Assess your sleep space

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2.1 Temperature
Being too hot or too cold will affect your sleep. The ideal temperature for a great night's sleep is somewhere between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius.

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2.2 Electronic noise
Go into the room where you normally sleep and write down how many electrical devices you have. These may include TV’s, computers, mobiles, phones, tablets etc. Each of these devices may be impacting your sleep. For example, if you have a TV in your room, are you watching until you fall asleep? Removing these items reinforces that this room is meant for sleeping.

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2.3 Audible noise
Is there a lot of street noise? Do you live on a busy street or in a noisy apartment? Are your neighbours keeping you up? Is your partners’ snoring keeping you awake? A quiet bedroom can help contribute to a good night’s sleep, particularly among older adults, who spend less time in deep sleep and, therefore, are more easily awakened by noises.

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2.4 Light
Light is the most powerful regulator of our biological clock. Sleep patterns are therefore regulated by light, so it is best to make sure your room is dark. To improve this, you can install blackout curtains or blinds to help you keep the room dark, especially in the summer months when there is more daylight in the early evening or early morning. Staring at blue light emitting devices (TV screens, phones, tablets, computer screens) before sleep can disrupt the natural hormone production of Melatonin (that assists regulation of sleep). Avoiding the use of technology in the hours before sleep or switching to lower light emission settings on your phone may help.

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3. Sleeping position

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The position in which we sleep can impact the quality of your sleep. An ideal sleeping position is on your back or side with the neck, spine and pelvis aligned.

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4. Routine

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Keeping to a regular sleep schedule maintains the circadian sleep/wake cycle synchronised. By maintaining regular sleep habits, you will most likely report fewer sleep problems and optimise your “Sleep Hygiene”.

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5. Food and drink

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Not eating for 2-3 hours before bed and not loading up on sugars and carbohydrates or too heavy a meal. Don’t fill up on fluids before bed. Your body must work to process food and drink while you're asleep.

While alcohol may seem to help getting off to sleep, the quality of sleep is very disrupted, and your sleep will not provide you with a truly restorative night’s rest.

The half-life of caffeine is about 7 hours, so a coffee at midday will mean that there is still 50% of caffeine still in your system by 7pm.

Avoiding or reducing the amount of caffeine and alcohol consumed may improve the quality of your sleep.

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6. Ask yourself a few questions

• Are you getting 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep?

• Do you feel you wake up feeling fresh and ready for the day?

If you answer no to either of these, it is important to work with your doctor on addressing sleep. Our doctor can discuss your concerns and make some goals for you to work toward.

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Your doctor may refer you for a sleep study if required. Sleep studies are more conclusive tests that help doctors diagnose sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea, periodic limb movement disorder, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, insomnia, and nighttime behaviours like sleepwalking and REM sleep behaviour disorder.

Lifestyle Medicine strategies to enhance sleep - Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine

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