With so many articles and stories flying round telling us what we should and shouldn’t do it is now becoming difficult to know just what we need to do to ensure we get the best use of our rest time.
It’s actually not rocket science if you stick to a few basic principles:
No.1 Consistent timing
Going to bed at the same time and waking at the same time 7 days a week is a must. Many of us want to sleep in at weekends and ‘catch up’ on our ‘missed’ sleep. This is not ideal as firstly we don’t ‘catch up’ sleep and if we go to bed and rise with regularity it is not something we’d feel the need for anyway.
No.2 Avoid stimulants
Smoking and caffeine are stimulants that take time to wear off and affect our ability to sleep. Ideally we should totally avoid but if you can’t then they should be left alone at least four hours before bedtime.
Alcohol often makes us feel drowsy but after a short period of shut eye we then wake and falling back into a good sleep is difficult. A restless night sleep is pretty much a cert if drinking heavily before bed.
Avoid heavy meals at bed time and equally too much liquid. Trips to the bathroom won’t help that deep sleep.
No.3 Relax in advance
Take a warm bath, read a book, listen to music or medicate. Whatever relaxes you do every night so your body starts to recognise it’s your settle down time. Do however avoid TV in the bedroom along with laptops, tablets and smart phones as they all keep our brains alert.
No.4 Leave work out of the bedroom
If you live a hectic life and feel you always have a hundred and one things to do then list. List everything you cannot resolve and put it out of site. Once written down with a plan to action you can forget about it rather than spending the night tossing and turning with so much on your mind.
No.5 Avoid clock watching
Not sleeping and then clock watching is really common yet staring at the clock is only likely to stress us out more. Avoid having the clock directly next to you. If you really can’t sleep after around 20-30 minutes get up and do something restful until you are drowsy.
No.6 Create the perfect restful environment
Everyone loves clean, pressed bedlinen and a tidy bedroom (all apart from many teenagers it would appear)!
Opt for dimmed lighting, side lamps are better than a bright overhead light. The bedroom should be slightly cooler than the rest of the house as our temperature needs to drop slightly to get restful sleep.
Natural fabrics are a must to avoid over heating in bed. We opt for the gorgeous Laura Thomas Linens bed linens which are 100% pure cotton and of course we have our very own pure wool duvet, topper and pillows.
Natural sleep aids. Again Laura Thomas comes to the rescue with her beautiful Lavender Pillow Mist. A spray of this on the pillow before bed helps relax and calm the mind. Candles and diffusers offer that touch of luxury too!
Laura’s goodies an be found at www.laurathomaslinens.com