Sleep is so important especially because our lives are so faced past now, we need to make sure we are getting enough rest for the busy day ahead. Worryingly, 47% of people are kept awake at night due to stress and 22% of people sleep poorly most nights. If you would like to read more about the types of foods you should be eating before bed, then please click here.
Eating to Late
Whenever you eat and regardless of what you eat, your blood sugar rises and then crashes, this affects the body and may disturb your sleep. Also, people who eat a big meals a couple of hours before bed are more likely to suffer from indigestion or commonly known as heartburn. The stomach takes around 3 hours to digest your food and empty itself. With this being said its best to have your dinner at least 4 hours before you plan on going to bed, as this will reduce your chances of getting indigestion and stop your blood sugar from using and crashing at the wrong time.
Caffeine
If you are eating your meals to late and you like to drink a coke with dinner or maybe a cup of coffee afterwards, then you need to either eat earlier or stop drinking caffeine this close to bedtime. Caffeine can be known to affect your sleep 6 hours after you’ve consumed it and remember food like hot chocolate and protein bars contain caffeine.
To Hot
When you fall asleep your body will start a natural sleeping process, your body temperature will decrease to around 16˚C- 20˚C. So make sure to have a shower or bath a couple of hours before, this will give your body a chance to cool down to normal temperatures first before the natural sleep process begins. This will ensure your body works less to cool you down.
Using Tech
78% of us use some kind of tech right before we switch the lights off to go to sleep. These gadgets can delay the process of melatonin, which is a hormone released that induces sleep when it gets dark. Because your gadget is emitting a blue light, your brain is fooled into thinking its daytime still, which stops the melatonin hormone from being released, thus keeping you awake. A great solution is to give yourself a curfew and move all your gadgets out of the room so you're not tempted. If you need to do something before bed, try reading, yoga, meditation, a puzzle, crosswords or listening to music. You want an activity that relaxes you and is not strenuous.
No Routine
A consistent sleep routine helps your body know when it's time to fall asleep and wake up, a routine will basically prepare your body for sleep so we suggest getting into a routine that works for you.
Having a calming bedtime routine is so important for adults and children because you can prevent small sleep problems by just sticking to a schedule. Now sticking to that schedule on the weekends can be tricky, but your body can usually cope with a 1-2 hour difference. Just remember you can always watch that gripping tv show the next day.
If you follow the steps above you should be able to keep your internal clock in check, which will make waking up and drifting off to sleep a breeze.