Now the winter blues are nearly out of the way it’s time to regroup and focus on caring for ourselves in the best possible way. Getting back into a routine is so important to our health, especially getting our evening routines back on track.
Whether it’s winding down to your favourite soap, partaking in a hobby, cooking a nice evening meal, whatever you do it’s really helpful to wind down properly in order to get a fantastic night’s sleep to set you up for the next day.
How much sleep do I need?
Sleep is so important for our productivity, health and wellbeing. In order to function to our best ability, we need to make sure our bodies are getting enough recuperation time and this means for the average adult 7-9 hours of sleep a night.
It’s not just any sleep we are looking for, we need the deep sleep called non-REM sleep where our brain isn’t working overtime with all those wacky, wonderful dreams but where our brains are filing all the non-essential things we have learned during the day and making sure we are fresh for the next day.
What happens if we don’t get enough sleep?
A bad night’s sleep can lead to us feeling with brain fog and a headache, it can lower our immune systems leaving us susceptible to catching all the lurgies going round. Lack of sleep can also affect our response times, concentration, decision making, productivity and put us in a bad mood. That saying ‘got out of bed on the wrong side’ didn’t come from nowhere!
What can I do to aid a great night’s sleep?
We need to make sure our brains have enough wind down time to fall asleep quickly and deeply. This is where our evening routines come in, after a long day at work we need to make sure our brains can switch off when we go to bed so that we aren’t just laying there with our minds racing through the days events and struggling to fall asleep.
ITS ALL IN THE TIMING:
Set yourself a consistent bedtime and wakeup times so that your body clock knows when it should be sleeping. Establish a bedtime routine which starts at least 30 minutes before you want to be falling asleep, this could be a nice relaxing bath, meditation, reading a book, listening to music or an audio book.
Try to stay away from computers and phones whilst you let you mind slowly switch off. A little-known fact about the blue lights that our screens have – they affect the amount of melatonin our bodies produce which is needed for us to feel sleepy.
HEALTHY EATING & DRINKING:
Healthy dinners are important to aid a good night’s sleep. If you eat heavy foods right before bed your body is going to have a hard time digesting it all before being able to switch off. Make sure to eat earlier if you do plan on having a large meal. Drink lots of water during the day to stay hydrated and stay away from caffeine in the evenings, it’s a great idea to switch to herbal teas or decaffeinated drinks. Now, some people like to wind down with a glass of wine or a beer, just be mindful of how much you have as whilst alcohol will make you feel sleepy sometimes it won’t be the quality sleep you are looking for to feel refreshed the next day.
BE ORGANISED:
Being organised will play a big part in helping you to relax in the Evening.
· When you wake up, make your bed so that it is ready and waiting for you at the end of the day.
· Clean the kitchen and wash up after your evening meal so that you have a clean space to get your breakfast in the next morning.
· Prep your lunch for the next day so that you aren’t rushing around in the morning and can start the day off stress free.
· Choose your clothes for the next day to reduce the time spent looking around for something to wear.
LAVENDER:
Lavender essential oil can really help you have a good night’s sleep, it can also help with anxieties and stress. Some people like to rub a little on their temples and wrists, others spray a mist onto their pillows. You can also have a couple of bags hanging in the room of dried Lavender or you can also buy Lavender oil diffusers.
Give your body all the tools it needs to sleep, and you will feel more refreshed after a good night’s sleep, it can be as simple as a couple of tweaks here and there which can make all the difference. Good luck!!
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