As our lives get ever more hectic and we find ourselves in an increasingly distracted world, getting a solid night’s sleep can be tricky. People often don’t realise the impact that a lack of sleep has on the body, particularly if they’re chronic under-sleepers. However, a restful sleep is vital if you want to optimise mental dexterity, memory, concentration, and mood.
Indeed, habitual insomniacs will often find that they are less productive and lively than they would like to be and, more seriously, are putting themselves at a higher risk of medical problems such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. So how can this be changed in a way that is safe, natural and sustainable? We’ve come up with a few simple health hacks to help you drift off easily every night:
1. Consider your alcohol and caffeine intake
We probably don’t need to tell you this, but caffeine is one of the worst culprits when it comes to disrupted sleep. It may actually take far longer than you think for caffeine to be completely out of your system so, if you’re finding it hard to catch a decent amount of sleep, try cutting out all caffeine products after around 3pm.
Alcohol, meanwhile, operates in a slightly different way. While it may help you drift off easily, it can disrupt the quality of sleep and interfere with sleep in the middle of the night. To avoid these effects, try cutting back on the amount you are drinking and avoid alcohol just before bed.
2. Avoid exercising too late in the evening
While it can be difficult to fit an exercise regime around work and family commitments, avoid the temptation to exercise late in the evening. This is because exercise stimulates the body and brain and can prevent you from winding down properly. Speak to your personal trainer about the best times to exercise for you.
3. Stick to a healthy balanced diet
Eating whole foods and avoiding consuming too much processed food is, of course, great for your waistline. If that wasn’t reason enough to start a health kick, however, a healthy balanced diet can promote restful sleep. In fact, a few delicious foods have been shown to possess powerful sleep-enhancing qualities including almonds, kiwi fruit, chamomile tea, walnuts, and fatty fish.
