"Are you one of the 92% of Britains who don't get 8 hours of sleep on a regular basis? Is stress keeping you awake at night? Or maybe you're anxious about something? Lack of sleep can cause even more stress and anxiety, creating a never-ending cycle. That's why we've put together a list of simple tips in order to get a good nights sleep.
How to get a good nights sleep:
- A regular sleeping pattern can help programme your brain to let it know when it should go to sleep and when it should wake up. That's why it's worth setting yourself a bedtime, and a bedtime routine like having a tea and a bath to unwind before bed.
- Your bedroom should be a relaxing environment in order for your brain to associate your bedroom with sleeping. That's why ideally you should limit the amount of technology in your bedroom, and keep it for sleeping only.
- Exercising regularly is one of the best ways to guarantee that you get a good nights sleep. Physical activity increases the time spent in deep sleep, the most restorative sleep phase.
Now that you know what to do in order to get a good nights sleep, you're probably wondering what are the benefits of a good nights sleep!
Why get a good nights sleep?
1. Healthy weight A good nights sleep can help you maintain a healthy weight by regulating hormones that affect your appetite and reducing your cravings for high-calorie foods. Not getting enough sleep can lead to a drastic increase in the risk of weight gain and obesity in both children and adults. This is due to sleep affecting and altering numerous bodily aspects, including hormonal levels and motivation to exercise. Furthermore, frequent poor quality sleeping can leave the body fatigued and exhausted, leading to excess calorie intake- the quick fix of processed sugars- becoming an attractive alternative to combat this.
2. Better productivity When you switch off at night, it is a chance for your brain to relax and recharge some key functions as well. Cognition, performance, productivity, and concentration all rely on good levels of consistent quality sleep and short sleeping can negatively impact the brain to the same degree as excess alcohol, or illegal drug consumption. However, a good nights sleep helps both adults and children to improve problem-solving skills and leads to an improved memory performance.
3. Better mood When you have a good nights sleep, there's a high chance that you will wake up feeling happy and positive. On the flip side not getting enough sleep can make you miserable and lead you into having negative thoughts. The better quality sleep you get the better chance of you staying calm in stressful situations.
4. Improve immune system Your immune system relies heavily on you getting the optimum amount of sleep each night. A study conducted over two weeks found that people sleeping less than seven hours were over three times at risk of developing cold virus symptoms following exposure than those who slept for eight hours or more. The next time you start to feel a bit peaky, an early night may well be the best medicine you can give your body.
5. Reduce the risk of health problems Getting a good nights sleep can prevent you from getting type 2 diabetes, heart disease, IBD and IBS and Crohn’s disease. When the body clock is thrown out of sync due to lost sleep, our natural hormonal rhythms are disrupted. When your body doesn’t get the rest it needs to help resolve inflammation and tension on the inside, meaning your cells suffer. Here they are; the 5 benefits of a good nights sleep! If you want to take it one step further we recommend taking a spoonful of our honey before bed. The natural chemicals help to soothe and relax your brain and body, which helps you get that good nights sleep which we all need."
