How to create a good sleep routine to stay healthy and recover from injury
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A bedtime routine is simple to instigate but often forgotten due to our busy day-to-day lives. Practising a good sleeping regime is likely to make you fall asleep more easily at night and stay asleep until the morning.
A good night's sleep allows your body to fully recover, recharging your immune system, thus helping you to fight off illness and recover quickly from any injuries or aches. Here are some tips to help you to prioritise sleep to ensure that you’re getting enough: |
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Stay on schedule
Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even at the weekend, is crucial for setting your body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm). Staying consistent means that your quality of sleep will be better. Try to avoid those very tempting long lie-ins on the weekend if you want to feel at your best.
Watch what eat and drink
Caffeine, chocolate, alcohol and nicotine are stimulants whose effects can take hours to wear off, making it much harder to fall asleep. Try to avoid them for up to four hours (preferably more) before bedtime. Make sure that after dinner coffee is decafeinated. A word about alcohol: although can make you feel sleepy initially, it reduces the quality of your sleep due to increasing your body temperature and making your liver work hard when you're asleep. Plus, because it is a diuretic, you may have to take a sleep-disturbing nocturnal bathroom trip. Make sure you are not hungry or overly full when you go to bed too. Having a heavy meal can increase the load on your digestive system, making it harder to get off to sleep.
Plan your day
Before going to bed, take 10 minutes to go through your diary/calendar and write down the things you have to do. Prioritise the list if it starts to get too long. By doing this the night before, you will be able to wake up and know exactly what you need to do in the morning.
Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even at the weekend, is crucial for setting your body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm). Staying consistent means that your quality of sleep will be better. Try to avoid those very tempting long lie-ins on the weekend if you want to feel at your best.
Watch what eat and drink
Caffeine, chocolate, alcohol and nicotine are stimulants whose effects can take hours to wear off, making it much harder to fall asleep. Try to avoid them for up to four hours (preferably more) before bedtime. Make sure that after dinner coffee is decafeinated. A word about alcohol: although can make you feel sleepy initially, it reduces the quality of your sleep due to increasing your body temperature and making your liver work hard when you're asleep. Plus, because it is a diuretic, you may have to take a sleep-disturbing nocturnal bathroom trip. Make sure you are not hungry or overly full when you go to bed too. Having a heavy meal can increase the load on your digestive system, making it harder to get off to sleep.
Plan your day
Before going to bed, take 10 minutes to go through your diary/calendar and write down the things you have to do. Prioritise the list if it starts to get too long. By doing this the night before, you will be able to wake up and know exactly what you need to do in the morning.
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Have a quick clean up
Do the dishes, put shoes/clothes away, tidy up paperwork. You will feel much better waking up to a clean house and will be more clear-headed in the morning, ready to take on the day. Take the time to wind down Make your evening ritual something you look forward to. This could mean taking a bath or shower, reading a book or meditating (try the app headspace if you’re not sure where to start). Doing the same thing every night will signal to your body that it’s time to start settling down. If you go to bed feeling stressed or anxious, the chances are that you won’t get a good night’s sleep and will wake up in the same frame of mind the following day. |
Switch technology off
A good night’s sleep will ensure that you are more productive the next day. Nocturnal beeping of email alerts or text messages will guarantee a broken night’s sleep. Turn off your tech! Emails, messages and telephone calls can usually wait until the morning. If you need to leave your 'phone on for an alarm call, simply turn it onto airplane mode to escape the notifications and distractions. The same goes for TV, laptops, tablets and other devices. The blue light from the screen can trigger your brain to stay awake. Turn everything off, get a good night’s sleep and you’ll wake up ready to deal with whatever’s waiting for you.
Make your bedroom a calm, cosy place
Your bedroom should be a place where you can feel relaxed. You spend about a third of your life there so it makes sense to keep it as calm and stress-free as possible. Clear away the clutter and turn away the bedside clock so you can’t see it, because there’s nothing worse than clock-watching. Invest in some blackout blinds or curtains as your sleep quality is likely to improve in the dark. If you live near a noisy road, shut the window to keep things as quiet as possible for undisturbed sleep.
A good night’s sleep will ensure that you are more productive the next day. Nocturnal beeping of email alerts or text messages will guarantee a broken night’s sleep. Turn off your tech! Emails, messages and telephone calls can usually wait until the morning. If you need to leave your 'phone on for an alarm call, simply turn it onto airplane mode to escape the notifications and distractions. The same goes for TV, laptops, tablets and other devices. The blue light from the screen can trigger your brain to stay awake. Turn everything off, get a good night’s sleep and you’ll wake up ready to deal with whatever’s waiting for you.
Make your bedroom a calm, cosy place
Your bedroom should be a place where you can feel relaxed. You spend about a third of your life there so it makes sense to keep it as calm and stress-free as possible. Clear away the clutter and turn away the bedside clock so you can’t see it, because there’s nothing worse than clock-watching. Invest in some blackout blinds or curtains as your sleep quality is likely to improve in the dark. If you live near a noisy road, shut the window to keep things as quiet as possible for undisturbed sleep.
