10 Steps To Better Sleep
Stressed or anxious, finding it hard to get that much-needed beauty sleep? According to the latest research¹, more than half the UK population struggles sleeping with the pandemic and rising costs of living attributing to those figures in recent years. Top psychotherapist, Mark Newey, explains why and also offers his top tips to a better night's sleep.
Marks 10 Steps To Better Sleep
1. Pre-lockdown people were already struggling to get a good night's sleep. One of the main problems was the electric light bulb! Before electricity, our sense of daytime and night time was very simple: we went to bed when it got dark and got up when it got light. That's how humans would have behaved for millions of years. So, with we need to mimic habits and behaviours to prepare us for bed.
2. Start by getting into a good routine. Get up and go to bed at the same time of day, and that includes the weekend; routine is vital for good sleeping patterns.
3. Don't snooze the alarm: get out of bed. If you struggle with this, put the alarm at the other side of the room! Try not to use your mobile as an alarm, it can often disrupt your night's sleep and can be too much of a distraction.
4. Avoid coffee or caffeinated drinks after 4pm: coffee has a long afterlife and needs to be out of your system before you go to bed. Also, make sure you finish eating by 7pm: your body needs to be in digestion mode before you go to bed for you to relax deeply.
5. Ensure you take no exercise after 7pm. It takes the body three hours to come down after exercise, so remember it's no good going to bed with your heart racing.
6. Turn off screens, mobile phones, games consoles etc an hour before heading up the stairs; this is really important because computers and phone screens play havoc with our brainwaves.
7. Make sure your bedroom is suitable for relaxation. Create a comfy space for sleeping, make sure your bed is comfortable: not too soft or to hard! Avoid placing a TV or work in the bedroom. The bedroom is for sleeping.
8. Enjoy a nice relaxing bath before bedtime and add some essence of lavender, proven to aid rest and relaxation.
9. Avoid alcohol as a sleep aid; it doesn't work. It's a stimulant. Even though it may seem to knock you out, the stimulant kicks in after a few hours and destroys your sleep.
10. Avoid naps of more than 20 minutes during the day, it will take the edge off tiredness and you'll find it hard to fall asleep.
To discover more about how to look after your own mental wellbeing visit headucate me.. The site also offers free online advice to help people with their mental wellbeing, to sign-up, simply click here.
More About Mark
Mark Newey is on a mission to eliminate stress, anxiety, and depression in a generation; he's a self-avowed revolutionary in treating these mental health conditions. After guiding himself through recovery from a breakdown and training in the neurosciences, Mark set up his own psychotherapy practice and over the last 20 years has helped thousands of people beat stress, anxiety and depression. He is now making his life-changing teaching available to reach a much wider audience via a revolutionary online programme, Headucate.me.
Headucate.me takes Mark Newey's 20 years of 1-2-1 experience coaching 3000 people to beat stress, anxiety and depression for good and puts mental wellness advice into an easily accessible, mobile-friendly, online programme to empower all to take control of their mental wellbeing.
Our Top 5 Sleep Aids
To help get your started on your road to better sleep we’ve picked our Top 5 sleep Aids available to shop now.
Designed to block out any unwanted light, giving the best possible sleep time to invigorate, restore, and repair. With a unique contoured dome design, SMUG sleeping masks leave space around the eye area removing any disturbance or friction caused by the rapid eye movement sleep phase... making them completely 'eyelash friendly'.
NEOM Wellbeing Diffuser Pod £90
Whatever your wellbeing need, the NEOM Wellbeing Pod works at the touch of a button, helping you achieve better sleep, less stress, a mood lift or more energy through our 100% natural essential oil blends.
Wren BlueReflect Lens Glasses £20
Digital Protection BlueReflect™ lenses are recommended for anyone spending a significant amount of time in front of digital devices (computer, tablet, smartphone or TV).
BlueReflect™ lenses use a special coating to help reflect a portion of the blue light emitted by digital devices and artificial light. This coating also incorporates scratch resistant and anti-glare benefits, giving you clearer vision while using digital devices.
MOA has created this special Bath & Body Box Set - a trio of therapeutic organic goodness for mind and body. The sturdy gift box is designed to be upcycled and treasured for ever more…on the base is written in calligraphy ‘Fill me with trinkets and treasures’. Vegan.
Next Linen Look Blackout Blind £24-48
Our linen look blackout blind is stylish and practical. The roller design makes it easy to fit and operate, while the blackout material eliminates outside light for an extra cosy feel. Added trim creates extra detailing for a finished look.