Tips to naturally induce sleep
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A good night’s sleep is essential if you want to feel energised and motivated. However, sleeping soundly through the night can be hard to achieve when life is stressful.
Here are some tips on how you can improve your chances of getting a good night’s sleep.
1 |
Have a weekday routine of going to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each day. Doing this will help to fix your sleep body clock. |
2 |
Create a calming bedtime ritual to reduce stress, prepare for sleep and set a sleep-wake rhythm. Avoid napping in the chair before you go to bed. |
3 |
Ensure that your bedroom is dark and free from noise, and that your bed is comfortable. Wear eye shades or put up a blackout blind if there is light disturbing you or wear earplugs if there is uncontrollable noise. |
4 |
Cool down. Take a warm bath 2 hours before bed with some lavender oil or Epsom Salts added to calm you. As your body cools it will make you sleepy. |
5 |
Stay up if you’re not tired. Don’t go to bed if you feel wide awake. If you go to bed and then can’t drop off to sleep, get up and do something else. |
6 |
Do a ‘brain dump’ before you go to bed. This could include writing a to-do list for the next day or recording what’s on your mind and what you can do about it. |
7 |
Have an ‘electronic sundown’. Set a time when each evening you turn off the computer, tablet and smartphone devices. |
8 |
Have a massage to relax muscles and calm you. |
9 |
Use a sleep app that delivers binaural beat music. This stimulates alpha waves in the brain which are associated with deep relaxation. |
10 |
Keep a gratitude diary. Before you settle to sleep, record three things in your diary you are grateful for that day. This helps your mind to feel more positive about your day and reduces elevated stress hormones. |
Learn more about healthy sleep in my best-selling book ‘How to Prevent Burnout’ and my latest book, ‘Life Force. The revolutionary 7-step plan for optimum energy’.