We all know how stressful lack of sleep can be; getting through the day becomes much tougher. You struggle to think straight and all you want is a nice lie down! Follow our tips for some natural solutions.
Aside from irritability, there can be long term health consequences to not sleeping enough. It’s been linked to the following conditions:
- obesity
- depression
- colds & flu
- diabetes
- heart disease
Making sure you sleep enough will make you feel so much better and protect your health. So how can you stop insomnia from creeping in?
Don’t get hooked on sleeping pills – try these natural solutions
Many people rely on sleeping pills to get to sleep at night, whether they’re prescribed or over-the-counter. However, medication will only work in the short term and you can end up becoming reliant. This makes overcoming sleeplessness even more difficult as the pills become less effective over time. Sleeping pills also have nasty side effects such as dizziness, depression and an inability to concentrate. Before you resort to medication it’s best to try as many natural solutions as possible.
Wake up lights bring dawn into your room
Stick to a routine so that your sleep cycles stay regular. This means going to bed and getting up at the same time every day (even on weekends!). Make sure that the time you choose to go to bed is late enough that you’ll feel properly tired and avoid trying to force yourself to drift off. A lot of people find using
wake up lights useful for this as they wake you up gently and naturally no matter what time it is. You can simulate dawn at any time with the
Lumie Bodyclock Starter 30.
Cut out blue light from electronics
Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol late at night, as these will keep you up. The screens of smartphones, computers and tvs have a similar effect as the light they emit stimulates your brain. A good idea is to stay away from electronic devices for an hour or so before bed. The perfect chance to catch up on those books you’ve been meaning to read! If you need to be in front of a screen, try a set of
Computer Glasses & Reading Glasses. Computer glasses are specially designed to filter out blue light.
Check your sleeping environment
Make sure your sleeping environment is cosy and inviting and don’t spend time in the bedroom for activities that aren’t sleep-related. A warm bath or some light yoga exercises can help your body to prepare itself for sleep. To stop a restless mind, try creating a to-do list before bed so that you’re not suddenly struck by little things you’ve forgotten about.
And don't forget about bedding! Being too hot, too cold or just plain uncomfortable in bed will stop you sleeping. One of our favourites is the Boo Living range - the
Boo Living Bamboo Pocket Pillow and
Boo Living Bamboo Pocket Duvet are amazing at regulating temperature due to the moisture-wicking properties of bamboo fibre. They're also a natural dust mite repellent!
Solve your sleep problems with the Beurer SE 80 Sleep Sensor
The NHS recommends keeping a sleep diary in order to diagnose exactly what is causing your problems. By tracking when and how long you sleep, how many times you wake up and what you did before bed, it’s much easier to get to the bottom of why you’re not getting enough rest.
The
Beurer SE 80 Sleep Sensor will do all of this and more for you while you sleep using the latest technology. It’s a small disc that sits underneath your mattress and can monitor your breathing rate, heart rate and how often you wake up during the night. When you connect the sensor to your smart phone, the SleepExpert app will show you all of your stats in easy to read charts and graphs, analysing it to give you a Sleep Score out of 100. It uses your information to give you personalised tips on how to sleep better, and can even tell you if you may be suffering from conditions like sleep apnoea.
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