5 Tips on How to Sleep Better at Night Naturally

How to Sleep Better at Night Naturally

If you’re one of the 35% of adults sleeping less than seven hours per night, it is crucial for your health that you learn to sleep more.

Sleeping more boosts immunity, cleanses the brain of toxins, and gives us the energy to do the things we love. A lack of sleep can also increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and catching a common cold and flu.

This article reveals 5 tips on how to sleep better at night naturally

Let’s jump in!

Sleep schedule

A sleep schedule is when you go to bed and wake up. Having a consistent sleep schedule means setting times to kick your brain and body into a cycle so that you find it easy to nod off and wake up in the morning.

Our article on how to fix your sleep schedule has you covered, but in a nutshell:

• Go to bed at the same time every night
• Set your alarm for the same time every day

You might struggle to fall asleep at first, but after waking up at the same time a few mornings, you will fall asleep easier. This is about kicking your body into a sleep cycle which takes around a week.

A mattress suited to your sleeping position.

You will struggle to get comfortable if your mattress doesn’t support your preferred sleeping position. This inevitably means you will toss, turn, and sleep in positions that don’t suit your body, which can give you aches.

We assign mattresses to sleep positions based on their firmness level and fine-tune recommendations based on body weight.

Here are our recommendations:

• Soft-medium mattresses are best for side sleepers under 140 lbs.
• Medium mattresses are best for side sleepers and occasional back sleepers up to 185 lbs.
• Medium-firm mattresses are best for back sleepers over 170lbs up to 220lbs and occasional side sleepers.
• Firm mattresses are best for back sleepers over 220 lbs and front sleepers.

Top tip - the heavier you are, the softer a mattress feels. This means a firm mattress to someone over 220lbs feels relatively soft, while a soft-medium mattress to someone under 140lbs feels reasonably firm.

A restful environment

Where you sleep plays a critical role in sleep quality!

Your bedroom must de-stress and soothe you before bedtime so that you can close your eyes without frustration and stress.

Simply tidying your bedroom and de-cluttering can work wonders for improving your bedroom. You can also try the following:

• Aromatherapy
• White noise apps

Check out our eight sleep-inducing bedroom hacks for more ideas.

Tackling anxiety and stress

Around 6.6% of the population has an anxiety disorder, yet less than 50% of people with generalised anxiety disorder access treatment.

Estimates also suggest that over 60% of the population suffers from acute anxiety (worrying thoughts and stress) at least once per week.

Anxiety triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol and the mood-regulating hormone serotonin, which keep you from sleeping.

The trouble is that reduced sleep also increases stress hormones, so you can fall into a trap where sleepless nights become frequent.

Tackling your anxiety and stress is essential for good sleep. The NHS has ten stress busters if you want to give it a go.

Controlling caffeine intake

Us Brits love our tea and coffee, but caffeine is also found in any form of chocolate (including cereals), energy drinks, dark and light carbonated drinks, yerba mate (a type of herbal tea), and some painkillers.

The problem with caffeine is it stimulates the brain and inhibits the release of the sleep hormone melatonin, tricking the brain into thinking it isn’t time for sleep.

This study into the effects of caffeine taken 0, 3, and 6 hours before bed found that caffeine taken up to six hours before bedtime has disruptive sleep effects.

The bottom line – avoid caffeine six hours before bedtime!