Trouble nodding off? Try these expert tips for a better night’s sleep

We have all been told the importance of a good night’s sleep, though there are a whole host of reasons that may prevent us from sufficiently recharging our batteries when we hit the pillow each night.

According to the latest Great British Sleep Survey, most people in the UK are kept awake by their own stresses and worries about what happened today and what they’ve got on tomorrow. And although there are common physical factors such as noise, bodily discomfort and needing to make regular trips to the toilet, it seems that psychological stress is the most prevalent cause of sleeplessness.

The fact is that poor sleeping habits affect every aspect of our daily lives, and we tend to feel the impact most during the following day, both physically and emotionally. That’s why regular sleeping habits are absolutely essential to secure a healthy lifestyle routine.

With this in mind, let’s take a quick look at some expert tips for getting a better night’s sleep… and no, we don’t just mean counting sheep.

Exercise

We often think of exercise in terms of its physical benefits, but the psychological plus points are just as important, if not more so. The energy we generate within our bodies by eating food throughout the day needs to be regularly burned, not just to prevent gaining weight, but also to make us more mentally ready for bed.

You don’t need to go too deep into the physiological science behind this to realise that building up a sweat as part of an hour’s daily exercise is often more than enough to ensure we’ll be reaching the Land of Nod sooner rather than later.

Evaluate your mattress

They say the two most important possessions you can have in life are a good mattress and good pair of shoes, because if you’re not in one, you’re in the other. Maintaining the quality of your mattress is so important to prevent common ailments like back ache, which in turn can severely affect the quality of your sleep each night.

If you find yourself tossing or turning just to find a comfortable spot where you’re not necessarily being poked by the odd spring or two, it may be time to get down to your local bed shop.

A medium to firm mattress is more advisable than a soft mattress with little support – and it’s an investment that can work wonders for your sleep pattern.

Cement your own bedtime ritual

First of all, it’s really important to set yourself a time that you turn the lights off each night and get into bed. Your mind will eventually become conditioned to the action of turning off the lights, and the challenge of falling asleep will become easier and easier.

However, it pays to think about what you’re doing beforehand too. People have a tendency these days to be glued to their smartphone or tablet screen even when they’re lying in bed. By disconnecting earlier in the evening, an hour before you plan to go to sleep for instance, and perhaps spending that time reading a chapter or two of a good book, your brain will feel more ready to hit the hay than it would otherwise.

Life Hacking: Productive morning habits worth trying out

Many of us find it challenging enough to get out of bed on the right side each morning, but really it’s what we do as soon as we’ve opened the curtains that can have a huge impact on our attitude towards the day ahead.

If you’re looking to squeeze every bit of productivity out of your waking hours,  it’s well worth genning up on this list of morning hacks, each designed to enhance your daily routine from the first ring of your alarm clock. Even if you decide to commit to one or two of these habits, that might still be enough to improve your standard morning experience. Heaven forbid, you may even find yourself looking forward to it.

Let’s see which ones might work for you…

1. Prepare your breakfast the night before

More often than not, one of the main issues that comes with an ineffective morning routine is the tendency to skip breakfast – our most important meal of the day.

By cutting up fruit, preparing plates and making sure your favourite cup is ready to go the night before, you’re actually preparing your brain to wake up with the extra motivation of an easy, stress-free breakfast.

2. Forget the snooze button; drink water

When our alarm clock goes off, many of use have a tendency to hit the snooze button as soon as possible. In fact, sometimes it almost seems to be an innate human reflex.

Well, it doesn’t have to be. The snooze button simply isn’t conducive to making the most of your mornings, so it’s probably for the best to cut it out altogether. One trick you can try instead is to keep a glass of water on your bedside table. Taking a big swig as soon as your eyes open can help the body and mind to wake up – or, you’ll at least feel a greater need to get yourself to the bathroom.

3. Set a morning playlist

German philosopher Immanuel Kant once referred to music as the quickening art – and we’d be inclined to agree, especially in the context of a morning routine.

Setting up a playlist full of your favourite songs is a great way to apportion time to certain tasks. For example, you might say to yourself that by the time the fifth song ends I want to be dressed and ready to leave the house. Oh, and don’t forget that a little morning boogie can really help to get the blood pumping.

4. Drink your morning coffee outside

While this isn’t always advisable (especially in the UK), going outside into your garden or balcony to drink your preferred choice of warm beverage is a good habit to get into whenever the weather permits, especially in summer.

Breathing in that fresh morning air and taking a moment to observe life within your vicinity is a far more natural start to the day than immediately checking your emails first thing. You’ll have plenty of time for that throughout the day.

5. Designate a space for your phone, wallet, keys and bag

This is a biggie. There is nothing worse than not being able to find your car keys in the morning, largely because you often have nobody to blame but yourself.

That might sound a tad harsh, but all that stressing out can so easily be avoided by setting out a clear space to put the most important items of your daily inventory. This way, you’ll know exactly where to find them each and every morning before you leave the house – and it’s very likely that you’ll appreciate having made life a whole lot easier for yourself.