“Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
Benjamin Franklin

Due to the nature of my work I gather a fair amount of data on people’s sleep habits, and one thing I can say for sure is that for the vast majority, sleep is seldom put down as a priority. It seems to be a major problem for many.

Sleep can’t be seen in a vacuum either…

Even low levels of sleep deprivation have the ability to disrupt mood, stress, decision making, energy levels, eating habits, mental clarity and physical performance.

It has a direct correlation to the quality of your waking life and given this, sleep should therefore be your top priority.
Don’t you think?

There’s no other activity that delivers so many benefits with so little effort.
BUT, you can’t change your sleeping habits overnight either.

You have so many other areas of your life to focus on here as well, family, work, house chores, preparation, sports etc. It can sometimes feel as if there isn’t enough hours in the day, right? 

The process of habit change around our sleep patterns takes consistency and conscious effort.

In this article, we going to dive into 5 ways that can help you get a good night sleep;

1. Regulate your body’s internal clock

Getting to bed and waking up at the same time every day over a period will adjust your body’s internal clock. This will help develop and maintain healthy sleeping patterns and a consistent night-time routine. Ideally, one needs to keep this consistent every day of the week to build the habit.

2. Brain dump for the following day

Before you go to bed at night, jot down all the looming projects you have for the following day, this way you can get your thoughts on paper without wondering what your most important tasks will be the following day  

3. Create a bedtime routine

Try to relax your mind at least an hour before sleeping time. You can do so by:

• Using dim lighting in your bedroom
• Investing in a high-quality pillow, mattress, and bedding
• Limiting screen time for at least 60 minutes before bedtime. PUT  your phone away
• Read a few pages of a book (4s = Biographies are Best Before Bed)
• Avoid excessive caffeine intake

4. Avoid excessive caffeine intake

Caffeine is best known for keeping a person’s mind and body alert. It is the main ingredient in coffee and tea. Limit your caffeine intake at least 10 hours before bedtime. You may not realise the impact but your deep sleep WILL be affected

5. Eat a healthy dinner

It is not ideal to have a late or “heavy” dinner. Try to avoid late dinners and spicy foods to avoid heartburn. Issues during food digestion disrupt sleeping patterns.

Bottom Line

Quality sleep is essential for proper day to day functioning of an individual. Try to follow these tips to develop a good sleeping pattern and you will observe a drastic improvement in your health.

This article was prepared by our Nutrition & Health Coach, Brad Strydom.
Discover more about his services here.