How to Sleep Better at Night

Sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, just like eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. A 2020 study by Kings College London showed that half the population had disturbed sleep, and 39% were getting less sleep than normal. Our UK Sleep Survey told us:

On average, people have a disturbed, broken or bad night’s sleep 3.64 times per week. And just 4% stated that they had never had one. 

So if you suffer from low-quality sleep, you are definitely not alone. Luckily there are several ways that you can help yourself to sleep better at night naturally.

Whether you need help nodding off or just want to be able to sleep all night long, there are a variety of solutions you can try. This includes natural solutions, such as lifestyle changes, and using various aids. Here are our best tips to sleep better at night:

By performing other activities in bed, such as watching TV or listening to music/podcasts you subconsciously start to attach these activities to your bed. The result is that when you get into bed, your body starts to prepare for some input and is less likely to associate bed with sleep. Be sure to restrict your bedtime activities to sleep and sex.

Having a bedroom set up for sleep can help with drifting off. Think about temperature, noise, external lights, de-cluttering, and even your bed frame and mattress. Ensure your sleep environment is dark, quiet and tidy so your mind is free of distractions. And your bedroom temperature is best between 18 and 24℃ for sleep.  It has even been shown that temperature has more effect on sleep than external noise.

If you’re lying in bed awake, there is a danger your body will begin to associate the bed with being awake. You should, therefore, give yourself around twenty minutes – try not to check the clock, rather estimate how long you have been lying there for – to get to sleep. If, after this time you are still awake, get out of bed and leave the bedroom and do something relaxing like reading until you feel sleepy.

If you are a smoker, you might think of a cigarette before bedtime as a good way to unwind. However, nicotine is a stimulant and more likely to keep you awake. So if you can’t quit smoking, then you should at least refrain from smoking within 2 hours of bedtime. Caffeine is also a stimulant; it is advisable to stop having caffeine at least seven hours before your bedtime, as studies have shown that it can still affect your body six hours after you have consumed it. And finally, although alcohol helps many people unwind, having a drink at bedtime doesn’t improve sleep quality and reduces REM sleep.

You could try essential oils, such as lavender, chamomile and marjoram. You can burn them (diluted in water) in an oil burner, massage a few drops into your chest, or dilute some in water and spray them onto your pillow. Natural supplements can also be used to aid sleep. Valerian root, lavender and passionflower have been shown to help with sleep.

One of the most common causes of insomnia is stress. When we are worried about something, we tend to struggle to sleep. The sleeplessness causes us more anxiety, and the cycle continues. Get into the habit of labelling worries as either ‘hypothetical’ or ‘real’ worries. If they are hypothetical, then learn to let these go, and if they are real, then create a plan of action.

You can use many mindful techniques to regain control over spiralling thoughts. Try the Military Sleep Method to get to sleep quickly, using progressive muscle relaxation and a clear mind to achieve rest. Or, if you need more guidance, try the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding approach for total body relaxation; it uses all five senses to calm your mind.

You can also do cognitive behaviour therapy for anxiety, which can help you tackle your unhelpful thinking styles.

This is one of the most common issues for poor sleepers as they tend to expect 8 hours every night. It’s true that some need 8 hours and can easily get it but for many of us, less is also adequate. Quality is more important than quantity. As we get older, it is normal to find that we sleep for less time and less deeply, so it is important to readjust our expectations.

While these tips on how to sleep better can be done yourself, without the need for intervention, if you are struggling with it, don’t suffer in silence. Our sleep expert Sammy advises you to contact your GP for more information.