DESPITE our best intentions to read a book before bed, we always find ourselves sucked into the vortex of social media – and before you know it, it's 1am and you haven't slept a wink.
Sound familiar? Well you're certainly not alone – as Dr Lindsay Browning says this is a habit many of her clients who struggle with their sleep have fallen into.
"Most people think that if they’re a poor sleeper, it’s just part of their makeup and it’s just who they are and they can’t change it," Dr. Browning told Fabulous. "But that’s really not true at all as there’s so much you can do to fix your sleep."
From scheduling a walk at midday to banning phones from the bedroom, here the sleep therapist – whose new book Navigating Sleeplessness comes out tomorrow – shares her top tips for getting a quality kip(without having to count sheep).
Ban phones from the bedroom
Unless you have the willpower to avoid scrolling on your phone for hours on end, the sleep expert says it's better to keep it outside of the bedroom.
Dr Lindsay said: "It’s really common to be on your phone and be scrolling through TikTok, Instagram and Facebook and you just keep going. And it may be that your bedtime was at 10:30 but you’re scrolling through and before you know it, an hour has passed.
"And that’s because all those app don’t have an end. You’re not scrolling through Facebook and you get to the bottom and it says ‘you’ve finished Facebook’. They’re infinite.
"There are two types of people who don’t get enough sleep – people who have insomnia and the other type of people are lifestyle insomniacs. They don’t prioritise their sleep because they’re not going to sleep on time."
Not only does phone usage eat into your designated sleep time but Dr Lindsay also highlights how blue light can play havoc with our circadian rhythm – which is effectively our body's 24 hour clock.
- Navigating Sleeplessness by Dr Lindsay Browning, £8.99 from Waterstones – pre-order now
"Blue light is the frequency that our eyes are looking for to tell us what time it is," she explained. "So when you're on your phone late, it's flooding our eyes with bright sunshine effectively and telling our brains it’s the middle of the day.
"And when you put the phone down to go to bed, your brain is telling you ‘we don’t need to go to sleep’ because it doesn't think it's night-time."
If you have to use your phone or any other device before bed, the expert recommends using "Night Mode" which eliminates blue light.
But what about if you use your phone as an alarm for the mornings? Dr Lindsay says to keep it as far out of reach as possible and turning it over so you can't see the time in the night.
She added: "If you wake up in the night and your phone is right there, you might be tempted to just reach over and check the time or reach over and check something. And that will wake you up even more.
"If you’re the kind of person who isn’t going to be able to avoid temptation, then do leave it in another room."
Go for a walk at midday
According to new NHS research, half of Brits have been struggling to sleep during the pandemic – and Dr. Browning says the coronavirus crisis has been a "perfect storm" for insomniacs.
The expert has seen a rise in people struggling with anxiety over their healthy, job security and their loved ones' wellbeing – but the lack of routine has also had a negative impact on quality of sleep too.
In order to regulate your body clock, Dr Lindsay says it's important to take a break and get outside at midday.
Dr Lindsay Browning’s tips for a good night’s sleep:
- Take a break and go outside at midday so your body knows to be sleepy eight hours later
- If you can't stay off your phone, keep it in a different room
- Use 'night mode' on your devices so blue light doesn't affect your circadian rhythm
- Don't work from bed
- Don't do exercise right before bed as it'll make your heart race and be harder to relax
- A glass of warm milk helps your body naturally produce melatonin which aids sleep
- Don't drink alcohol – it may help you 'pass out' but the quality of sleep is very poor
- Schedule some down-time before bed to do something relaxing – i.e. having a bath, reading, listening to music, yoga
"The middle of the day is when we’d naturally get the most light because the sun is nearest us in the sky," she explained. "When we get lots of light, our brain says ‘ah it’s the middle of the day, I know what time it is, we need to produce melatonin and be sleepy in about eight to 10 hours from now.’"
Don't snooze your alarm
Now that we don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to catch the train, those of us who are working from home are relishing getting up a little later.
But rather than snoozing your alarm until five minutes before you start work (guilty as charged), Dr Lindsay says you should simply set it later.
She said: "When you snooze your alarm, you disrupt your natural sleep cycles… and the sleep you get during the snoozing period (which could even be an hour if you keep pressing snooze!) is not good quality sleep.
"It is much better to set your alarm for the latest time you need to get up and then actually get up! The reason people keep pressing snooze, is that the feeling of falling asleep is enjoyable.
"Pressing snooze on your alarm is like eating cupcakes – it’s not good for you but it is enjoyable!"
Avoid lie-ins if you're a poor sleeper
According to Dr Lindsay, lie-ins and naps are great if you don't have enough time to sleep – i.e. if you've just had a baby or working too hard.
Pressing snooze on your alarm is like eating cupcakes – it’s not good for you but it is enjoyable!
She added: "If you’re struggling to sleep because your brain won’t switch off and you’re stressed about the fact that you can’t sleep, having a lie in or having a nap aren’t helpful. They just perpetuate the problem."
To work around this, Dr Lindsay recommends sticking to the same bed-time and alarm every day so you get into a regular routine.
"It’s the equivalent of eating five fruit and veg a day," she said. "It’s boring but it’s healthy and you’ll know it’s good for you."
Drink a glass of milk before going to sleep
We all know we shouldn't have a cup of coffee right before bed – but Dr Lindsay says spicy foods are also a no-go as they can cause indigestion and disrupt your sleep.
She said: "A warm glass of milk before bed is great because it has a thing called tryptophan in which helps your body naturally produce melatonin.
"It isn’t going to fix chronic insomnia but if you’re having a period of poor sleep, have a nice bath before bed and a warm glass of milk and put some nice music on – those things will help much better than ploughing on.
"It's about creating the right environment for sleep."
Don't work from bed
The coronavirus crisis has turned our homes into our workplaces – and if you can help it, Dr Lindsay says it's best to avoid working in bed.
She said: "Our brain will start to think that your bed is a place you work.
"Have a distinction so you keep your bed – and ideally your bedroom – separate from work. If you have to work in your bedroom, ideally be at a desk."
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