Sleeping Advice

Tips for a Better Night's Sleep

1. Keep to regular sleeping hours. Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time each day, will programme your body to sleep better.
2. Create a relaxing sleeping environment. Your bedroom should be kept for rest, sleep and unwinding.  Try to keep the temperature not too hot, or too cold.  Keeping the room quiet and dark also helps improving sleeping patterns.
3. Having a comfortable bed is essential. It is often difficult getting deep relaxing sleep on a bed that is too soft or too hard, too old or too small.
4. Take up regular moderate exercise e.g. swimming or walking as this can help relieve the day's stresses and strains. Try making sure its not too close too bedtime otherwise it may keep you awake.
5. Cut down on stimulants such as caffeine in tea or coffee - especially in the evening. They interfere with falling asleep and prevent deep sleep. Have a hot milky drink or herbal tea instead.
6. Don't over-indulge on the intake of food or alcohol, especially late at night; this often confusies our body’s sleep pattern. Alcohol may help you fall asleep initially, but will interrupt your sleep later on in the night.
7. Try to relax before going to bed.. Have a warm bath, listen to some quiet music, do some yoga - all help to relax both the mind and body. Your doctor may be able to recommend a helpful relaxation tape, too.
8. Deal with worries or a heavy workload by making lists of things to be tackled the next day.
9. If you can't sleep, don't lie there worrying about it. Get up and do something you find relaxing until you feel sleepy again - then go back to bed.