I’m a sleep doctor – here’s 6 steps to your best snooze ever, tonight
SINKING into a deep sleep and waking up refreshed and ready to take on the day is a truly wonderful feeling.
But accomplishing it can be quite the challenge.
Despite the NHS recommending around eight hours of sleep a night for adults, research conducted by Twinings for their 2023 Sleep Census has discovered a quarter of Brits get five or fewer hours of sleep a night.
This sleep deprivation has led to almost a third of people experiencing a lack of productivity and over a fifth have fallen out with friends or partners.
Getting enough kip – and good quality kip at that – is vital for good health, both physically and mentally.
But, with so much sleep advice out there, it can seem near impossible to tick every box.
Sleep expert Dr Guy Meadows shares some sound advice for a more restful night…
1. Maintain a routine, consistently
Dr Meadows says: “Our brains are hardwired to like routine and if you repeat a few simple steps each night, your brain will start to associate that with bedtime and help prepare your body better for sleep.”
Perhaps it’s a hot drink that you have after dinner every evening, or doing some stretching.
Perhaps relaxing music triggers your body to know that bedtime is coming.
Whatever it is, be sure to do this every evening as a way to start the wind down process.
Reducing mental and emotional stimulation is an essential part of a bedtime routine too.
Dr Meadows suggests switching off digital devices at least an hour before bed: “It helps to sleep in the same place, whenever possible, and avoid drifting off elsewhere before bedtime.
“As soon as you feel tired, start your bedtime routine to help avoid cat naps.”
2. Stick to a cycle
If you find yourself going to bed at 9pm on a Monday, midnight on a Wednesday and then the early hours on a Friday, you might find yourself dealing with social jet lag.
This can lead to poor sleep and disrupted energy as the body much prefers a regular sleep pattern.
Dr Meadows suggests setting a ‘go to bed alarm’ each day and aiming to keep wake-up times within 30 minutes every day to regulate patterns.
He says: “For those that socialise at the weekend, aim to wake up no later than one hour past your normal weekday wake time.
“If you feel tired later in the day, take a 20-minute power nap between midday and 3pm.”
You may have heard that the hours of sleep before midnight are the best hours for racking up deep sleep.
Dr Meadows says the timing of your sleep actually varies according to your genetics: “This explains why some people naturally prefer to go to bed and get up later (e.g. night owls).
“In such cases, the arrival of deep sleep is simply shifted later, until after midnight.”
He adds that good quality sleep involves cycling between all sleep stages including light, deep and REM, and is not solely based on just getting the deep sleep.
3. Sort your environment
Twinings found 14 per cent of Brits are prevented from getting enough sleep due to their home environment.
Be sure to sleep in a dark room – use black out blinds to block street lamps, or wear an eye mask.
Dr Meadows suggests maintaining a room temperature of around 16 to 17 degrees and ensuring your room is silent too.
Soundproof your bedroom with rugs, heavy curtains and even drapes on the walls, as these help absorb sound.
He says: “Make sure to switch off the central heating at night and use multiple layers rather than a single duvet to allow you to quickly adjust your temperature.”
Comfort is also key. As well as a comfortable, firm mattress, you’ll need a pillow that supports your posture as you sleep.
He adds: “As a rule of thumb, choose a pillow that continues the natural line of your spine, all the way from your lower back to your head.
“You’ll know it’s right because your neck and shoulders will be relaxed and your airway open.”
Another factor to consider with your sleep environment is air quality.
Air pollution, which can be caused by dust, moulds and other allergens, can disrupt our breathing during the night, wrecking our sleep.
An air purifier can help, as can detoxifying plants such as aloe vera.
Dr Meadows says it’s best to avoid drying clothes in your bedroom as this can increase humidity levels, which can lead to mould.
4. Address your stress
Dr Meadows says: “Stress is an unavoidable part of life and financial concerns are often inevitable.
“It helps to journal what’s on your mind and try to identify what you can and can’t control.
“If financial worries are keeping you awake, then try labelling your thoughts by giving them a nickname like ‘money’, and every time it pops into your head, quickly divert it to a mental filing system rather than getting trapped in a continuous loop of thinking about financial worries.”
It can also help to simply write down your thoughts and worries so they’re out of your head, and down on paper instead.
Keep a sheet of paper by your bed next to a pen, so if you wake up in the night worrying, you can offload your thoughts onto paper.
5. Meditate with a quick body scan
Meditation isn’t for everyone, and most of us simply don’t have the time to devote to sitting still and focusing on our breath for however long.
Instead, when you’re in bed and the lights are out, opt for a body scan.
Dr Meadows says: “Mindfully focus your attention on where your body connects with the bed.
“Each time your mind wanders onto thoughts, gently come back to the bed.”
As you lay there, notice any sensations in your body, and do this from the forehead down to your toes.
Try to hone in on each body part and release any tension to help your body relax into sleep.
6. Avoid pain
Whether you wake up from sleep in pain, or whether you go to bed with various joint and muscle aches, the position you sleep in can have a big impact.
Dr Meadows says: “Sleeping on your back is considered the best sleeping position for your overall health because it offers your body optimal support, while maintaining the natural alignment of your head, neck, and spine throughout the entire night.”
He does add though that lying on your back can increase the chance of snoring, due to the tongue falling back into the throat.
He says: “Sleeping on your side with your legs out straight is considered second best because it also helps to keep the spine elongated.
“Make sure, however, that your head is adequately supported by a pillow or two.”
Pregnant women are advised to sleep on their side, rather than on their back, after 28 weeks, to reduce the risk of stillbirth.