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Add half an hour’s sleep to your norm and enjoy a bonus “energy dividend” the next day. Deep sleep strengthens your immune system. Your cortisol level hits its low at night while your brain and body recuperate. Quality sleep is every bit as important to your wellbeing as proper exercise and nutrition.
An estimated 25% of insomnia sufferers say it relates to problems at work. Daytime stress management and restful sleep are closely connected.
Hot cocoa and camomile tea have sleep-inducing properties. Milk is a gentle sedative and honey too. Certain low fat snacks may help you sleep e.g. cereals, fig bars, bananas and salad. A heavy
meal or caffeine at night make it harder to sleep.
Exercise earlier in the day may improve sleep quality. You should gradually slow down in the evening, though an after-dinner walk is fine. A bath lowers body temperature and prepares you for bed.
Ensure that your bedroom feels cosy and your mattress and pillows are of top quality. Slow tempo music is calming. Check the temperature is right. Follow a similar ritual each night. For more advice, see www.sleepcouncil.com and www.bettersleep.org.
Sound sleep helps you absorb the mass of information taken in that day. Tests at Harvard Medical School show that memory, concentration and other measures of brain alertness improve by at least 10% in people who sleep well.
You fall asleep easier the less you care about it. Deepen and slow down your breathing. If that doesn’t work, find a useful, tedious task to occupy you. You’re sure to feel sleepy soon after starting it.
Jot down some thoughts to “close” each day. Express only successes and learning. Conjure up a fond memory or two as you slip into bed.
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