Are you looking for the best night’s sleep? Sleep problems are very common in the UK. It is believed that as many as 16 million people are suffering nightly with poor sleep. [1]
Sleep is vital for your health. The average adult is recommended to get between 6 and 9 hours sleep a night, with 8 hours being the optimum. [2] When you sleep your body can heal and repair. This is very important for when you are fighting off infections or viruses and explains why when we are unwell that you sleep more.
Sleep Science
Your body is amazing at controlling and operating an internal body clock that regulates your sleep patterns. Your body clock is responsible for telling you when you are tired and when you are ready for bed. The 24-hour clock cycle is known as your circadian rhythm. Throughout your day and your activities, you will become increasingly tired before you eventually go to bed.
Light influences the circadian rhythm. In the brain, your hypothalamus processes signals when the eyes are exposed to natural or artificial light to help your brain understand whether it is day or night. As natural light disappears in the evening, the body will release melatonin, the hormone that induces drowsiness. When the sun rises in the morning, the body will release the hormone cortisol. Cortisol promotes energy and alertness. [3]
Here are Boil and Broth’s tips on how you can get a good night’s sleep
- Avoid eating too late at night. It is best to stop eating at around 6 pm. This can be difficult if you are working late, or family commitments stop you from eating early. Therefore, avoid having a big dinner and focus more on smaller protein and fat dinners to help you feel fuller for longer. Make your dinner the last meal of the day.
- Try not to look at your phone or the TV before you go to bed. Reading a book is the best way to quieten your mind and prevent too much light exposure. As you will have previously read, light before sleep will disrupt your natural sleep rhythm. Your brain will think it is daytime still, therefore keeping you awake at night.
- Have a cup of bone broth before bed. Some scientific studies have shown that sipping a cup of broth before bed could help you to fall asleep quicker. This is thanks to the amino acid glycine commonly found in bone broth. [4] If you’d prefer not to drink broth before bed, then have a cup of broth with dinner.
- Write down a to-do list before you go to bed. Emptying your mind of thoughts from the day before going to bed is a good way to help improve your sleep. Often your mind is busy, so releasing thoughts by writing down jobs you need to do for the next day can prevent your mind from overthinking.
- Make sure you go to the toilet before you go to bed. This is important because often needing to pee during the night will wake you up. When you wake up to go to the toilet, it can be hard to get back to sleep. The best way to avoid staying awake is to focus on mindfulness. Mindfulness means you concentrate on what you are doing at the time, such as getting out of bed, walking to the toilet and peeing. This might seem strange, but by focusing on what you are doing at the time, you are not allowing thoughts to run away with you, therefore you avoid your constant mind-chatter.
- Meditate and pray before you go to bed. The practice of meditation and prayer is a great way to connect you to God and will bring you peace. It’s important to have gratitude for your life, for your health and also for all the things you have in your life, so make sure you thank God for everything you have. Even the challenges you face. Ask Him to help you sleep and ask Him for health.
Getting a good night’s sleep will help you to stay healthy. Stick to the same time of going to bed at night and make sure this time is approx. 7-8 hours before you are going to wake up next. Having a good bedtime routine is important for children and it’s just as important for adults too.