World sleep day: 10 helpful tips for improving your sleep

Last year, global pandemic has changed our regular routine significantly, and together with the stress and fear of the unknown, our sleep has had a major impact. From the home school about financial worries, isolation and disorders of our work and our social life, it is no surprise that this time anxiety, depression and insomnia have increased. A study by the University of Southampton carried out in August 2020 showed (link removed).

In this sense, we greet it with great anticipation (link away) with a few helpful tips for improving sleep that have the very suitable slogan: (link removed) - the type of life -changing habit that we can leave behind. The event itself was launched in 2008 by the World Sleep Society (WSS) as a call for action in order to raise awareness of the importance of sleep for a healthy life.

On average, adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. The sleep scientist and author of Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker, explains (link removed)

sleep is so important for your health and well -being. It is not a pleasure or a thing that we should catch up -especially on Sundays -but try to consider it a fundamental need for the functioning of man: as oxygen, water and food. With this in mind you will find some tips for a better eye here.

Here are 10 tips for improving sleep:

1. Set a regular sleep time

Just as you would put small children to bed, you should also set a regular bedtime on weekdays and weekends. Setting a regular sleep and waking time is one of the best tips for improving sleep and increases your chances of good sleep. Studies have also shown this (link removed)

2. Dimonize the lights

darken the light an hour before going to bed so that you start to signal your mind and body towards calm. If you have a dimmer light switch, use it or simply switch on a small lamp instead of leaving the main lights on. Warm light is also better than blue or white light. (Remember to scrollers for the phone before going to bed - and read below).

3. Place your devices in bed

The way you set a regular bedtime, you also create a bedtime for your devices. avoid stimulating your brain with information right before going to bed. The blue light of your devices can also inhibit the release of the sleep hormone melatonin.

4. Create a relaxing bedtime.

Reduce the screen time and relax an hour before going to bed by doing something that relaxes you. Take a bath, light a candle, massage your nightly moisturizing cream on your face or make gentle yoga. Make sure you enjoy it so that you are more likely to commit yourself.

5. Reduce the temperature of your bedroom.

This is one of the simplest tips for improving sleep, since the body actually has to lower its core temperature to fall asleep. Set your bedroom temperature to 18 degrees Celsius.

6. Cut caffeine in the afternoon.

caffeine is a well -known stimulant. less known is that it has a half -life of about 6 hours and a fourth time of 12 hours. This means that if you drink a cup of coffee at lunchtime, you still have half of this coffee in your system by 6 p.m., and there is still a quarter until midnight. therefore, as a tip to improve sleep, wherever possible, to the Decaf.

7. Avoid alcohol before going to bed - and in general.

While alcohol is a sedative, calming is not sleep. alcohol has the ability to fragment your sleep, which means that it can wake it up several times at night and thus impair the quality of your sleep.

8. Move your body - more.

Regular physical activity has a number of health advantages. If you stay active during the day, you can also use energy to prepare for sleep in the evening. I recommend performing every high -intensity training in the morning or early afternoon. Avoid exhausting activities in the evening because you feel energetic and awake.

9. Resist the nap.

While it can be tempting to make a nap in the afternoon, especially if you have not slept enough, the nap will only make it difficult to fall asleep that evening because it eliminates your body's sleep drive. Instead, try a 20-minute "relaxing yoga break". One of my favorite sposes is Legs on a Chair. Simply put your legs on the floor on a chair or a sofa. Bring the legs to about 90 degrees, with the knee throats resting on the front edge of the chair and the calves and feet are supported on the chair.

10. Keep your bed to sleep.

Tell us: "My bedroom is my temple of calm." It is important that you only keep your bed for sleep and sex so that your brain can associate the bedroom positively as a place of calm. So if you are awake for more than 20 minutes at night, you get up and move to another room. Take a relaxing activity like gentle yoga or read a book in poor lighting conditions. The idea is that you want to overturn every association that the bedroom is a place of vigilance.

My favorite products for a relaxing sleep:

Yogamatter's organic cotton eye cushion -a must for every restorative yoga practice. The subtle weight and the darkness not only help to switch off the nervous system, but also the subtle sending of lavender promotes relaxation.

sleep relaxation, Lisa Sanfilippo - a wonderful book for those who need further support in identifying sleeping sabotors and practical possibilities how yoga can help you fall asleep.

Tawny will carry out th March (2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. CET) as part of your self-care Sunday series on Sunday, the 28th a live stream workshop for yoga for better sleep. Further details and bookings can be made through you website.