Sleep Well

No More Counting Sheep

sweet dreams

The Good Sleep Habit

by

What you do before snuggling down for the night directly affects the quality of your sleep. It’s critically important that you get into a routine, for both your physical and mental health.

How to Create a Good Sleep habit in 21 days

If you do the same thing every day for 21 days, it soon becomes a habit.

Your bedtime routine should include:

  • 🌜Sticking to the same bedtime hours
  • 🌜Getting ready for the next day the night before to reduce stress
  • 🌜Switching off tech an hour before bedtime
  • 🌜Having a warm milky drink
  • 🌜Write a journal to calm your mind
  • 🌜Make your room as dark as possible

30 Top Tips for helping you relax and prepare for sleep:

  • 🌜Set a time for bed
  • 🌜Prep your breakfast
  • 🌜Keep it loose
  • 🌜Have a warm milky drink
  • 🌜Check the forecast
  • 🌜Tidy up
  • 🌜Write a journal
  • 🌜Get ready for tomorrow
  • 🌜Write a To Do list
  • 🌜Wipe off the day
  • 🌜Turn the lights down
  • 🌜Plan to be active
  • 🌜Keep it quiet
  • 🌜Colour it in
  • 🌜Draw the curtains
  • 🌜Go to the loo
  • 🌜Be grateful
  • 🌜Fill your memory jar
  • 🌜Set an alarm
  • 🌜Pamper yourself
  • 🌜Spritz your pillow
  • 🌜Read a book
  • 🌜Have a bubble bath
  • 🌜Check the temperature
  • 🌜Brush your hair
  • 🌜Switch off tech
  • 🌜Listen to calming music
  • 🌜Breathe deeply
  • 🌜Practice mindfulness
  • 🌜Stretch it out

You can also download our handy sleep tracker so you can keep an eye on how you’re doing. We’d love to hear your sleep stories. Tag @sleepwelldrinks and #bedtimehabit and we’ll find you on social.

Download: Sleep Well Sleep Tracker

Cheers all and sleep well. x

Sleep FAQs

by

We were proud to work with Dr Hillary Jones recently to be featured in his Live to 100 magazine which is available through news outlets across the UK as well as online (click here for latest edition).  Working with our sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley, we pulled together this sleep FAQ and were keen to share it with you here.  Hope it helps you sleep well.

 

  1. In what way can the quality of my sleep affect my health?

More than half of Britons say stress or worry keeps them awake at night, and a third of adults in the UK have taken medication in an attempt to relieve sleeping problems.  A third! However, the cost of all those sleepless nights is more than just bad moods and a lack of focus. Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Sleep debt is such a huge issue in today’s society due to our “always on” lifestyles and people are now waking up to the benefits of a great night’s sleep.

 

  1. What are the main factors that can disrupt my sleep?

Take a look at your lifestyle to see if there are things that may be causing your sleep disruption.  These could be your diet, exercise patterns (or lack of exercise) and your sleeping environment.  Is your room too hot or too cold? Do you have a partner that disrupts your sleep? Are you stressed and find that your worries are stopping you from nodding off? Then consider your sleep schedule.  Ideally you would enjoy a regular relaxing bedtime routine that allows your mind to unwind and you will be going to bed and getting up at the same time, even at the weekends.

 

  1. How many hours of sleep should I be getting per night?

The Sleep Council says the recommended sleep for 18-65 year olds is seven to nine hours a night.  Some people need more, some less.  The real sign of whether or not you are getting enough sleep is if you feel tired in the day. Worryingly, the average UK person is under sleeping by at least an hour a night.  We’re a tired bunch and it’s really impacting our health and wellbeing!

 

  1. What measures can I take to make sure I’m getting the right amount of sleep every night?

There isn’t a one size fits all solution to sleeping.  Find out what works for you and try to establish a bedtime routine.  These three key elements will really help you get your eight a night:

 

  1. A Quiet Mind

The number one essential for getting to sleep is a quiet mind. If you find yourself tossing and turning at night with a head full of worry, get up and only go back to bed when you feel tired. Try writing down what is worrying you in a journal before bed to give your mind permission to switch off and pick things back up in the morning.

 

  1. A Relaxed Body

Try to find ways to help you relax in the evening.  It could be by enjoying a warm milk drink, having a long soak in the bath or by snuggling up with a great book.  Trying deep breathing practices can also help you relax and prepare your mind and body for sleep.

 

  1. A Bedroom For Sleeping

The bedroom should be a sanctuary reserved for sleep.   Somewhere not too hot or cold – the ideal temperature should be around 16-18°C (60-65°F). Your bedroom should be pleasant and relaxing with fresh air and blackout curtains.  Invest in a high quality and comfortable bed and go for the biggest one you can fit in your bedroom.

 

  1. Recently, I’ve been struggling to fall asleep. What can I do?

One of the most important things you can do is to establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine. When we were younger most of us had an established bedtime routine.  Now, many of us work late and fall into bed far later than planned, with no thought for a bedtime routine. Creating this sleep routine will signal to the body that it is time for sleep and will allow you to put the stresses and worries of the day behind you.  What you do just before you go to sleep directly affects the quality and duration of your sleep.

 

  1. Does what I eat and drink throughout the day affect the quality of my sleep?

We know that certain foods and drinks can interfere with sleep, the most obvious ones being caffeine and alchohol. A heavy meal close to bedtime may make you less comfortable when you settle down for your night’s rest. At the same time, going to bed hungry can be just as disruptive to sleep as going to bed too full. Enjoying a light meal a good few hours before you plan to sleep should set you up for the best chance of getting a good night’s rest.

 

  1. Is napping during the day disrupting my sleeping schedule?

Whilst naps will never make up for a poor night’s sleep, a short nap of just 20-30 minutes can help pep you up, both improving your performance and reducing the number of mistakes you’re likely to make during the day if you’re overtired. Psychologically, a nap also feels like a ‘treat’, providing much needed respite from a stressful day and improving your overall sense of wellbeing.

However the best way to get a good night’s sleep is to be awake during the day.  It sounds obvious but sleeping in late and excessive napping will play havoc with your sleep patterns.

 

  1. Are there any products available on the market that can help me have a better night’s sleep?

Sleep Well is made from three simple and nutritious ingredients associated with a good night’s sleep: pure wholesome Jersey milk, honey and valerian.  Because of its relaxing ingredients, Sleep Well helps to calm you down. It’s perfect for those nights you really need to sleep but your brain won’t switch off. Drinking Sleep Well thirty minutes before you want to sleep can help you wind down and have a restful night.  Delicious drunk warm or cold, Sleep Well is available in handy 200 ml ‘sip and sleep’ cartons.

Buy Sleep Well here…

Make Sleep Your New Year Resolution

by

If you’re thinking about a healthier start to the new year, then make sleep your new year’s resolution. Scientists and doctors agree that it’s one of the keys to good mental and physical health. If you’re wanting to lose weight it can also help with that too.

The post-Christmas sleep hangover

Many of us have fallen into bad habits over Christmas and New Year. We’re not just talking about eating and drinking too much. Socialising and binging on holiday TV means we stay up later and have a nice lie in. While we all need a rest, changing our sleeping patterns by a few hours has the same effect as jet lag. This results in tiredness, poor concentration and motivation, and disrupted eating habits. This is because you’ve disrupted your own internal clock – your circadian rhythm.

If this sounds like you then you need to read our blog on The Good Sleep Habit. With a great, and free, downloadable bedtime routine we’re here to help get your body back in synch.

Does getting good sleep help you lose weight?

Yes, according to the scientists. So if having a trimmer figure is one of your resolutions, ensure you are sleeping well. Research suggests that there is a positive link between good sleep and healthy body weight. One of the reasons involves how our body transmits the message that it’s hungry. Some studies suggest that lack of sleep increases your appetite, and that it also makes you crave foods that are higher in calories and carbohydrates.  Other studies indicate that sleep disorders impact your metabolism, the rate at which you burn calories, and can lead to weight gain. Less sleep might also simply mean that you’re awake and able to consume more food. If you can’t get to sleep late at night, or are waking in the early hours, you might turn to comfort food.

Finally, some research also indicates that if you are on a diet, insufficient sleep can restrict the diet’s effectiveness to lose fat. Having an unhealthy lifestyle, staying up late, being inactive and eating lots of comfort food means poor sleep and diet go hand in hand. But there’s clear evidence to suggest that if you sleep well and keep to a regular bedtime routine it can help battle the bulge and prevent obesity.

Download: Get The Good Sleep Habit

How do good sleep habits make you healthier?

Apart from your weight, getting good sleep has plenty of other health benefits. It keeps your immune system active for one thing, which we all need during a pandemic. During sleep your body repairs itself and produces what it needs to keep healthy. Poor sleep is also linked to an increased likelihood of getting dementia. A Harvard Medical School study found that getting less than five hours’ sleep at night made you twice as likely to develop dementia. While another study in Europe concluded that less than six hours sleep gave you a 30% increase in dementia risk. Other studies also suggest it increases the risk of diabetes and heart problems.

Sleep and its impact on motivation and mental health

The post-Christmas winter months are tough enough at the best of times, without the added stress and restrictions from Covid. Many people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder due to the lack of sunlight, which in turn disrupts sleep. Ensuring you have a regular bedtime routine and adequate sleep will help you with your mental and physical state. A recent John Hopkins study found healthy men and women whose sleep was interrupted throughout the night had a 31% reduction in positive moods the next day.

There’s no doubt that depression and insomnia go hand in hand. But it’s not clear which one comes first. What the doctors do recommend is that you should treat both symptoms if you want to be well. There’s no point trying to treat your depression if you continue to have poor sleep.

Practical ways to make sleep your new year resolution

If you do the same thing every day for 30 days, then it soon becomes a habit. You can download our bedtime routine now to help you improve your sleep in 2022.

Bedtime routine top tips include:

  • Sticking to the same bedtime hours
  • Getting ready for the next day the night before to reduce stress
  • Switching off tech an hour before bedtime
  • Having a warm milky drink – especially if it’s got natural sleep enhancing herbs like Sleep Well milk
  • Write a journal to calm your mind
  • Make your room as dark as possible.

We also have a downloadable 30 tips for getting ready for bed. Download it today for the best chance to make sleep your new year resolution.

All the Sleep Well team wish you a good, healthy sleeping 2022

Wake up and face facts

by

CNN recently published a brilliant article debunking common sleep myths. To read the full article click here. Which one are you guilty of believing?

Myth #1: Adults can survive on five or fewer hours of sleep

Evidence shows that sleeping five hours or less can massively impact your mental and physical health. Poor sleep is proven to contribute to high blood pressure, a vulnerable immune system and dementia. If your body isn’t rested, it directly affects your ability to pay attention and solve problems and, according to the National Institute of Health, your ability to learn new things drops by 40% when you don’t get enough sleep. So basically, a chronic lack of sleep is highly likely to have a negative effect on your performance and increases your chances of making mistakes.

Myth #2: It’s healthy to be able to fall asleep anywhere, anytime

If you find yourself falling asleep as soon as you get on the train or lie on the couch that isn’t a healthy napping skill. It’s a sure-fire sign that you aren’t getting enough sleep. Your body is so desperate for extra kip that it will take whatever opportunity it can get to play catch up. Want our advice? Go to bed when your body is telling you to, not when you’ve finished watching “just one more” episode of Game of Thrones. 

Myth #3: Drinking alcohol before bed helps you fall asleep

A night cap may put you to sleep faster, but it also reduces the quality of your sleep. Alcohol has negative affects on your REM sleep, which is the stage of sleep that helps boost your memory, concentration and learning. Why not wind down with a cup of Sleep Well instead as your nightcap of choice. A warm cup of milk as part of your healthy bedtime routine really can help you fall asleep and stay asleep and you don’t wake up feeling groggy in the morning.

Myth #4: Watching TV helps you relax before bed

This might be true, but it will also delay you feeling sleepy. Whether it’s your TV, laptop, iPad or smartphone, the blue light that is emitted from these devices suppresses the production of melatonin (the hormone your body produces to signal to your body clock that it’s time for shut eye). No melatonin, no feel sleepy. So try and avoid exposure to blue light from 45 minutes before you head to bead. Cozy up to a good book instead to help your mind settle. In a study from the University of Sussex, cognitive neuropsychologist Dr. David Lewis found that enjoying a book was one of the best ways to help people get to sleep.

Myth #5: Hitting snooze in the morning is fine

Hitting that snooze button does you no favours. You might drift back off to sleep, but those extra few minutes could do more harm than good because it confuses your natural body clock. By drifting back off to sleep, you are entering a new sleep cycle. You’ll then be woken up a few minutes later and waking up at the start of a sleep cycle makes you feel like you’ve had a bad night’s sleep.  So try putting your alarm clock on the other side of the room so you are forced to get out of bed to turn it off. Once you’re up you’re far less likely to hit snooze.

Sweet Dreams

by

No cognitive state has been as extensively studied yet as misunderstood as dreaming.  The average person dreams three to six times per night for up to 20 minutes per dream.  That’s up to two hours a night forming a big part of our human experience.

 

Researchers believe dreams play an important role in problem solving, incorporating memories and processing emotions. Many people come up with their best ideas whilst dreaming, suggesting it’s also a conduit for creativity.

 

Dreaming mainly happens during the light stage of sleep or what’s known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.  That’s why light sleepers and people that wake several times during the night are more likely to remember their dreams.  If you’d like to remember your dreams more, follow these top tips to help you:

 

Ditch the alarm clock

You’re more likely to remember your dreams if you allow your body to wake up naturally. Focusing on the sound of an alarm pushes dreams out of your field of consciousness.

 

Avoid alcohol

Try not to drink alcohol or take medication right before bed time as this can disrupt REM sleep and decrease dreaming.

 

Sweet dreams are made of cheese

Eating cheese or spicy food before bedtime can cause indigestion and alter your body’s metabolism. This in turn affects the brain’s overnight activity leading to dreams or nightmares.

 

Programme your brain to remember

Right before you go to sleep, make a conscious decision to remember. It’s amazing how receptive your mind can be when you ‘programme’ it to do something.

 

Drink Sleep Well

Certain herbs such as valerian root and chamomile, which are used to induce sleep, can bring on more vivid and fluid dreaming.  With its gorgeous tasting combination of milk, honey and valerian, drinking Sleep Well half an hour before you head to bed may well mean you’ve bagged yourself a one-way ticket on the dreamland express!

Top Posts

Sleep and mental health

Blog

THE RULES OF FLIGHT CLUB
The Good Sleep Habit
Beat Exam Stress
Myths about sleep
The power of dreams
Festive Colouring Fun
Get your Kids to sleep on Christmas Eve
Keep kids calm over Christmas
How to Sleep Well over Christmas
Night owl or early bird?