Sleeping Soundly

Sleep self care 

The quality of your sleep depends on the quality of your day

Setting ourselves up for good quality of sleep, starts with how with our actions and what habits we are implementing throughout the day.

The importance of deep sleep

Sleep is necessary for good health and wellbeing, deep sleep offers specific physical and mental benefits. During deep sleep, your body releases growth hormones and works to build and repair muscles, bones, and tissue, and immune system functioning. We can see this time as an opportunity for our bodies to recover, restore and reset from living.

Making the bedroom a sanctuary

The bedroom is a personal space which enables us to relax, revive and refresh, both at the beginning of the day and at the end. The most important activity that takes place in your bedroom is sleep, so setting it up to promote deep sleep is vital for deep and quality rest.

Bedroom & bedtime checklist:

• Air purifiers, these help to regulate the quality of the air in the room. They use filtration systems to optimise the air quality of the room so we can breathe cleaner air. Air purifiers work by removing particles from the air and in turn help to improve the indoor air quality, which can reduce lung, eye and skin irritation, soothing your body for deep sleep.
• Aromatherapy, this is the connection of smells to relaxation and sleep. Research demonstrates that because smell affects sleep, incorporating certain essential oils into your bedtime routine may help people sleep better. By ritualistically incorporating a particular smell around bed time, over time your brain will begin to recognise this smell with a time to wind down. 
• A Dark room. Having a dark room to sleep in is important because of how lightness effects the body through chemical reactions. Melatonin is a hormone that promotes sleep. Being exposed to light throughout the night impacts this hormone and it functions, usually by lowering its levels. keeping your room as dark as possible is best, as it signals the body that it is safe to asleep, and stay asleep through the night.
• A Cool climate. Sleeping in a colder room can improve your sleep quality by reducing the bodies internal working rate. Scientists link this to the fact that our body temperature naturally drops at night. Hence, the metabolism rate slows down, and we spend less energy during sleep. When we are warm our internal bodily system is working harder, increased metabolism and heart rate, creating a more alert and awake state. 
• Mattress that supports your spine. Being comfortable is key for deep sleep. Investing in a memory foam and latex mattresses are often considered the best options for the many that experience back pain, as they conform to your body, cradling pressure points while supporting your spine and keeping it aligned. Spinal health and posture is all down to how we sleep. 
• Soft comfortable bedding on the skin. By using non toxic, organic material beddings help to ensure no skin irritation occurs whilst sleeping. You spend over 1/3 of your life in bed, what you sleep in matters. Organic products are softer and safer for the skin, as the fibres are much longer, compared to regular fabrics. Its benefits for the skin also make it a better choice for baby clothes due to its softness and the lack of harmful chemicals used in the manufacturing process.
• A sleep mask. Eye masks research show an increased amount of REM sleep and less time spent between falling asleep and reaching REM sleep. It also results in less elevated melatonin levels. Consider a weighted mask to provide acupressure effects that help them relax. Reducing stress and anxiety. Much like a weighted blanket, a weighted mask provides a sensation of grounding. This may trigger the release of hormones and calm your nerves.
• Sound check. Considering ear plugs or white noise. White noise machines help to achieve a better quality night’s sleep by masking environmental or outside noises that are causing disturbed sleep. They not only can help you get to sleep but also stay asleep, and over time help to train your brain to know when it’s time to sleep.
• Magnesium and melatonin magic. Magnesium helps the body relax. This nutrient reduces stress and helps you sleep longer. In contrast, melatonin helps you get to sleep faster. Both magnesium and melatonin can be used to treat insomnia, sometimes even in combination.
• Blue blocks. Blue light is the light that is emitted from any source of light which is not natural. This is especially powerful when emitted from electronic devices. Blue blocking glasses are widely available in today’s world and have become popular for a very good reason. By blocking the blue light, the glasses and lenses can therefore halt the disruption to your circadian rhythm as mentioned earlier. Research has found blue light to have a detrimental impact on sleep. By limiting the blue light before you go to sleep you work with your natural circadian rhythm opposed to against it. 

Creating an enjoyable night time routine

Creating a routine around slumber is crucial for a deep, comfortable and beneficial sleep. Just as important as our morning routine, the night time routine can sometimes become overlooked however when you commit to a night time ritual or routine, the process can become a form of self care and enjoyment. Physical and energetic rituals can help transition the mind and body into full on rest mode. As we’re getting ready for bed, it’s important to slowly unwind so that we’re not just throwing ourselves from wake to sleep. Bedtime routines are a consistent, repetitive set of activities that are carried out before bed every night. Remember the bedtime routine your parents encouraged on school nights? This was for a reason Whether the wind down routine is twenty minutes or a couple hours, indulging in an activity that calms the mind, relaxes the muscles and lowers mental stimulation is the purpose of the activity. 

Sleep sum up

Sleep is magical, it helps with so many factors such as ; brain function, keeping emotions in check, reducing disease risk and keeping weight under control. We know now vital sleep is, so lets set ourselves up for the best quality sleep possible.