your health
Get into a good routine, sleep well and feel energised by this time tomorrow!
Can’t drift off to sleep or waking during the night? What you might not realise is that what you get up to throughout the day is just as important as your bedtime routine. We asked two experts how to prepare for a good night’s sleep, starting from the second you open your eyes in the morning.
FIRST THING
By setting your alarm for the same time every day, your body clock will soon take over. Sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley explains, “If you’re doing cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for insomnia, the first thing they’ll do is fix your wake up. But you have to do it 365 days a year. It’s not completely rigid, plus or minus up to one hour is fine. The reason for this is that your body and brain start to wake up about 90 minutes before you actually wake, so if your body knows what time you wake up, it knows what time to get ready for.” Dr Neil says you can train your brain to wake up naturally at your desired time quite quickly. “Set your alarm for the time you want to wake up, do it consistently and it will only take about two or three weeks.”
What time should we be setting our alarm for? “It is individual,” Dr Neil explains. “There are morning people and evening people, with 50 per cent of us somewhere in between. Morning people can bounce out of bed at 5am and other people might not want to go to bed until midnight, so may not get up until 9am. Pick a time that works for you and your routine.”
EARLY MORNING
Dr Neil says it’s important to get some light as soon as possible after waking to kickstart your circadian rhythm (your body’s 24-hour internal clock). He explains, “Daylight is the signal that tells your body you are awake. It’s important to get light as soon after you wake up as possible. On those dreary days, you can get the same effect by switching on the artificial lights in the house. You can sit by the window for five minutes if you want to, although to get the added benefit of soaking up Vitamin D, you need to get outdoors.”
MIDDAY ONWARDS
Studies have shown that caffeine consumption reduces total sleep time by 45 minutes and sleep efficiency by seven per cent. Dr Neil says, “For both alcohol and caffeine, there are differences in sensitivity depending on the person.
We all know someone who can drink two double espressos and go straight to sleep! Other peop
