Sleep – that oh so important thing in life that we often take for granted.

Have you ever got into bed, knowing it was too late really and thought to yourself, ‘Oh why didn’t I get into bed hours earlier, this is bliss’? (No? Maybe that’s just me!)  No matter how much we fight it we need our sleep.

There is so much thought around how much we need.  Some say 8 hours, recent research suggests that shorter hours are more beneficial in terms of improved concentration etc.  Being an intermittent insomniac I’ve read quite a few articles around this topic.  One that I can never quite decide on is the power nap.  Some say it ‘steals’ your sleeping hours from your night sleep, others say it’s a great way to energise you as long as you keep it within 20-30 minutes.  Personally when I’ve had the time I go with the latter.  If I really am crashing then a quick 20 minute power nap works great for me.  (All well and good if you have the time, I hear you say!)

Sleep is so important for us.  Aside from all of the real health benefits it makes us look and feel fab, we are running with much higher energy levels and most important for us girls it’s less bags/crow’s feet/dark circles!  (I know guys, you get me on that too lol)  Sleep also makes us nicer people, we don’t usually go around snapping everyone’s heads off when we’re well rested, so there are lots of benefits to it.  It’s easy to get into a cycle of not switching off and sleep becomes our last priority, but it shouldn’t. It’s an important part of our self-care (check out my self-care quiz here)

Setting up a good sleep routine is key in helping us get more Zzzzz’s.  So what does a good routine mean for you?  Some ideas are:

• Healthy eating
• Increased exercise
• Hot bath
• No technology an hour before bed
• Drinking a warm milky drink
• Lavender oil on your pillow (not too much though, you’ll get a headache!)
• Regular bedtime routine, same time every night ( how does that work at weekends?!)
• Change your mindset – don’t tell yourself ‘I must go to sleep’.  Tell yourself ‘I always have a blissful night’s sleep’.  ‘Must’ puts the pressure on!

Want to learn more? There’s a great article here with lots of hints and tips. I’m definitely no expert on sleep, but I do know that in terms of overall health and what we can then be/do/have as a result of getting enough of it, it’s vital.  So what do you need to do in terms of sleep in the words of Berocca, to be you, ‘but you on a good day’?’

Personally I try lots of different things for when I’m out of my routine but my top 3 go to’s are;

1. A natural Hot Chocolate called ‘Sleepy Slurp’.  It tastes delicious and has me entering that beautiful, cozy dreamland within a few minutes
2. My notepad. I have a very busy mind so recording things before I sleep works a treat.  If I wake in the night with something on my mind it’s also there so I can jot it down and drift back off again into the land of Nod
3. Bedtime Calculator – this ‘app‘ really helps me work with my sleep routines – try it out

I’d love to learn what works for you.  Leave me a note in the comments section below.

Missed the PR tips shared by my Be My Guest post with Louise Thornton?  Click here.

Want some help?  Get in touch …