How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

This week is National Sleep Awareness Week, and to celebrate, we thought all you busy girls and boys could do with some tips on how to get a good night's sleep. While you may be getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night, you may not be getting the best quality, and when it comes to sleeping, quality matters just as much. Your lifestyle choices, mood and bedtime habits can all have a profound influence on your sleeping schedule. Making small changes can greatly improve both the quality and quantity of sleep so that you wake refreshed, energised and ready to take on the day.

Sleep Facts

We caught up with the very knowledgeable This Works to get some interesting facts and discover whether Beauty Sleep is really fact or fiction...

• It is believed that women are thought to need up to an hour extra of sleep compared to men.
• A short nap can help to improve your mood, relieve stress and kick-start your immune system.
• Beauty Sleep is FACT. When you sleep, your skin repairs itself to counteract any damage to the cells. This will help give you a healthy and radiant complexion.

How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Learning to sleep smarter will greatly improve your overall health, mood and well-being. Making simple and small changes to your daily routine will ensure that by the time you get into bed, you are ready to fall asleep and have a peaceful night of slumber.

• Doing a small amount of gentle exercise each day will help you to relax at night and fall asleep faster. Gentle cardio activity, yoga and Pilates for just half an hour will ensure you feel energised throughout the day and relaxed at night. Check out Mio's blog on why yoga benefits your entire body and mind. They also have some great yoga poses you can do!
• Having a warm bath at night can ease muscles, neck tension and headaches. It gives you 30 minutes to yourself when you can just relax and have some "me time." We love to use the Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath and Shower Oil, which smells beautiful and helps us drift off.
• Set the scene with candles to reduce harsh lighting and allow your eyes to relax. Finding a candle which has soothing aromatherapy benefits makes for an even more calming experience. We love the This Works Deep Sleep Heavenly Candle, which smells as you guessed...heavenly. Just make sure to blow it out before you drift off!
• Switch off your phone an hour before you want to go to bed. Electronic equipment and their bright lights can leave your brain racing, so its far better to read a book and drift off naturally.
• Get to bed early! Going to sleep late can leave you tired and irritable the day after. Getting around 8 hours a night will ensure that you wake up refreshed and revived.