The Importance of Sleep – Improving your Sleep Hygiene

How many hours are you sleeping at night?

Are you perhaps compromising on your sleeping hours so that you can get more things done?

Poor sleep hygiene can harm both our emotional and physical health. The list below outlines the impact poor quality sleep has on various areas of our body:

1. Mental Health – Anxiety, depression, panic
2. Physical Health – Inflammation, high blood pressure, obesity
3. Cognitive performance – Reduction in short-term memory, verbal fluency, and creativity
4. Physical performance – reduced reaction time, visual acuity, and coordination
5. Emotional intelligence – ethical decision-making, and emotional state impacted

We still need 8-9 hours of sleep a night, despite our busy lifestyle.

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“Day is over, night has come. Today is gone, what’s done is done. Embrace your dreams, through the night. Tomorrow comes with a whole new light.”

Sleep Better, Feel Better: How to Improve Your Sleep Quality

Optimising Sleep Hygiene & Sleep Quality

Achieving quality, restorative sleep is essential for maintaining hormonal balance, mental clarity, immune function, and metabolic health. Below are key strategies based on current sleep science to help support better sleep onset, duration, and depth.

Evening Nutrition & Blood Sugar Stability

• Aim to eat your evening meal at least 2–3 hours before bedtime, ideally no later than 8:00 PM.
•  Avoid going to bed hungry. Low blood sugar at night can trigger the release of cortisol and increase wakefulness. If needed, have a light snack that includes complex carbohydrates and protein (e.g., plain yoghurt, a brown rice cake with almond butter, or a slice of turkey and hummus).
• Avoid heavy, spicy, or high-sugar meals close to bedtime as these may disrupt digestion and sleep quality.
• Limit caffeine after 12:00 PM; even small amounts can affect deep sleep hours later.

Support Your Circadian Rhythm with Light Cues

Your circadian rhythm is influenced by exposure to light, particularly blue light. Optimising this helps regulate your internal body clock and melatonin production.

• In the morning, get natural sunlight exposure within 30–60 minutes of waking. You can do this by going outside or sitting by a bright window for at least 10 minutes. This sets your body clock for the day.
• In the evening: Dim lights from 8:00 PM onward. Switch to warm-tone, low-lumen bulbs (or amber/red lighting) in the bedroom and bathroom.
• Avoid screens (phones, tablets, TV) 1–2 hours before bed. If you must use them, consider installing blue-light filters or wearing blue-blocking glasses.

Establish a Regular Sleep-Wake Routine

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps anchor your sleep cycle.
• Create a wind-down routine that signals to your nervous system it’s time for sleep, such as dimming the lights, gentle stretching, or making herbal tea.

Offload the Mind: Journaling

• Keep a notebook by your bed and do a 5-minute “brain dump” before sleep. Write down worries, to-dos, or racing thoughts. This externalises the mental load and reduces overnight rumination.

Soothing Sleep Rituals

If you struggle to fall asleep or wake during the night, the following gentle strategies may help:

• Take a warm bath with magnesium flakes and soft lighting (candles are ideal).
• Try a sleep meditation or use an app such as Insight Timer or Calm.
• Listen to binaural beats, white noise, or relaxing classical music.
• Read a light or comforting book (avoid thrillers or emotional material).
• Use a heat pack to relieve muscle tension or menstrual pain, if present.
• Sip a calming herbal tea containing Chamomile, Passionflower, Skullcap, or Lemon Balm.

If You Wake and Can’t Get Back to Sleep

• Avoid checking the clock. This creates pressure and stress around sleep.
• If you're awake for more than 20–30 minutes, get out of bed and sit in a dimly lit room. Engage in a calming activity (such as reading, journaling, or meditation) until you feel drowsy again.
• Return to bed when sleepy. Over time, this retrains your brain to associate your bed with restful sleep.

Additional Tips:

• Cool bedroom temperatures (~18°C) are associated with improved sleep onset and increased REM sleep.
• Avoid alcohol at night; it fragments sleep and suppresses REM.

Happy Sleeping!