3 ways to get better sleep straight away

Sleep is a superpower that has previously been pushed aside but fortunately in recent years there has been a growing interest in this aspect, emphasizing its benefits in different areas of life.

Sleep, like diet and exercise, is an important pillar of our well-being, which is why we need to take care of it. In the health space, it has fortunately been disproven that being able to survive on less sleep certainly does not make it optimal to survive on less. To put it better: sleep just became cool again.

“Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day — Mother Nature’s best effort yet at contra-death.” Matthew Walker’s book ‘Why We Sleep' is a transformational read on the superpower that is a good night sleep. Not only does a good night sleep make you feel great, but it increases cognition, memory retention and lowers all-cause mortality rate. Whether you feel like you’re often trying to chase more sleep to catch up or looking for optimal, these three pillars of sleep will help you up your game.

One of your biggest keys to a good night sleep is in the setup. After a tough day, you settle into some Netflix and late-night snacks whilst scrolling on your phone. By the time you roll into bed, the eyes are tired, but your mind just can’t settle! Sound familiar? A couple of evening wind down tweaks can have you back on track to restful sleep. Our body’s natural clock, the circadian rhythm is governed in the evening by the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is what makes you feel tired enough to sleep at night and increases production in low light. Limiting phones and computers before bed is easier said than done, but they can be a major distraction to what’s important, settling down for the evening. Plus they emit blue daylight mimicking light which suppresses the secretion of melatonin.

In the evening, opt for warmer lighting, you can do this with the backlight of most tech too, put down social media and work a couple of hours before bed and ease into rest. Remember your routine is all about you.

How to get back to sleep in the night?

If you are prone to waking up in the night and struggling to settle back to sleep after 15 minutes, get out of bed and move to a different room. For those who experience this, the bedroom can soon become a stressful place where you can not sleep. Under some low light try and read, journal some thoughts or feelings or meditate. Only return to bed once you feel tired to do so again.

Sleep, like your nutrition and training, is an important pillar of your wellness journey. But the magic is in exactly this, the journey. Give this guide a try and see what part you need to focus on most. Is it putting down tech earlier in the evening? Maybe it’s setting the room just right for restful sleep? Or staying asleep through the night. Whichever it is, you’ll feel awesome in the morning for a good night sleep.