Our 3 Top Tips For Improving Sleep Quality

Do you find yourself complaining about never getting a good nights sleep? Struggle to get your 6-8 hours? Finding it hard to get your energy levels up?

For many of us these are common problems and lack of sleep has become a leading cause of physical fatigue and mental health issues.

Luckily, there are things we can do to improve our sleep quality, some may seem obvious but sometimes the simple ways are the best!

Minimising Screen Time

We spend the majority of our time on screens nowadays, whether that’s for work, socialising or communicating, but this can have a damaging effect

Excessive screen time especially before bed, supresses melatonin production which disrupts the sleep/wake cycle. Spending too much time on your phone before bed has been linked to insomnia which in turn leads to poor sleep quality.

Try to minimise screen time - especially your phone in the hour before you go to bed. Instead try listening to a podcast or reading a book - this will help reduce the risk of insomnia and lead to a better nights sleep.

Caffeine and Alcohol Consumption

Because caffeine is a stimulant, it blocks a substance called adenosine which promotes sleepiness. Consuming caffeine before bed can make you more alert and less likely to sleep well. Because caffeine is a diuretic, it can also lead to frequent urination during the night which will affect your sleep quality.

Whilst alcohol can intiitally make you drowsy, as it is metabolised it can disrupt sleep. You may wake up frequently which will affect your sleep quality.

Try to minimise your intake of both caffeine and alcohol at least 2 hours before you go to bed to try and aid your sleep.

Irregular Sleep Schedule

'This is very common and something that can easily be remedied. The more consistent your sleep cycle, the better your sleep quality. If you are constantly going to bed at different times, waking up at different times - your cycle will be mofre disrupted and it will be ahrder to get a good nights sleep.

Try going to bed and waking up at a similar time each day in order to regulate your sleep cycle. This won’t be easy at first but if you can commit to trying each day then you will notice your sleep patters improve and you feel better!

To summarise - there are very easy things we can do to regulate our patterns and improve our sleep quality. They may seem basic but that makes them easier to do!

The better you sleep, the more energy you will have, the more motivation - catch those zzz’s!

If you found this helpful you may like to take a look at the following:

Feeling Fatigued? - https://www.elevatefitness.uk/blog/feeling-the-fatigue

Exercise and Sleep - https://www.elevatefitness.uk/blog/the-link-between-exercise-and-sleep

Maintaining Good Habits - https://www.elevatefitness.uk/blog/maintaining-good-habits