We all have times when stress or being overloaded have an impact on our ability to sleep. Losing sleep may affect us by making us irritable, lethargic, clumsy, sleepy and unable to concentrate during the daytime.

Here are some tips for anyone who wants to improve their sleep. They are intended for “typical” adults and teens but not necessarily for persons experiencing medical problems.

Getting enough sleep

How much sleep we need differs from person to person. On average most adults and teens need around 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. However, this is only an average and there can be a wide variation between individuals. As a rule of thumb, if you are finding it difficult to wake up in the morning, stay alert during the day, or get sleepy as soon as you relax, it may be that you need more sleep.

Establish a sleep routine

By doing the same thing every night before you go to bed you can improve your chances of falling asleep quickly. It is a good idea to develop a short routine involving things like washing your face and cleaning your teeth which you can easily perform before going to bed at night.

Go to be at approximately the same time every night including weekends. This helps set your internal clock that it is time for sleep. Having a different sleep-wake schedule on the weekends can throw you off. For best results be consistent.

Wake up at the same time every day. Do not sleep late in the morning trying to make up for ‘lost sleep’ and, if you experience habitual sleeplessness, do not take naps during the day.

Do not go to bed too early. Going to bed earlier than you would normally need to contributes to fragmented sleep.

Fight after- dinner drowsiness. If you give in to after dinner drowsiness, you may wake up during the night and then have trouble getting back to sleep.

Avoid physical and mental stimulation just before sleep time. Working out, working on projects, watching something very exciting just prior to going to bed can energise you instead of helping you fall asleep.

Ensuring your bedroom is sleep friendly can help you sleep better.

Turn off your television/screen in your bedroom. Exposure to too much blue light in the evening or at night could disrupt the body clock, causing poor sleep and perhaps other effects. Blue light is part of the light we get from the sun. We receive most in the middle of the day, and much less at sunrise and sunset. The body has evolved to use these differences to keep our body clocks in time with our surroundings. Some modern lighting sources, such as LEDs can produce relatively high levels of blue light. Computer and phone screens can also produce blue light. Exposure to a lot of blue light in the evenings and at night can disrupt the body clock, leading to poor sleep and effects on other body processes that depend on the body clock, such as digestion.

Turn on the night setting. Computer or phone screens often have a night time setting, which changes the colour balance to reduce the amount of blue light. Don’t forget that what you are looking at on the screen can also have an important effect on sleep

If you sleep in a noisy place, try to reduce the noise levels by closing windows and doors and wearing ear-plugs. If you can’t eliminate noise try masking it with a fan, recordings of soothing sounds , or white noise. White noise can be particularly effective in blocking out other sounds and helping you sleep.

Keep your room dark and cool. 

Most people sleep best in a room which is around 18° C and has adequate ventilation.

Reserve your bed for sleeping. 

If you associate your bed with events like catching up on emails, Instagram, TikTok it will be harder to wind down and get to sleep. Your body needs to associate bed with sleep.

Exercise

Exercise is like a wonder drug for sleep and mental health. Regular exercise during the day or early evening can improve sleeping patterns. Try to avoid exercise late in the evening as this may make it difficult for you to get to sleep.

Things to avoid which make it harder to go to sleep

· Try not to eat late. Aim to finish your evening meal two to three hours before your normal bed time.

· Avoid heavy, rich foods within two hours of bed.

· Cut down on caffeine intake. Caffeine (coffee, tea, energy drinks, colas, chocolate) remains in the body on average 3-5 hours and can affect some people up to 12 hours later. Even if you do not think caffeine affects you, it may be disrupting and changing the quality of your sleep. Avoiding caffeine within 6-8 hours of going to bed can help improve sleep quality.

· Avoid drinking too many liquids in the evening. Drinking lots in the evening can cause frequent bathroom trips during the night.

· Avoid arousing activities immediately before bedtime. This might include working, gaming or family problem-solving.

· Avoid exposure to bright light before bedtime. Bright light signals the neurons that help control the sleep-wake cycle that it is time to wake-up, not go to sleep.

· Do not engage in activities that cause you anxiety and prevent you from sleeping . If you associate a particular activity or item with anxiety about sleeping, omit it from your bedtime routine.

· Don’t smoke or vape. Nicotine is a stimulant which disrupts sleep.

Learn some relaxation techniques to help you get to sleep

· Go to youtube and search for “Relaxation for sleep”.

· Deep breathing: Close your eyes . Start by letting out a big breath through your mouth and then breathe in through your nose counting slowly to four. Hold the breath while you count slowly to four and then let out as much as you can. Repeat the cycle - making each in-breath deeper than the last. When breathing place one hand just below your ribs and the other on top of your chest. You should feel the breath filling your diaphragm which means that you are breathing deeply.

If nothing seems to help and you continue to experience difficulties with sleep consider contacting your GP for medical advice.