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6th December 2023
07:04pm GMT
Though a lot of us don't get enough sleep, we all want our children to get enough shut-eye to help prevent grumpy faces and tantrums.
Yet the question is how can you actually get this established? Here are five tips that might help.
By waking up early and exposing ourselves to natural light, we kick-start our natural circadian rhythm, making us feel awake and energised for the day, and ensuring that when it gets to the appropriate time at night, we start to feel sleepy and ready for bed.
What this means is that you should wake up early. And get as much light straight away as you can.
Open the curtains, step out into the garden, go for a run or walk, or just sit on your balcony and drink your morning coffee, whatever it is, do it – your internal clock and sleep habits will thank you for it.
If you eat too late, you are not giving your body enough time to properly digest the meal before you go to bed.
This can result in disturbed sleep and will also possibly ruin your breakfast, as you won't feel hungry straight away when you wake up.
Instead, get into the habit of having dinner earlier, according to the National Sleep Foundation, at least two to three hours before your bedtime, so that your body has a chance to digest most of it before it's lights out.
As tempting as it can be to hit the snooze buttons some mornings, or to have a lie-in come the weekend, changing up your sleep schedule can have a negative effect and make you struggle to go to sleep and get up early during the week.
Instead, set your alarm to the same time every morning, and get up when it goes off.
Your bedroom should promote rest. It should be the type of place you walk into and immediately feel relaxed, calm, and ready for bed.
What this means, is that clutter and mess have no place in the bedroom.
When you get up in the morning, get into the habit of always making your bed. Not only because it makes it less likely that you'll be tempted to mess it up by crawling back into it, but also because it will make you feel pulled together and ready for the day, and it will make it that much more lovely to get into bed at the end of the day.
Just like we by biology are designed to rise with the sun, we are also designed to get tired when the world around us gets darker. The problem? Today we are surrounded by artificial light.
Instead, to let your body do what it is designed to do, as the sun starts to set, dim the lights in your house, and put your gadgets away.
You don't need to sit in the dark, by all means, but try to avoid bright overhead lights and reduce or eliminate time spent on your phone or computer at least two hours before bedtime.
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