We've got 5 ways to help you improve you sleep.

Sleep is a vital part of life and while sleeping your body and mind receives many benefits that can help you in your life.

Better moods, more alert, clearer thinking, higher immunity, increased memory, looking more attractive, lower chance of chronic/lifestyle disease, less stress, better sex and weight management are all attributed to getting the recommended 8 hours an night of zzz.

So with all these benefits, it should be easy to fall asleep right? Well not always for some! Here are 6 tips you can use to help get yourself to sleep at night.

1. Have a schedule

Having a sleep schedule is really important for you to fall asleep easily. Allocate the time where you know you’ll be sleeping for a solid 8 hours. For example, if you know you will be awake at 6am, you should start getting ready for bed at 9:30pm to fall asleep by 10pm.

If you are used to staying up later this may be difficult for the first week. But once your body finds a natural rhythm it will be able to fall asleep earlier each night ensuring you get your full 8 hours sleep.

2. Turn off all electronics 30 minutes before bed

Electronics stimulate the brain in a way, which keeps us awake for longer by making us tense. Although watching TV or a movie may seem relaxing it still triggers a high amount of activity in our brain making our bodies tense and therefore making it harder for us to fall asleep,

Furthermore, the glow from electronics delays our sleep time by inhibiting the release of our sleep hormones melatonin which means you won’t be getting to sleep very well or quality sleep while your laptop glows beside you.

3. Read a book

What should you do without your electronics???

Well catching up on some reading is a good way to start. With much fewer stimuli than a screen, reading tends to be a relaxing way to unwind after a busy day. Don't like reading? Meditate, do some stretches or talk to your partner about your day. These all tend to be better ways to unwind and debrief on a stressful day than playing with your phone or watching T.V

4. Have a bath/warm shower

Relax your muscle and your mind by taking a warm bath or shower to unwind before bed. This gives you some quality ‘me’ time to reflect on the day’s stresses and positives. It also gives your body time to relax before you jump into bed so you’re ready to go off to the land of nod.

5. Try taking a deep breath!

Doing breathing exercises relaxes the body and enables you to fall asleep faster.
Try:

• Counting to 4 while breathing in then counting to 4 by breathing out

• Increase the number of seconds counting by 1 each breath until you get to 12 seconds. If you can’t reach 12, go as high as you can and stop there and work backwards. This should improve over time

• Take 3 final big breaths of as much air as you can

• Drink some herbal tea

Herbal teas can be a great relaxant before you want to go to bed and can aid in digestion as well!

Teas can be the perfect way to tell your body it’s time for bed via your bedtime routine. Plus, certain ‘sleepy time’ teas are made from herbs that are used in supplements which promote sleep.

Now, go on and get some good shut-eye! zzz