The changing of the clocks may invite welcome visions of longer, lighter days and balmy evenings outdoors, but after losing one hour of precious sleep, what if your routine is disturbed and you’re not feeling as refreshed as the ‘season of new beginnings’ promises?
Due to months of insufficient sun exposure and a lack of nutrient-rich foods consumed throughout the winter, March and April are typically when energy levels are at their lowest – making it the perfect time to review and reset our sleep habits.
With this in mind, natural health brand, BetterYou has shared some top tips for achieving a better night’s sleep this springtime and beyond.
Are you surviving or thriving?
If you are busy ‘surviving’ – answering emails, instant messages or you are too stressed to quieten the mind – you are bound to have trouble getting to sleep or may experience what’s known as ‘junk sleep’.
Top tip: Establish a bedtime routine which begins between one hour and 40 minutes before you hope to be asleep. This time will prepare your body to ‘receive’ rest by winding down after the day and should include banning as much technology as possible.
Once you have established this routine, stick to it, even if the time you begin your sleep preparation may vary according to your schedule.
Resist the temptation to clock watch
A cardinal rule of healthy sleep – if you are struggling to get to sleep or you wake in the middle of the night, don’t be tempted to check the clock. Watching the time or working out how many hours you may have left to sleep is likely to make getting back to sleep more difficult.
Trust that your alarm clock (preferably not your mobile phone) will wake you when you need to rise and resist the temptation to rouse your nervous system by checking the time.
Nutrition for Sleep
Nutrition is a hugely important part of resetting and rebalancing your body to achieve a better night’s sleep. Magnesium is one of nature’s most effective relaxants and can greatly affect the quality of sleep we experience yet is poorly represented in modern diets due to intensive farming and an increase in processed foods.
“Hailed a ‘magic mineral’ owing to the many health benefits it can offer, Magnesium plays a pivotal role in how your body manages its sleep cycle because it stimulates the gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels in the brain. When GABA levels are low, your brain can get stuck in the ‘on’ position, making it difficult to relax and fall asleep”, says Keeley Berry, nutritional expert and New Product Development Executive at BetterYou.
“At BetterYou, we specialise in developing supplements to support modern diet and lifestyles and our Magnesium Sleep Lotion is a prime example. During a five-week clinical trial of the product, 92 per cent of participants demonstrated improvements in their sleep quality, particularly those that had trouble staying asleep*.
“Applying magnesium transdermally (through the skin) negates the need for tablets and capsules and can be easily introduced as part of a healthy bedtime routine.”
Keeley’s top sleep tips following the clock-change;
- Expose yourself to plenty of natural light during the daytime and make your bedroom as dark as possible in the evenings
- Supplement magnesium transdermally – whether you opt for a relaxing soak with magnesium flakes or use a lotion or oil, increasing your levels of this essential vitamin will set you up for restful slumber
- Don’t overthink – try to keep stress levels low and don’t worry too much if you wake in the night; our sleep works in 90-minute cycles, so it’s natural to stir. Avoid stimulating the nervous system by reaching for your phone or checking the clock.
Encouraging the use of transdermal magnesium as an aid to healthy sleep, BetterYou is offering gift-with-purchase*, chances to win orders and discounts on products from the Sleep range throughout April 2019.
In collaboration with The Sleep Council, the brand has also created a complete guide to achieving restful sleep. This e-book aims to help people improve their bedtime routine, considering their environment and nutritional needs.