How to Get a Good Night Sleep
April 12th, 2021 in News & Blogs, Year of Positivity
As part of our Year of Positivity campaign, we will be bringing you monthly blog posts based around mental health and working on your own.
The whole idea of this campaign is to support our wonderful community of dog groomers with helpful advice/tips, mental health awareness and business skills to help you not only run your business but also look after yourself at the same time.
This month we are focusing on sleep which is a huge factor when it comes to looking after yourself and your mental health, not only can we not function properly when we don’t get enough sleep, it can also have a negative effect on your health and well-being.
In this blog post, we have put together a list of practical tips you can try in order to get a good night’s sleep.
Paint your bedroom a calming colour
Try to opt for muted earth tones, buttery yellows and soft blues to help create a calm environment. Avoid bright colours as they tend to stimulate the brain, making it harder to fall asleep.
Get a comfortable mattress and pillow
You should aim to replace your pillow every 12-18 months as they can stop providing the right amount of support for your neck and may even contain dust mites, mold and mildew which can worsen allergies.
Your mattress should be replaced every 5-8 years to ensure it is supporting your body whilst you sleep and allowing you to get a good night’s sleep.
Keep your bedroom clean
It is hard to feel calm and relaxed when in a messy environment. Dust, hoover and change your bed sheets weekly to help ease allergies and keep your environment tidy.
Keep pets out of your bedroom
We know you guys love your pets just as much as we do but sharing your bed with pets can really disturb your sleep whenever they move around the room. Pet fur can also increase allergy symptoms and you may even find yourself sleeping in an uncomfortable position to accommodate your cat or dog.
Limit activities in bed
Activities such as reading, studying, watching TV, playing video games and catching up on work emails stimulate the brain and cause you to associate your bed with these activities, making it harder to fall asleep. Aim to make your bedroom an electronics-free zone as devices such as tablets, smartphones and laptops emit Blue light which can then interfere with your body’s production of melatonin, making falling asleep more difficult.
Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet
- Cooler air correlates with more restful sleep – always try to keep your bedroom under 21C.
- Keep your bedroom dark with blackout curtains or try wearing a sleep mask.
- Drown out disruptive noises such as road traffic and background conversations with earplugs or a white noise machine.
Exercise during the day
Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise 3x per week to help stimulate longer periods of deep, restorative sleep and alleviate stress.
Watch what you eat and drink
Eat a light meal at dinnertime and try to stay away from spicy food to prevent heartburn and indigestion. Avoid any caffeinated beverages in the afternoon as they can stay in your system for several hours, which could impact your sleep. Consuming alcohol at night can supress melatonin production which can lead to a restless and fragmented sleep.
Try mental games and visualisation techniques
Play mental games such as counting slowly backward from 100 to help keep your mind from racing and focused on worries.
Calm your mind and body
Try some relaxation techniques such as a warm bath, aromatherapy, deep abdominal breathing and listening to recordings of nature sounds. If you have a lot on your mind, try writing yourself a list or journaling to get all your concerns out of your system.
We hope these tips and techniques can help you to get a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed! Keep your eyes peeled for a new blog post next month with more health and wellbeing advice.