Sleep
It's a non-negotiable to keep us healthy, help us live longer and improve our quality of life.
It's an essential part of being alive.
After one night of bad sleep, you instantly realise how crucial it is to function well (and to not feel immediately irritated by everyone and everything around you).
So why don’t we prioritise it more?
We’re all so busy and who has time to work out what is worth putting effort into?
I do.
Hi, I’m Francesca, a yoga teacher specialising in neuroscience and every year I set a word for the year (I scrapped New Year resolutions a few years ago).
In 2024, after being fed up with feeling constantly exhausted and spending hours trying to fall asleep, I decided my word for the year was ‘Sleep’ and every month, I would try to improve my sleep hygiene in just one way and trial for the whole 4 weeks.
So how did it go?
From the title, you can probably guess.
I found stuff that are now non-negotiables in my daily routine and worked out often the hassle isn’t worth it.
I was going to do this blog in two parts but I felt like sometimes it’s easier to just have everything in one place and I’m happy to do a longer video if requested.
So here are my top recommendations of what really knocked me out asleep and why (in order of what worked okay-ish to best sleep of my life):
Body Scan/Yoga Nidra/NSDR (Non-Sleep-Deep-Rest Protocol)
Effort: Medium
Effect: 2/10
Recommend? Everyone is different and science shows they help most people - but I didn’t notice much of a difference.
Body scans have been done as a form of meditation for centuries and I find them super relaxing. There is so much new research to show how effective these are at improving your sleep.
However, you usually need to do them in the middle of the afternoon so I found them difficult to fit into my schedule. I did enjoy the act of it but I didn’t notice much difference with my sleep. They helped me feel less stressed and less anxious during the day and gave me more energy, but because I also work evenings I found the effect didn't hang around for more than 4 hours.
Bright Blue Light/Get Outdoors Immediately Upon Waking
Effort: Medium
Effect: 4/10
Recommend? Great in Summer, doesn’t work in Winter unless you want to buy a light panel.
Getting bright light into your eyes as soon as you wake up makes it clear to your brain that it’s early morning and it’s time to be awake (setting your circadian rhythm).
I found that it works well in combination with reducing blue light in the evening but unless you have a big light panel, it’s only going to work some of the year because when I wake up in Winter, it’s not even light.
If you do invest in a light panel, they're about £100 off Amazon and it needs to be about 10,000 lux to have any impact.
Candle Light/Warm Light In The Evening
Effort: High
Effect: 8/10
Recommend? Absolutely.
It’s extremely effective and very romantic but a lot of effort. It is beautiful having candles instead of bright lights and we have changed some of our bulbs to have a warmer tint at night, but if you’re going to go on your phone or TV then it’s a waste of time, so it depends on if you’re willing to put your screens away at least 2 hours before bed and invest in lots of candles.
I fell asleep noticeably quicker with less waking up during the night so I would definitely recommend trying this (same as the bright light in the morning, this again sets your circadian rhythm so your brain can work out when it’s night time).
No Phones At Least An Hour Before Bed & An Hour After Waking
Effort: Low
Effect: 7/10
Recommend? Absolutely.
Your brain enters different states upon waking and sleeping - but your phone interrupts those states.
My phone is no longer in the bedroom and I have set the boundary to not check it during those times. I found that it did help me relax more, I wouldn’t reach for it during the night if I woke up and I even felt less anxious. For me, I don’t need my phone from 9 pm to 7 am and I can use a different device for an alarm. It makes me less reliant on it too as it can so easily get sucked into that little screen for hours without even realising.
I would say this is an easy, low-effort, no-brainer - I would recommend it to everyone.
Exercise In The Morning
Effort: Medium
Effect: 9/10
Recommend? Absolutely.
After exercise we all feel great, people even call it ‘runners high’ (I’m talking about things that raise your heart rate like cardio and lifting heavy weights) - this type of movement increases your energy levels, your mood and the list goes on.
So my advice, exercise in the morning and bank this feeling. Use your newly found energy buzz for your day so that you feel more tired by evening, otherwise, all those good endorphins will make you feel awake and alert will stick around right before bed, so you need much longer to wind down and switch off.
It’s not possible with everyone’s work hours, but in my opinion, I'd rather sacrifice that extra snooze in so I can fall asleep faster and sleep deeper.
I can’t always do this due to work commitments, but when I can, I exercise in the morning and I always have better quality sleep that night.
If I'm teaching in the evenings, I make sure to get off screens as soon as possible, take a hot shower, and some do some slow 360 exhales to start my bedtime routine.
Affirmations
Effort: Low
Effect: 9/10
Recommend? Absolutely.
You might think this is too ‘hippy dippy’ but the science says otherwise. Your brain doesn’t know what’s real and what’s not when you tell yourself things. That’s why positive (and negative) affirmations can have such a profound affect.
Next time you’re trying to fall asleep and counting sheep ain’t cutting it. Try saying to yourself:
I am sleepy. I am falling asleep. I am sleeping.
Watch the yawning begin - it always gets me! Even just writing it on here is making me yawn.
Much better than counting sheep, right?
Magnesium Bi-Glysinate Capsules At Dinner
Effort: Medium
Effect: 7/10
Recommend? Yes - but check with your doctor before taking any supplements and any drug interactions.
The only effort you need for this one is to order the supplement and remember to take it. I got into a really good habit of taking it when I was testing its effects, you need to be consistent for it to work.
So many neuroscientists really recommend this and it was a game-changer for me, again, falling sleep quicker and better quality sleep.
I took mine at dinner and that timing worked really well for me, but please do your own investigations and consult a doctor or qualified health practitioner before taking any supplements/medications.
White Noise
Effort: Low
Effect: 9/10
Recommend? Absolutely.
It is like having the rain hit your window panes when you’re all cosy tucked up in bed except it’s it’s continuous pattern which is great for me as I’m such a light sleeper and any changes in noise makes me wake up.
I just ask my Google home 'Hey Google, play white noise' and sometimes I find don’t need it, but when I feel like I haven’t slept well, I know it’s gunna solve all my life problems and help me have the best nights sleep.
I don’t recommend using it for babies and young children as their brains are still developing - as always, do your own research on this, I’m just speaking from my own experiences and from reading neuroscience papers.
Overall, less interrupted sleep = a huge win.
Spotify also has a 10 hour 'White Noise Playlist' so there are loads of options out there, you don't need to purchase a specific device for this.
Weighted Blanket
Effort: Medium
Effect: 10/10
Recommend? Absolutely.
My mum bought me one of these from Lidl (so you really don't need anything fancy) and oh my goodness, it’s life-changing. I love it so much, I even lug it with me if I go away in the UK or back to my parents for the weekend (you know like a kid has a special toy or blanket they bring everywhere, that's like me with a 7kg blanket).
The effort of trying to get it on top of the duvet while you crawl underneath is well worth it.
The first time I was very unsure, it felt too heavy and I felt a bit panicky. Then, I was like right, I need to remain open-minded and give this a go.
Once I succumbed to it, I assume it's what it must have felt like in the womb. It's like a warm, relaxing hug without needing anyone rolling around or breathing near you (yes I'm that light of a sleeper).
Red Light Glasses
Effort: Easy
Effect: 10/10
Recommend? Absolutely - my top recommendation to anyone that will listen.
Coming in at first place are my extremely attractive red light glasses. They may not give of ‘smouldering goddess’ vibes, but they are worth every ego hit.
These are my non-negioatables that I take everywhere. Listen to me please: don't even bother with blue light glasses - they’re a waste of time and they don’t even make scientific sense - you need blue light in the day (otherwise your brain cannot work out when it’s night/day).
If you’re like me and you don’t want to live in a cave with no technology, then red light glasses will be your saviour. Specifically, they need to be actual red lenses that wrap around the side of vision (like construction goggles).
You can use them if you don’t want to only live by candlelight in the evening and want still watch TV, screens etc making them the most practical and easy to use.
I used to take hours to fall asleep and now in under 10 minutes, I am completely out and they work every time. Even if I have none of the other options, red light glasses for the win.
There are loads of other obvious suggestions like cutting out alcohol, not drinking any liquids at least 90 minutes before sleeping, don't eat close to bedtime, but I hope my list was a bit different from the usual suggestions and that you read something that you might consider implementing.
So if you made it to the end, thank you so much for being here, give this post a like and if you want more like this or found it useful at all, please let me know by commenting or sending a message.
#sleephygiene #sleepwell #sleepbetter #neurosciencesleep #bedtimeroutine #improvesleepquality #fallasleepquicker #wordoftheyear #wordof2024 #thoughtsfromyouryogateacher #sleeptips
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