Get a Good Night’s Sleep

So, how are your New Year’s resolutions going? By the time we get to mid January many of them are sadly forgotten; good intentions swept aside by the tidal wave of everyday life. However, rather than giving up completely, it’s a good time to review them and perhaps pick just one or two areas to focus on improving during the year.

One thing that most of us could benefit from is improving our sleeping habits. If we do not sleep well this can impact our mental and physical well-being in various ways, and also make us generally less effective in most of what we are doing. So, to spur you on, here are our Top Five Tips for getting a good night’s sleep!

1. Go to bed an hour earlier than usual.  There is a lot of truth in the old saying that an hour’s sleep before midnight is worth more than an hour’s sleep after. This is actually to do with fitting in with your circadian rhythms which are usually at their lowest between 10 pm – 5 am. But if you go to bed earlier you should sleep better – and be able to get up earlier in the morning to catch up with what you didn’t do the night before!

2. Relax before you sleep. Life is increasingly busy but if you do not unwind before trying to sleep your mind will be active and sleep will evade you. Whether it’s a long hot bath or some gentle stretching exercise or curling up with a good book, find something that enables your mind to switch off.

   

3. Declutter your mind. If you are finding that even with some of the above relaxation techniques your mind is still racing then take steps to get on top of things! Have a notepad and pen by the bed for anything important or urgent that is keeping you awake. Write it down to deal with in the morning. You also need to declutter your bedroom to give you a feeling of space. Take a look at our range of bedroom storage solutions to find ways of storing away all your possessions so that clutter does not become irritating! If space in your bedroom is an issue you may want to consider replacing your existing wardrobe doors with sliding wardrobe doors to free up floor space in front of the wardrobe itself. Have a look at our gallery here for some inspiration!

4. Digital detox! For a truly relaxing sleep it is best to avoid any screen-based activity for at least an hour before bed. Devices should also be kept out of the bedroom as the blue light from screens interferes with production of the hormone melatonin that makes us sleepy. So, instead of using your phone as an alarm, why not leave it charging outside the bedroom and invest in a good old-fashioned alarm clock!

   

5. Finally, make sure your bed is as comfortable as possible. This may sound obvious but how many of us will spend money on all kinds of other things but never get round to the basics of a comfortable bed? Consider how many hours you spend there and it’s a very worthwhile investment! At DIY Homefit we have three beautiful bed designs, each available in a wide variety of colours and finishes – and with a range of matching bedroom furniture. Everything you need not only to facilitate a beautiful bedroom makeover, but also to guarantee you a comfortable night’s sleep!

Good luck with the resolutions! All of us at DIY Homefit hope that 2016 is a wonderful year for you and yours.