As the night’s draw in and the clocks go back, here are a few things you can do to ease yourself into the land of nod, courtesy of beauty sleep experts This Works.
Learning to let go
At the end of the day, you need to prepare your body for rest, disengaging your mind and letting your body relax. Use this quick technique for an end of day wind down to help your body make the quick change from day to night.
1. Lie on your back in a comfortable position.
2. Stretch your toes out wide and release, repeat.
3. Roll your feet together so that the toes touch and then let them fall out wide, repeat.
4. Tense thighs and buttocks and hold, then let go with a big sigh, repeat.
5. Spread fingers wide and grimace or smile, then let go, repeat.
6. Roll shoulders away from ears.
7. Allow stomach muscles to soften and lift as you breathe in.
8. Let the tension in your cheeks slip away and feel your forehead smooth out.
9. Let the body feel heavy and focus on your breath.
10. Be consciously aware of how your body is feeling, repeating the tension and release cycles in areas that do not feel relaxed. Learning to understand how it feels to release tension will help you relax and stay in tune with your body.
After a busy day, a good night’s sleep is hard often to come by. There’s no single knack to nodding off, but these sleep strategies should prove far more productive in banking zzzz’s than counting sheep…
A Dream Diet
One of our most basic needs – food – can also be one of life’s greatest pleasures. But what is the right balance to get maximum nutritional value and enjoyment from our daily food intake? Over the course of 24hrs our hunger and satiety levels ebb and flow. Here are our top three tips for eating well to sleep well.
– Steady as you go….
Are you eating enough protein early in the day? It’s important for setting the stage for stable energy levels. As a rule, try building your breakfast around 20-25g of protein from dairy meats or nuts. Smoked salmon not only provides you with protein, but it’s also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. The help to reduce stress and inflammation, and are important for healthy skin.
– Savvy sleep snacking…
Strategise your evening snacking. High fat foods just before bedtime can make it harder to sleep soundly, meaning this is not the best time to eat ice-cream or chocolate. However, some dairy foods can help improve sleep quality through the early morning hours. Try a little bit of Greek yogurt with fruit and nuts and note if it helps you sleep.
