5 realistic ways to a great night’s sleep

It’s Sunday night.

We’re lying in bed with our minds racing about the week ahead, we can’t get comfortable, and our bladder just told us to go use the bathroom again. Not exactly the vision of health and wellbeing we dream of. We’ve had enough of the sleepless nights. That’s why we’ve put together this realistic guide to a great night’s sleep. Move over Sleeping Beauty; this ain’t no fairy tale! 

Try our Night Time, all natural, highly effective sleep supplement - click here!

1. Slay stress

Life can be stressful at the best of times, but add a global pandemic to the mix and things seem to have ramped up a gear for many of us. Whilst stress is natural, it can wreck any intentions of a good night’s sleep. Luckily, research indicates L-theanine might help induce longer, more restful sleep (Williams et al. 2016). Whilst more studies are needed, our nutrition experts are sold on its effectiveness so far as to include 200mg in our Night Time capsules.  

2. Make it a matter of time 

News flash: when and how much we eat can influence the quality of our sleep. Too much food too close to bedtime can cause gastric juices to flow up into our oesophagus, resulting in heartburn that disrupts sleep. This is especially true for foods that are difficult to digest or have a little spice. Equally, drinking fluids too close to when we go to sleep can cause us to wake in the middle of the night (Marschall-Kehrel 2004). Therefore, it’s advisable to reduce fluid intake 1–2 hours before bedtime to decrease the need to go to the bathroom overnight.

3. Drink to better sleep

Caffeine is another big sleep disruptor for many. This is because it acts as a stimulant on the nervous system and can stay elevated in the bloodstream for 6–8 hours, preventing our bodies from naturally relaxing at night. In one study, consuming caffeine up to six hours before bed significantly worsened sleep quality among participants (Drake et al. 2013).  Therefore, drinking large amounts of tea or coffee in the late afternoon and evening is not recommended, especially among those who are caffeine-sensitive or have trouble sleeping.

4. Nail the nutrients

Whilst foods and drinks can disrupt sleep, there are some nutrients out there that can help. For example, amino acid tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, a natural sedative that enhances sleep hormone production. Meanwhile, carbohydrates facilitate the entry of tryptophan into the brain, and magnesium can improve relaxation and enhance sleep quality. Try snacking on a banana with almond butter and glass of milk a couple of hours before bed. Alternatively, to avoid any of the digestion issues we mentioned above, take our Night Time capsules, which contain 200mg of premium quality magnesium. 

5. Get some hero herbs

Many herbs are also reportedly useful for inducing sleep; for example, lavender and saffron extract are known for their calming properties. That’s why we’ve starred them  (no pun intended) in our Night Time capsules. These gems are carefully formulated to be Vegan-friendly as well as free from GMOs, and are as small as possible to reduce the amount of packaging we use; something we can all sleep better knowing.

Try our Night Time, all natural, highly effective sleep supplement - click here!

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References:

Drake, C., Roehrs, T., Shambroom, J. and Roth, T., 2013. Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 9(11), pp.1195-1200.

Marschall-Kehrel, D., 2004. Update on nocturia: the best of rest is sleep. Urology, 64(6), pp.21-24.

Williams, J., Kellett, J., Roach, P.D., McKune, A., Mellor, D., Thomas, J. and Naumovski, N., 2016. L-theanine as a functional food additive: Its role in disease prevention and health promotion. Beverages, 2(2), p.13.

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