A SLEEP expert has shared her top tip for nodding off faster – and the key is distracting your mind.
Many of us turn to supposedly tried-and-true methods to get to sleep – like counting sheep or having a nightcap.
GettyA sleep expert has shared her top tip for nodding off faster[/caption]
However Dr Lindsay Browning from the British Psychological Society has busted sleep myths and revealed the best way to get some kip.
Dr Browning said counting sheep actually won’t make you fall asleep faster – despite it being a common tactic.
She recommended a different technique to distract a racing mind, advising those struggling to try something more taxing.
Dr Browning told MailOnline: “Some better distraction techniques would be listing your top ten favourite movies, or counting backwards in sevens from 1000.”
Booze before bedtime is another no-no according to the doctor as it can disrupt our natural REM cycle.
“As such, our bodies will wake us up throughout the night and make it more difficult to fall back to sleep,” she said.
“This means that although you may fall asleep more quickly after alcohol, the quality of your sleep will be poorer.”
She recommended that you stop drinking at least four hours before going to bed.
SWEET DREAMS
Dr Browning has also shared more general advice for Brits who are struggling to sleep.
“Most people think that if they’re a poor sleeper, it’s just part of their makeup and it’s just who they are and they can’t change it,” Dr. Browning told Fabulous.
“But that’s really not true at all as there’s so much you can do to fix your sleep.”
Unless you have the willpower to avoid scrolling on your phone for hours on end, the sleep expert says it’s better to keep it outside of the bedroom.
Dr Lindsay said: “It’s really common to be on your phone and be scrolling through TikTok, Instagram and Facebook and you just keep going. And it may be that your bedtime was at 10:30 but you’re scrolling through and before you know it, an hour has passed.
“And that’s because all those app don’t have an end. You’re not scrolling through Facebook and you get to the bottom and it says ‘you’ve finished Facebook’. They’re infinite.
“There are two types of people who don’t get enough sleep – people who have insomnia and the other type of people are lifestyle insomniacs. They don’t prioritise their sleep because they’re not going to sleep on time.”
In order to regulate your body clock, Dr Browning also said it’s important to take a break and get outside at midday.
“The middle of the day is when we’d naturally get the most light because the sun is nearest us in the sky,” she explained. “When we get lots of light, our brain says ‘ah it’s the middle of the day, I know what time it is, we need to produce melatonin and be sleepy in about eight to 10 hours from now.’”
Dr Lindsay Browning’s tips for a good night’s sleep
Take a break and go outside at midday so your body knows to be sleepy eight hours later
If you can’t stay off your phone, keep it in a different room
Use ‘night mode’ on your devices so blue light doesn’t affect your circadian rhythm
Don’t work from bed
Don’t do exercise right before bed as it’ll make your heart race and be harder to relax
A glass of warm milk helps your body naturally produce melatonin which aids sleep
Don’t drink alcohol – it may help you ‘pass out’ but the quality of sleep is very poor
Schedule some down-time before bed to do something relaxing – i.e. having a bath, reading, listening to music, yoga