Hack Your Way to Better Beauty Sleep: 5 Must-Try Sleep Hacks
Did you know that a shocking 71% of people across the UK don’t get the necessary 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night?
You might be in that group. It’s easy to let sleep slide when you’ve got other things to do… Like work late, or catch up on a movie with your person before falling asleep.
Or in many cases, it’s just difficult to switch your brain off and relax enough to fall asleep. Whatever your reason for struggling to get your beauty sleep, here are 5 must-try sleep hacks to fall asleep faster and stay asleep for longer!
5 Must-Try Sleep Hacks
Just about all of us could do with more sleep. You can try one or two of these sleep hacks, or try them all at the same time! They work quite well together, so you’re not limited to just a few.
1.
Limit Device Time Before Bed
I know, I know… You’re probably rolling your eyes, because checking Insta or watching a movie is what you do until your eyes close. No judgement here, but the truth is, being on your phone before bed has a significant (and bad) effect on your sleep quality.
The same can be said for watching TV right before bed. Blue light from devices disrupts your body’s production of melatonin, which is the hormone that regulates your sleep/wake cycles.
If you’ve been struggling to fall asleep and wake up on time, whacked-out melatonin levels could be to blame!
The solution? Try some of these measures to make your evening routine more conducive to getting a good night’s rest:
- Using a blue-light filter on your phone and TV
- Put your phone down at least 30 minutes before bedtime
- Put your phone on aeroplane mode while you sleep
- Switch off all devices and keep your phone 5m away from your bed (drastic!)
- Invest in a real alarm clock!
2.
No Coffee After 4pm!
Another eye-roller, because who doesn’t enjoy a warm, soothing drink before bed? But you’ll be better off choosing a herbal tea or the option below, because coffee before bed gives you a good dose of caffeine… Which kicks off all sorts of stimulation in the body.
One of the reasons coffee works so well in the morning is that it blocks adenosine receptors. Adenosine is a chemical that’s produced naturally in the body, and it promotes sleep. So when these receptors are being blocked, your body isn’t able to make use of this chemical… Leading to a delay in actually getting to sleep.
And when you have to wake up at the same time as usual… Do you see the issue? You’re getting less sleep than you should, and even if you do fall asleep at the normal time, your sleep quality is likely to be impaired.
Caffeine also stimulate digestion. While this can be handy in some cases (think constipation) it’s not great when you’re trying to get a restful night’s sleep. Aside from a potentially gurgling stomach, there’s also a chance that you’ll wake up too early to go to the bathroom.
Research suggests that you should avoid caffeine for at least 6 hours before bed!
3.
Banana Tea Before Bed
This is a useful sleep hack that’s pretty delicious too! The best part is that bananas are available everywhere, so if you’re like many people and have some lying around the kitchen at this very moment, it’s an easy thing to do to find some sleep relief.
Bananas are rich in Vitamin B6, magnesium, and potassium. These nutrients are water soluble in hot water, so all you need to do to create your sleep elixir is to steep your banana in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.
This process releases something called tryptophan, an amino acid that stimulates the production of melatonin and serotonin. Drinking the banana before bed helps your body to calm down and relax, with an influx of good, happy hormones!
You can add a little honey if you feel that it needs some sweetness. And if you’re wondering what to do with the banana, add it to your plants—they’ll thank you for the nutrients!
4.
Try Binaural Beats
Binaural beats are sounds that play two different notes at once—one frequency into one ear, and a different frequency into the other ear. When your brain hears it, you only hear one tone, the difference between the two notes.
As an example, if the frequency in your left ear is at 300 Hz and in your right ear is 320 Hz, the binaural beat frequency would be 20 Hz. They have a reputation of inducing a trance-like state, which can offer similar benefits to meditation.
To fall asleep peacefully, your brain needs a frequency between 0 and 7 Hz. These zones are known as Gamma (0 to 4 Hz) and Theta (4 to 7 Hz). If you want to take advantage of binaural beats, I recommend getting a set of sleep earphones and downloading the highest quality beats you can find—YouTube isn’t always the best option as they compress their audio files and you won’t get the full benefit.
5.
Optimise Your Environment
If something in your environment is keeping you from sleeping soundly, this can help immensely. And because you’re making bigger, more permanent changes, you most likely only need to do this once… Or until something else changes in your sleep environment.
Spend some time creating an environment that works for you. You might want to focus on optimising things like:
- Temperature: Set the temperature to what’s comfortable for you. Remember, you can always get warmer if it’s a bit cool, but heat can kill good sleep!
- Noise: If your sleeping space is a little noisy, you have a few options. You can soundproof it, but it’s a big job. Alternatively, sleep with earphones in (you get sleep earphones) or use a white noise machine.
- Darkness: Light can mess with your circadian rhythm! Cover up any hint of light, and if it’s still a bit too light for you, consider using a sleep mask.
- Comfort: An uncomfortable mattress or pillow can ruin a good night’s rest! Make sure the mattress hasn’t flattened and your pillow is supportive and yet cushy too.
Get those things right, and you’re far more likely to sleep through the night. Eliminating potential issues that could disrupt your sleep can make a much bigger difference than you realise!
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