By David Saunders | UPDATED: 11:28, 06 April 2020
A good night’s sleep is paramount for the health of your brain and body.
However, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, sowing anxiety and worry along with it, getting a healthy amount of quality sleep probably isn’t as easy as it used to be.
And getting good sleep is more important now than ever.
We’ve rounded-up some top tips from our experts to help you get a better shut-eye.
1. Get into a routine
Go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day. Help your body get into a sleep rhythm by establishing a bedtime routine that promotes sleep. Take a warm bath, have a light snack or do some reading each night to wind down.
2. Avoid blue light
“Blocking blue light before bed can transform sleep. Blue light from laptops, phones, iPads and TV’s can trick our brain into think that it’s daytime. This can disrupt the brain’s natural sleep-wake cycle leading to a poor night sleep,” advises Leading London Nutritionist Lily Soutter (www.lilysoutternutrition.com).
3. Create an atmosphere that promotes sleep
Make changes to your bedroom to make it more conducive to sleep. Darken the room as much as possible and keep it quiet and cool. Make sure your bed and pillows are comfortable for you. Perhaps the most important change that can be made to a bedroom is to keep activity out of the bed that shouldn’t be there. Don’t check emails on your phone or computer in bed. Watch television and read books in another room. Help your body prepare for sleep by making the room and bed a place where you only sleep.
4. Stop exercising late
Getting sweaty with exercise is a great wayto relieve stress as it releases feel-good chemicals, but it’s important to not exercise too late. “Try to exercise early in the day. Exercise can be extremely stimulating and some women find it difficult to sleep following a late work out session,” Dr. Marilyn Glenville.
5. CBD oil can improve sleep quality
“Studies show that CBD oil has a stabilizing effect on mood as it works on the endocannabinoid system, (ECS). The ECS is responsible for maintaining homeostasis in physiological processes like sleep, pain perception, memory, mood, digestion, cognition and immunity.
CBD oil can improve sleep quality and deter the overthinking that may occur in the early hours of the morning.
“Insomniacs may find it helpful and it can support those in pain sleep better, acting as a natural analgesic, or pain-relieving agent. I’d recommend dispensing a controlled amount of the brand new CannabiGold Terpenes+ 250MG CBD oil
£24.99 www.bionativa.co.uk), directly under your tongue. As this is a liquid it passes directly through the mucous membranes of the mouth, allowing direct circulation into the blood stream and the effect can be almost immediate,” recommends Nutritionist, Alix Woods.
Cannabigold Terpenes+ 250mg CBD oil is an ideal strength if you are new to the CBD world.
6. Choose the right time to eat
Your body does its best digestion when you’re upright—not curled up in bed. Going to bed with a full stomach makes you seven times more likely to suffer from uncomfortable issues like acid reflux or heartburn that can keep you awake.