Hack Your Sleep

Ahhhhh, sleep – Would you like more (and better quality) sleep?! Ha ha – stupid question, right? Who wouldn’t?

This is probably the #1 issue for most of you out there at the moment. You are tired!! For so many of us mums, sleep can be an elusive concept…and so often you can find yourself thinking, “Will I ever sleep again?” (or maybe that’s just us!). In addition, in some circles, it has almost become a badge of honour to see what we can do, on next-to-no sleep as though sleeping is a sign of weakness…. but this mentality could be at the expense of our health. 

You will know from one of our most recent IGTV that in all of our research, SLEEPis consistently one of the most important factors (alongside exercise and nutrition) in your overall health. Sleep (or lack thereof) affects everything…your hormone health, digestive function, immune system function, mental clarity, energy levels, weight control, your emotional state and your overall physical health. We want to encourage you to start to take sleep seriously.  It is next to impossible to consistently get up to exercise, to have the energy to prepare all of the nutritious food we want to or to be the calm and centred mum you want to be, when we are feeling exhausted. It is just too hard.

But first, a quick side note – if your sleep is currently being dictated to youby things outside of your control (feeding, children waking, co-sleeping etc) we want you to know that we see you! Sleep might feel like the one thing that you have NO control over right now and on some days, you won’t and let’s face it – it is bloody hard.

If you are deep in this space and it feels like it is out of your control…we want you to ask yourself “what can I control”?! There is always little things that we can do, to help you get more or improve the quality of the sleep you are getting. Please don’t stress, these early years of mothering are short and they do notlast forever (even though they feel like they do!). This period will pass and once again, you will be able to get some much-needed sleep (hallelujah!).  In the meantime, do what you can, when you can. 

Ok, so you get that SLEEP is really important, and too many of us are simply not getting enough of it…but, can we really do anything about it? Well, we are glad that you asked – Of course, we can!!!!  

Wherever you are at *|FNAME|*, we’ve got you covered with our Top 5 Tips to Hacks Your Sleep. Let’s do this:

1. You MUST “Prioritise your Sleep”

Sounds simple enough, but so many of us don’t really know how much sleep we are getting, let alone how much we actually need – so this one can take some hard work and commitment. Like many of you, we LOVE sitting up and having quiet (child free) time at night. Whether this is binging Netflix, chatting to hubby, phone scrolling or just generally procrastinating. Night times are OUR time and suddenly it’s 10pm and you haven’t even had a shower or brushed your teeth!

The reality is that if you talk to any expert or read the research, it will tell you that adults need on average 7-9 hours sleep per night…yep, you heard that right! Now we want you to do something for us…work out what time you wake up (on average) and count back 7-9 hours. I.e. if you have an average 5:30am wake up, your bedtime should be around 9:30pm. While this might shock you a little *|FNAME|*, it might just be the ‘wake up’ call you need…pardon the pun 😉

2. Have a consistent bedtime and wake up time

On the back of prioritising your sleep, when possible, you want to consistently get into bed at the same (similar) time each night and consistently wake up at similar time, every day. This routine helps to set your circadian rhythm (daily cycle). Your body will start to respond to this quickly.

3. Adopt a regular bedtime routine

We all attempt bedtime routines for our little ones – guess what? They work for adults too. This is one of our favourite sleep hacks because this is where we can all make some big changes! We have found a few little pre bedtime tricks have made the world of difference for both of us:  

• Switch off all your devices at least 1 hour before bed (phone, iPad, computer + TV!) Reducing that blue light exposure will help to improve your sleep hormone production and get your body and mind more in a sleepy state;
• Turn off all bright overhead lights, 1+ hours before bed too. Only use lamps and softer lighting – bright lights mimic sunlight and to your body, it still feels like daytime;
• Have your own wind-down bathroom routine -e.g. shower (or better still, bath), brush your teeth, remove your make up and complete your skin care routine. Focussing on each task mindfully and distraction free;
• Pop on your diffuser with Lavender or other sleepy time oils 30 mins before bed;
• Stretch (or just meditate/ breathe) for 5-10 mins beside (or in) your bed;
• Hop into bed, then listen to a mediation or read a book (fiction only!).  Too much learning at this time of night was stimulating us too much!

4. Better sleep begins way before you jump into bed! 

What you do during the day and leading up to bedtime can greatly impact your ability to sleep.

• Try and eat 2+ hours before bed – you need to give your body time to digest your last meal, so it’s not working overtime while you try to sleep;
• Avoid caffeine or other stimulants after lunchtime;
• Chocolate and wine after dinner might not be helping your case. We both experience interrupted sleeps if and when we choose to go here. Sometimes, we just accept the repercussions of these choices (because…balance!), but try not to make these a nightly habit;
• Exercise or daily movement has had a huge positive influence on our ability to fall asleep and our quality of sleep (just not too close to bedtime!); 
• Stress can interfere with sleep – making it harder to get to sleep and/ or sometimes waking you during the night and making it impossible to get back to sleep. Introduce some stress reduction techniques
  • Stopping to breathe (throughout the day);
  • Stretching / yoga before bed to slow the body and mind down;
  • A warm bath with Epsom salts and some essential oils, before bed;
  • Using specific essential oil blendsthroughout the day and before bed to help reduce stress;
  • Listen to a mindfulness or meditation app in bed. Smiling Minds+ 1 Giant Mindare our go-tos.

5. Create an ideal “Sleep Space”

This one might seem like a no-brainer, but often our bedrooms are full of clutter, folded clothes, kids toys, devices, dust and the rest!  We are guilty of this too, but less clutter does allow for more zen. Experts say that your bedroom should only be for sleeping and sex! We might add stretching and reading into that list too….. but try these for a more zen space:

• Make your bed every morning – a ‘made’ bed improves the Feng Shui of your bedroom and reduce visual clutter;
• Evaluate your bedroom and ensure you have ideal temperature, sound and light. You room should be dark, should block any external light, quiet (limit external noise where possible) and be relatively cool – a cooler temperature is ideal for best quality sleep. You might need to find the right fan or if lucky enough set the timer on your air con to cool things down. Block out blinds to limit external light. Lamps to reduce bright overhead lights. A plant or two for their air cleansing properties and even an essential oil diffuser to enable you to incorporate some beautiful sleepy time blends.
• Find a new home for objects that are causing visual clutter (or at least pop them out of sight); 
• Ensure your mattress and pillow are comfortable – are you tossing and turning or waking up aching? There is a high chance it might be your mattress or pillow.  Always aim for natural fibres.

So, there you have it, beauties, our top 5 tips for you to Hack your Sleep. Pick one or two things from our list for this next week and see how you go.

If there is anyone you know who might need these tips – please share this BLOG and if you had any questions or feedback for us, let us know below – we would love to hear from you 🙂

Anna & Em xo