How can I get 8 hours of sleep?
Practicing healthy habits such as keeping caffeine intake to mornings only, having a protein-rich snack before bedtime, taking part in regular exercise, plus, putting in place a relaxing bedtime routine including limiting screens, could all help you achieve 8 hours of sleep. Supplements including magnesium or valerian can also support a better night's sleep.
9 ways to help get 8 hours sleep each night
Sleeping long enough is one thing, but sleeping right through the night and feeling refreshed the next day are also desirable outcomes. You can support better sleep by:
1. Stopping caffeine earlier in the day
People often don't stop and consider how much caffeine they are actually consuming, or when in the day they are exposing themselves to caffeine. Caffeine isn't just found in coffee or tea, to a lesser extent it can also be present in some herbal teas, fizzy drinks and even chocolate.
Research has shown that caffeine can stay in your system for as much as 10 hours, (1) so, depending on how much you consume, at what point in the day, plus your individual tolerance to it, it could be affecting you more than you realise come bedtime.
What can help?
Try switching to lightly caffeinated options such as green tea which also contains substances such as l-theanine which helps to nicely dampen the more blunt, excitatory effects of caffeine.
Then, if you can't quite give up your caffeine just yet, stick to keeping caffeine intakes to the morning only, and then try switching to a caffeine-free alternative in the afternoon – try Roobios tea if tea is your thing, or Bambu if you love the taste of coffee.
2. Drinking other liquids earlier in the day too
It isn't just caffeinated drinks that could be keeping you awake at night, if you're drinking too much of anything later in the day, you might be finding that toilet trips are keeping you awake. This may be even more problematic due to hormonal changes in women such as during menopause, for those with PMS, during pregnancy, or if an enlarged prostate is an issue in males.
What can help?
Drinking water is super important, but when you drink it is also an important consideration. Try to sip water throughout the day, avoiding meal times so you don't risk diluting your digestive juices, plus, then limit what you drink in the hour before bedtime to help prevent any unwanted night-time awakenings. Always nip to the loo for a final time before heading to bed too.
3. Having sensible snacks
A full tummy ahead of bedtime could potentially affect your ability to nod off or disrupt your sleep, but contrary to this, hunger pangs or episodes of low blood sugar could also disrupt your sleep and could especially give rise to episodes of early morning awakenings.
What can help?
Having a healthy snack 1-2 hours before bedtime could help to keep your blood sugar levels and appetite better satisfied. Healthy sources of protein should be prioritised to help do just this, including nuts, seeds or their butters, hummus, good quality Greek yoghurt or a small portion of cheese.
4. Moving a little more
Especially as the darker mornings and evenings creep in, many of us can be guilty of curling up on the sofa and moving a little less, however, there is pretty resounding evidence that moving more can help us sleep more – both by helping to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, plus, reducing night time wakening. This is thought to be down to the extra energy we exert when we move, meaning we are more ready for bed, plus the endorphins that exercise causes us to release, which can help you on a chemical level too. (2)
What can help?
When it comes to exercise, my advice is to find something you enjoy so it isn't a chore, also, every little helps. Too much exercise could start to have the opposite effect if it becomes a stressor to the body, so little and often is the key.
5. Taking a bath
Taking a bath sounds too simple to be true, but actually, there are a number of ways simply taking a bath in the evening could help you sleep. Firstly, it's a lovely relaxing way to end your day. Stress has a lot to answer for when it comes to sleep issues, and having a bath can help to calm your stress response. Couple it with some music, some deep breaths, a good book and by limiting screens, you could have an all-round sleep-promoting experience.
The next way a bath can help is by influencing your body temperature. Whilst in a warm bath (don't go for too hot though), your body works to regulate your internal body temperature and actually starts to cool you down slightly. These are the perfect conditions to help promote good sleep as being too hot can actually hinder sleep. Ensure your bedroom is then kept cool enough too.
What can help?
As above, pair your bath with some relaxing elements such as a good book, music and even some lavender essential oils if you want to take your relaxation to the next level. If you don't fancy a bath every night, just pick up on the other relaxing elements instead. And this leads me nicely onto my next point...
6. Putting your phone down
Whilst the evening can seem like the perfect time to catch up with world, try and limit screens in at least the hour or two before bed if you're keen to start sleeping better. See, the blue light that screens omit can leave you feeling 'wired and tired,' as they mess with your circadian rhythms and your all-important sleep-promoting hormones.
What can help?
Once you've done what you need to do, try switching to a non-digital activity such as some very light movement (preferably some stretching at this time at night), immersing yourself in a good book or running a bath. These simple tweaks could help signal to your body that it's time to wind down.
7. Upping your magnesium
When it comes to your nutrient checklist, magnesium is the one to ensure you're getting enough of if your sleep isn't as optimal as it should be. So many modern habits risk draining our magnesium stores such as stress, alcohol, caffeine or medications, plus, magnesium is perfect for relaxing us both physically and mentally – perfect for drifting off.
What can help?
Even if you take a multivitamin already, I'd urge you to check the magnesium levels it contains. We can happily take between 200-400mg of magnesium daily and many of us will need this much to feel a notable difference.
You can take magnesium in combination with some other key nutrients such as vitamin D in a supplement like our Balance Mineral Drink, or alone is fine too. Just be sure to take it later in the day, perhaps with your evening meal, to help up the absorption and prepare you nicely for bed.
8. Taking some Valerian
Now we've covered nutrients, it's time to turn to herbs. A herbal remedy can often be the helpful extra we need just to help us wind down and really switch over into our 'rest and digest' mode, which we need to be more dominant when it comes to bed time.
What can help?
The herb valerian is found in combination with hops in our Dormeasan remedy, to help offer some relief from sleep disturbances. Please note, this wouldn't be suitable if you are already on any sleep medication. So if you are on any medication but feel this isn't working optimally for you, you should have a chat with your doctor.
9. Sticking to a routine
Establishing good routines can really help support sounder sleep. Going to bed at the same time each night (preferably not much past 10 pm) and wakening at the same time each morning, even at weekends, can help to reset your circadian rhythms.
Exposure to daytime sunlight, preferably earlier in the day can help too, and research has highlighted nicely that office workers working in an environment with windows have much better sleep-wake cycles than those without access to daylight. (3) However, it's always better to actually get outdoors where possible, preferably before noon, when the positive effects become even more pronounced.
What can help?
Employing much of what we've already discussed, if your work and home life allow it, can all help towards building a good bedtime routine. Some other tips including working on making a comfortable sleeping environment in terms of your bedding or nightwear, and keeping it dark too – remember dark for sleep, light for waking.
