Sleep hygiene is a behavioural and environmental apply developed within the late Nineteen Seventies as a way to assist individuals with delicate to reasonable insomnia.

Things equivalent to guaranteeing the room you’re sleeping in is darkish and consuming camomile tea earlier than mattress are simply a few of the steps you may take to enhance sleep hygiene.

But quite a few different, much less apparent components may very well be inflicting you to battle to get to sleep at evening.

Claire Barnes, Technical Advisor at Bio-Kult, shared the issues you would be doing fallacious that have an effect on your sleep.

1. Mattress supplies

Clearly, mattress ought to be comfy and supportive to allow a sound evening sleep, nonetheless there may very well be an much more necessary well being consideration with our mattresses which many don’t take into consideration.

Claire stated: “That is ‘what is the mattress made of?’ It is understood that mattresses release minute amounts of gaseous chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These VOCs originate mainly from polyurethane used in mattresses, but also from other chemicals used in flame retardants and plastics.

“A study in mice which tested the VOCs from four different mattresses found that some had the potential to cause breathing issues in the mice. The worst culprit among the mattresses was a polyurethane foam pad covered with vinyl, however the organic cotton padding actually improved breathing rates. A more recent study published in 2019, suggested that the emission of VOCs from polyurethane mattresses was even higher whilst we’re asleep due to elevated body heat. The authors of this study suggest that the best way to protect against VOCs is to maintain good ventilation inside your home, by opening windows and using fans. Whilst a brand-new organic cotton mattress may not be in reach for all of us, potentially using an organic cotton mattress topper and letting some fresh air in could help support our respiratory health whilst we’re sleeping.”

2. The microbes residing in your intestine

Growing proof means that the microbes residing inside our digestive tract can even have an affect on the standard of our sleep.

Claire stated: “A recent study found that those with a diverse gut microbiome had better sleep efficiency and total sleep time and were less likely to experience sleep disturbances. In addition, studies have also shown that taking live bacteria supplements can improve sleep quality. I would recommend a live bacteria supplement with lots of different strains, such as Bio-Kult Migréa (RRP £20.98, available to buy from www.bio-kult.com) which contains 14 different strains, plus magnesium and vitamin B6, both of which can help support our body to produce melatonin (our sleep hormone).”

3. Vigorous train within the night

Much proof helps the notion that train improves sleep high quality, nonetheless it seems that reasonable bodily exercise may very well be simpler at bettering sleep than vigorous exercise.

Claire stated: “One study found that mind-body exercise, such as yoga and Tai Chi significantly improved mood, mental health and sleep in comparison to aerobic exercise. Another study found that those who already struggled with insomnia fared better when exercising in the morning opposed to the evening. As exercising stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight), and sleep relies on stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest), to improve sleep quality those undertaking exercise should also include parasympathetic activity, such as yoga, meditation, Tai Chi or breathing exercises to reduce the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system before heading off to bed.”

4. Too a lot time indoors

Unfortunately our fashionable life can simply disrupt our pure sleep-wake cycles.

Claire stated: “If we spend the majority of our day indoors without exposure to good, strong daylight and then spend our evenings in well-lit rooms staring at bright blue-light emitting screens, we’ll clearly be upsetting our natural circadian rhythm. This can leave us feeling sleepy during the day and reduce our production of melatonin in the night, meaning we struggle to fall asleep.

“Aiming to get outside in the fresh air as much as possible during the day, especially in the mornings and turning off blue-light emitting screens at least two hours before going to bed, or at least using the night-time mode and wearing blue-light blocking glasses, as well as allowing only dim-lighting in the evenings could all help to improve sleep quality.”

5. Too little tryptophan within the food plan

To produce melatonin, our physique requires tryptophan, which is an amino acid obtained from sure proteins within the food plan.

Claire stated: “Foods such as poultry, bananas, oats, seeds and nuts are all good sources of tryptophan. Although not conclusive, some studies have shown improvements to sleep when consuming tryptophan foods, especially when the individual already experiences some sleep disturbances. Whilst we should avoid eating a large meal before bedtime, a small bowl of porridge containing bananas, seeds and nuts or a banana and oat smoothie could potentially help to increase the amount of tryptophan available for conversion into melatonin.”

6. Lack of routine

Keeping to a daily routine in the course of the day the place potential might assist us regulate our sleep hormones extra successfully.

Claire stated: “This includes waking up within the same 90 minute window each day. Our sleep hormones rely on a finely balanced circadian rhythm, which is an internal process that regulates our sleep-wake cycle and is dictated largely by our exposure to daylight. The more our wake-up times fluctuate, the more our hormones will need to adjust, to catch up with us. For example, the stress hormone cortisol naturally increases in the morning to help wake us up, but if we have too much circulating in our blood later in the day, it may be harder for the sleep hormone melatonin to have an effect. Having a routine keeps us calm, and may prevent spikes in stress hormones and promote well-being.

“Eating meals at similar times each day also ensures that we are stabilising appetite hormones, such as ghrelin and leptin, which can also impact our sleep. So try sticking to a regular eating pattern of three main meals, rather than grazing throughout the day. It will allow our bodies a chance to control blood-sugar and keep energy levels balanced.”