How to get a good night’s rest

The number one sleep disorder in the world is sleep deprivation. Every adult needs seven to eight hours of rest a night but most of us sleep much less which causes tiredness, lack of concentration and a nagging feeling of irritability. All the more reason to find out what can be done to ensure we get a good night’s rest. To help ensure that you get your beauty sleep, we’ve asked a selection of sleep experts about their best tips for a more restful nights sleep. Here they are:

Dr. Robert Rosenberg has over 20 years of experience in the field of sleep medicine and serves as the Medical Director for two sleep disorder clinics. To him the first step is to look at our bedroom environment. Rosenberg: ”We need to create a comfortable temperature. If the room is too warm, our core body temperature will not drop. The drop in body temperature is a major signal to the brain to enter sleep. Most studies have shown that a temperature between 62 and 70 degrees is best for sleep.

“We also need to stop looking at the alarm clock. It is there to wake you up in the morning. Focusing on it, if you are having a hard time falling asleep, will only make matters worse. It leads to anxiety and calculating–two things that are completely incompatible with sleep.”

Doctor of Osteopathy and Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Internists, Camilo Ruiz has helped thousands of patients resolve their sleep issues. He advocates a regular sleep/wake schedule: “We are all creatures of habit and our bodies make chemicals that help maintain our sleep wake cycle in sync with the light dark cycle outside. When we start sleeping during the day or stay up late we throw off our time clocks and sleep becomes more difficult to achieve.”

Just like Rosenberg he believes we also need to take external factors into account. Ruiz: “Yes, we love watching those late night shows or eating in bed but our bed should only be for two things: sleep and sex. When we work in bed or watch TV we associate our bed with activities other than sleep and therefore, make sleep initiation more difficult.”

Scott Britton has taught more than 1500 people how to improve their sleep. He uses a common technique to get rid of his worries in the bedroom called constructive worrying. He has a ritual before he falls to sleep.

Britton: “In order to maximize relaxation, I write out a quick list of all the things I have to do the next day. Logging these thoughts allows us to clear our mind and focus on relaxation. I also make sure to use the restroom so that I decrease the likelihood of a bathroom wakeup and intentionally avoid things that make it more challenging to sleep for the hour before bed. These include electronic devices, reading highly intellectually stimulating material, and eating heavily.”

Pharmacist at online pharmacy Chemist Direct Ramandeep Sandhu has one more thing to add.

Sandhu: “If you want to have a good night’s rest you’ll need to avoid late meals and reduce caffeine intake later in the day. Also, caffeine, alcohol and nicotine should be avoided late at night.”

So, there we have it. When we follow these rules we’ll ensure we sleep well. It’s high time to beat sleep deprivation and treat ourselves to some well deserved rest…