HEALTHY SLEEP HABITS

SLEEP💤 Something we spend so much of our lives doing, yet often don’t prioritize and value. Just as important as exercise and diet, adequate sleep helps improve our mood, boost our immune system, aid in recovery, maintain a healthy weight, increase mental capacity and reduce stress. Did you know we are the only mammals that will willingly delay sleep? Clearly, an integral and essential element to our overall health and wellbeing, spending ⅓ our lives asleep, it’s ironic that many of us neglect its importance, don’t have a nighttime routine, and find it difficult to unwind and sleep well. Cultivating a healthy sleep environment is essential for a better night’s rest so we’ve listed our top 8 tips to help you relax & unwind and give yourself the best chance at getting a peaceful night’s rest.

DAYTIME TIPS TO HELP WITH SLEEP

1. Change how you think about your room

A suggestion that can often go unnoticed but one that is very important. Let us ask you to stop and reflect for a moment. How do you feel when you enter your room? What emotions or sensations arise when we pose this question? Your bedroom is a sanctuary. A place of peace from the rest of the world; It should be a warm and inviting space for you to wind down and relax. If the words messy, busy or work popped up and you’ve been finding it difficult to switch off and slip into a restful sleep, then we’ve got to adapt your mentality and the space to be a place of rest, relaxation and recovery. To start, we’d recommend keeping the space a work-free zone. Separating your workspace from your bedroom (we totally get this isn’t always possible) will help disassociate the connection of rest to work. To further cultivate a feeling of peace, try and change your perception of the room itself. Think of your bedroom as a place of rest. This shift won’t occur overnight, but it’s about slowly retraining the mind to perceive the room as a place of rest and recovery, thus allowing the body to feel relaxed as you enter the room so you can unwind and slowly drift off to sleep. 

2. Make your bed after you rise

You might think your nighttime routine starts in the evening, but we’re here to tell you it starts as soon as you lift your eyelids. You’ve probably heard this one before #NHgang but there’s a reason it’s always recommended. Making your bed as soon as you rise not only helps set the tone for the rest of the day (ticking one thing off that long to-do list) but also helps make the space inviting for when you return and further cultivates that good feeling towards your room...remember what we were talking about above? So, from the moment you jump out of bed, smooth out your sheets and flatten your topper, a chemical signal is sent to the brain that you’re ready to start your day, your bed is a place of rest and sleep (not work!) and is ready for your deep slumber when you return. 

3. Order & declutter the room 

Have you heard the saying, an ordered space is an ordered mind? Keeping your space nice and tidy will help reinforce those positive associations with your room, make it an inviting space and help the mind be at peace. Fewer things, fewer worries. By maintaining a clean and organised room, you’ll be sure to feel more relaxed, while also preparing it for your sleep.

NIGHTTIME TIPS TO HELP WITH SLEEP

 4. Circulate & cool the air

Scientifically speaking you actually need the room to be around 15 -19 degrees for you to comfortably drift off to sleep. You may notice on warmer nights you toss and turn and it’s more difficult to sleep. Circulating the air will help decrease the temperature and assist with your sleep. Ideally, you’d like natural, fresh air such as a window or fan, however, for those warmer nights, you may also like to use the air-conditioner. 

5. Darken room

Darkening your room may seem like an obvious step in any nighttime routine, but if you’re not in the habit of closing your blinds and ensuring there is no external light peeking through, we’d highly recommend trying to make this a habit. You might like to gradually dim or switch off your house lights to signal to your brain and body that it’s time to unwind. You may notice being surrounded by warm light helps you feel relaxed and sleepy. We have our circadian rhythm to thank for this. This is the body's natural internal biological clock that helps regulate our sleep-wake patterns. To put it simply, the cells in the brain respond to light and dark and release different hormones signaling when the body should be sleepy or awake. Pretty clever, huh! Pre-historically, before we had lights, we used to regulate our sleep patterns with the sun’s light. So on a biological level, mimicking the warmth of a sunset, when you are surrounded by warm lights, the hormone melatonin is released, which helps you relax and induce the sleepy feeling. In our modern-day society, we work on our own timelines, and often require the extra few hours after the sun has set. Unfortunately, manmade and unnatural lighting disrupts the circadian rhythm and often compromises the quality and our ability to easily drift off to sleep. 

6. Unwind & relax with hot choc Moon Mylk in the afternoon or evening

Need help unwinding after a long day? Our hot choc Moon Mylk will satisfy all your sweet cravings while helping you relax, unwind and recover. Designed with a functional blend of unique herbs, vitamins and minerals, including Ashwagandha, Camu Camu and Passion Flower to ease your mind, relax your muscles and have a calming effect on your nervous system. The perfect addition to your nighttime routine. Did we mention Moon Mylk’s older sister, 400g Moon Mylk has now landed? Double the size for double the amount of chocolate goodness. Containing 40 servings, so you don’t have to worry about running out or even sharing once in a while. 

7. Turn off electronics at least ½ hour before sleep

We know this one isn’t going to be easy #NHgang, but trust us when we say it’s a necessary habit to get used to if you’re looking for a better night’s sleep. Following on from the point above, the light from our electronics disrupts our natural serotonin levels, making it more difficult to fall asleep. We recommend switching off all electronics ½ - 1hr before bed if possible. We know that’s not always the case, so there are a few additional things you can do that will help reduce the blue-light on your electronics. 

• Blue-light blocking glasses: these will help block out and filter the blue-light produced from digital screens, helping protect your eyes, while reducing the suppression of your melatonin levels (sleepy hormone), allowing you to still fall asleep. These are a game-changer for anyone who works late at night!
• Change your computer/phone screen settings: the screen light will change and gradually dim while emitting warm tones of light as the evening progresses, eliminating much of the suppressing effect of melatonin from artificial light and digital screens. 

8. Use aromatherapy

If you’re someone who’s tried everything else and are still finding it difficult to fully relax and drift off to the dreamland, you might like to try aromatherapy. Diffuse essential oils, such as lavender in a diffuser or add a few drops to your pillow. These scents help promote calmness and wellness, reducing stress and anxiety. 

We hope these tips help you get a better night’s rest #NHgang. It’s all about finding what works best for you, ensuring you’ve optimised your sleep environment, and continue to maintain your nighttime routine. If you have any other suggestions that help you drift off, drop us a comment below! Sweet dreams gang!