My Sleeping Sucked…

Up until recently my sleep sucked! I was waking up 3-4x a night, going for a pee (sorry I know too much detail!) and scrolling on my phone (Facebook, Instagram, etc) until I got back to sleep…

When I woke up mid-sleep, I found my mind racing like a racehorse on Red bull, unable to get back to sleep, fidgeting and rolling around the bed! Subsequently, I was chucked into the spare room (Sally couldn’t cope!) and I also noticed my performance suffer in many areas, one being the gym!

Time To Stop Sleeping like a hyperactive chimp! 

About 2 weeks ago I went back to the drawing board, did some research and I’ve completely changed my routine before bed…and guess what?…I’ve been sleeping like a new born baby!

I’d like to share with you what I’ve changed so that you too can get a deeper, more peaceful sleep, so that you look, perform and feel tons better in just a couple of days! But first, let’s take a quick look at why sleep is so important…

Why Is Sleep So ‘Frickin’ Important To Our Wellbeing? 

When we are fully rested, and we’ve recharged our batteries, we perform and feel better in all areas of our lives. Nobody can deny that waking up from a peaceful, deep sleep is an incredible feeling. It changes the day ahead for the better.

Sleep affects everything! Literally everything! From how you perform at work, and at the gym, to how you are with your friends and family. We’ve all experienced a bad, sleepless night, where we wake up feeling cranky, moody and are not too pleasant to be around!

When we switch off the sympathetic nervous system (the stress mode that we are typically in for most of the day) and go into the parasympathetic nervous system (a relaxed state) we allow our bodies to heal, repair, prevent sickness, disease and replenish our energy levels.

So now let’s get into the good stuff and look at 5 things you can do to drastically improve your sleep…

#1 Switch Off Your Phone

Up until recently, I’d always be on my phone before bed, checking e-mails, FB and seeing what Justin Bieber’s been up to on Instagram (lol!) and all the other social media rubbish! The problem is that going on your phone before bed keeps your mind super active. Why would you want your mind to be active when you want it to slow down? The answer is you don’t! Switch off your phone 1hr before bed. But what about my alarm for work? That brings me to my next tip…

#2 Invest In An Alarm Clock 

I’ve recently started using a Lumie alarm clock and it’s been an absolute game changer! Not only can you use it to set your morning alarm, but it also has a natural light built into the clock which dims down as you go sleep, helping you to relax at night time. In the morning the opposite occurs, the light slowly brightens up, helping you to wake up naturally. Now you can switch off your phone and still get up for work!

#3 Sleep Mask

Any light in the bedroom has the power to disturb your sleep and wake you up. Whether that’s the light from your phone, the standby light on your TV, or street lighting creeping through the gaps in your curtains! The only ways to stop this is to 1) switch off all electronics and 2) to either invest in black out blinds or a sleeping mask. Recently I picked up Stellar Deluxe Sleep Mask by Sleepstar and I’ve been sleeping like a log!

Alongside wearing a sleeping mask it’s important to consider other factors such as the quality of your bed and mattress, and also the chairs you sit in each day, for example, your office chair, recliners, etc. All of these can negatively impact your posture and cause lower back pain which will prevent you from sleeping peacefully. I would recommend Bedroom Critic to see reviews and the best products to help promote better health, posture, and sleep.

#4 Take magnesium & zinc before bed

1hr before bed (9/10pm) I’ll take 600mg of magnesium and 15g of zinc. Both magnesium and zinc supplementation are essential everyday supplements anyway, but they are particularly useful just before bed. Magnesium plays a role in metabolism and muscle health and helps manage sleep. Zinc supports your immune system and muscles. There are different types but I’d recommend either Magnesium glycinate or citrate and zinc picolinate.

Putting It All Together…

Here’s the exact sleep routine that I follow to help me sleep blissfully…

1. Turn off phone and all electrical appliances (turn off 1hr before bed)
2. Set the alarm clock for the morning
3. Take magnesium (600mg) and zinc (15mg) 1 hr before bed (typically between 9-10pm)
4. Get into bed and read a book for 1-30 minutes until I get sleepy

Put on my sleeping mask and….zzzzzzzzzz! peaceful bliss!

Give it ago…

The above 4 tips have helped me enormously and I’ve been sleeping much better, rarely getting up and if I do I fall straight back to sleep! Winner winner chicken dinner! I can 100% guarantee that if you follow the advice above you will get a much better nights sleep which will positively impact all areas of your life (mark my words!)

If you really want to go the extra mile with your sleep routine you could also get a mattress to help with back pain, have a magnesium bath, and spend some time quieting the mind through meditation.

I sincerely hope you’ve received value from reading this post if you have found the article helpful please give it a thumbs up or leave your comment below.

Happy Sleeping Folks!

Nick 🙂