1. Get off your phone, laptop or stop watching the TV 1 hour before bed at the latest.

The blue light will block the release of melatonin which is a trigger to the brain to trigger a sleep state.

2. Get light exposure as soon as you wake.

People don’t realise that your light exposure in the morning can impact sleep at night.

Light is a trigger for a wakefulness state. Thus more light in the early part of the day, low light after dark is best.

3. Don’t consume Caffeine after 2 pm

Caffeine has a half life of 5 -7 hours thus, if you drink coffee late afternoon, you’ll inhibit your body making melatonin, disrupting sleep.

4. Don’ t Nap after 3 pm and keep naps under 1 hour

This is due to the daily rhythm of the body, napping too late or too long will disrupt sleep.

5. Don’t drink alcohol within 3 hours of bed

You’ll fall asleep ok but it will wreck your REM sleep and deep sleep which is responsible for restoration.

6. Increase physical exercise

Many people believe 3 x 1 hour gym sessions is enough. In fact we get our clients to cut down on their gym and replace with daily walking.

This helps to build a resilience of the body and calm the nervous system, then we add exercise back in.

7. Ideally eat meals in a 12 hour window or less

Studies show that mitochondrial health (your cells batteries) are healthiest in a feeding window of 9-12 hours.

8. De-stress

Mental and emotional stress will send you into your sympathetic nervous system and that will trigger cortisol. That blocks melatonin and therefore sleep.

Furthermore, you can do this via deep breathing or journalling etc.

9. Have consistent food times

People that have irregular meal patterns struggle with poor sleep due to miss management of blood glucose.

10. Hydration

Poor hydration leads the body into an emergency state. Thus triggering waking.

11. Increase Nutrient Density

Many people we work with are low in essential nutrients that can be gained form eating more good quality foods.

12. Check your HRV (Heart Rate Variability)

People that have LOW HRV have all sorts of issues calming down and thus this will trigger poor sleep.

13. Inflammation

Many people have unidentified inflammation issues like bacterial, parasitic, fungal, viral and fungal infections. It’s very important make sure you get tested as this will cause disruption in the sleep department.

I could write a very long list but if you were to commit to the above, your sleep would improve, for sure.

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