How to get to sleep, and stay asleep

Sleep is the fundamental basis of oiur lives. Yes, that’s how strongly Kaley Lillibridge Nichol and I feel about a good night’s sleep. And yet, as mothers of two young kids each we realise that it’s going to be a long time before we truly get that again. The very fact that sleep may be elusive is exactly why I need to prioritise it: when I don’t sleep I am short tempered, I crave crappy food, I don’t exercise and my brain is foggy. When it comes to the seven life buckets, next to keeping my kids safe is getting enough sleep to function well enough to support everyone, including myself.

So I have gone deep on all things sleep related over the past few months and here are the things that you can do which are consistently recommended by sleep experts. Here is how to get to sleep, and stay asleep

• Cap caffeine to two coffees/day before 11am
• Don’t eat late in the day, especially not heavy meals. Try to leave 3 hours between eating and going to bed.
• Avoid alcohol (I write that as a Brit who loves a pub, I know this isn’t easy)
• Try to stay consistent with the time you go to bed and the time you wake up
• Get sunshine and exercise during the day
• Have a wind down period where you do something calm let your brain unwind. This could include: reading, meditating, stretching or evene just chatting wth your partner (don’t argue though!). And be sure to avoid phones/blue screen during this time.
• If you are a little wired, or awake in the night, use the 4–7–8 breathing technique
• Consider supplements. There are two* that I swer by to help me fall asleep and stay asleep: I take 500mg of magnesium glycinate an hour before bed and an Olly sleep gummy 20mins before going to sleep. (NB: you shouldn’t use melatonin during the night as it affects your cortisol levels making it harder to wake up).

This above has worked exceptionally well for me. Combined with my children (mostly) sleeping through the night, I am a new woman. I wake up with energy, happier and ready for the day ahead.

I truly hope this is effective for you as it has been for me.

And if you want to dig in further to this topic I highly recommend the book Why We Sleep. Or, if you are short on time (ha ha ha of course we all are!) try Blinkist which gives you a chapter by chapter summary of many books in both written and audio formats.

(*These are over the counter supplements. And in case you don’t know me: I am not a doctor, so please seek proper medical advice.)