If you’re anything like me you might be struggling to sleep at the moment. Research suggests that I’m not alone and that 63% (Ipsos Mori, 2020) of people have had worse sleep since the start of lockdown.

Here are 4 really simple tips that I have tried and tested that seem to be making a difference:

1. If you can’t get to sleep after 15minutes, get up

I used to shadow a clinical psychologist and this was one of the pieces of advice that was given time and time again.

If you can’t get to sleep, don’t keep trying to force it. It won’t help. It is much better to get up and do something calming like reading in soft lighting for ten minutes before trying again. It’s surprisingly effective!

2. Make your bed every morning

Research has found that people who make their bed everyday are more likely to report having a better night’s sleep (National Sleep Foundation). I find this is a quick win and starts the day on a good note too.

3. Keep your clocks out of sight

Staring at the clock and working out how long you have until you need to get up for the day can feel really stressful. Set your alarm the night before (or better still, set an alarm schedule for the week) so you don’t have to worry about waking up late.

After a few nights of not being able to see the clock I got into the habit of not looking for it and I seem to be falling back to sleep a bit quicker.

4. Focus on feeling “fresh”

The research above also found that respondents slept better when their sheets smelt fresh. So pay attention to the fabric softener that you’re using and how often the sheets are being changed. This makes sense to me, is there anything better than fresh bed sheets?!

Ensuring that the bedroom has fresh air once a day can also help the room to stay fresh and so can using a diffuser. I like to use the M&S Calm oil in our Muji diffuser before bed.

I hope you find these tips useful. What helps you to fall asleep? Leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.

As always, thanks for reading!

Love,

Chrissy x

To note:

If you have tried everything to help you sleep and are still struggling, see your GP for further support.