Tips for Better Sleep: Practical Strategies to Improve Your Sleep Quality

Optimal sleep: What does it look like?

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Duration: A good indicator of whether you are getting enough quality sleep can be whether you wake up feeling refreshed. While there is no ‘right’ amount of sleep, it is usually recommended that adults need somewhere between 7 and 9 hours per night for optimal functioning. Teenagers typically require a little more (8-10 hours). Now, if you’re actually getting 9 hours and feeling rested, then you’re doing wonderfully, and, quite frankly, why are you reading this? You probably don’t need treatment for sleep problems. Stop now, go outside and fly a kite or something. The rest of us have work to do.

 

Continuity: The less you wake and feel alert during the night, the better. However, it is quite normal to have brief awakenings here and there. You may not even be aware of them. These non-sleep periods are most likely to occur during transitions between sleep cycles, of which you have around 4 to 6 per night (we’ll learn more about these soon). Sleep disorders, environmental disturbances and stress levels can impact sleep continuity.

 

Efficiency: Think about this as a sleep opportunity relative to actual sleep. Lying in bed for 9 hours but taking 3 hours to fall asleep? Inefficient! Again, sleep efficiency can be impacted by sleep disorders, bedtime routines and the quality of the sleep environment, all of which are targets in therapy for sleep problems.

 

Sleep Stages: Let’s get a little sciencey

Sleep consists of four distinct stages. 

Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep is, frankly, a little complicated. It’s divided into three stages, and a good night’s sleep involves steadily cycling through the stages in a predictable pattern. 

• Stage 1 of NREM is brief (5-10 minutes) and is the transition period between wakefulness and sleep.
   

• Stage 2 of NREM takes around 20 minutes, during which your body temperature drops, your heart rate slows, and your brain generates ‘sleep spindles’. Among other things yet to be fully understood, these help keep us asleep, promote learning and memory processing, and are implicated in learning new motor sequences.
   

• Stage 3 of NREM is associated with restorative effects on the body, facilitating physical repair and growth and strengthening the immune system. It’s associated with ‘deep sleep’; muscles are relaxed, breathing slows, and blood pressure drops. If you’re waking refreshed and mentally clear, chances are you have had an appropriately deep sleep.
   

• Then comes the 4th stage, where Rapid Eye Movement (REM) gets its time to shine. REM is particularly important for cognitive function (learning and creativity), memory consolidation, and emotional processing. Your brain becomes more active, your eyes move around (uh, rapidly), and you might even find yourself dreaming. The amount of REM sleep you get increases as the night goes on… which is one of the reasons you want to give yourself enough sleep opportunity.

 

Distinguishing Between Insomnia and Poor Sleep

When considering therapy for sleep problems, it's important to first distinguish between insomnia and poor sleep. Insomnia is a clinical sleep disorder characterised by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early and being unable to fall back asleep. It generally occurs despite having the ‘right’ environment and sufficient time to sleep healthily. Insomnia often leads to significant distress and impairment in daytime functioning.

On the other hand, plain old poor sleep can result from various factors such as lifestyle habits, environmental influences, or temporary stressors. 

While both can negatively affect overall well-being, insomnia typically requires professional intervention (e.g., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, an evidence-based psychological treatment for sleep problems). In contrast, poor sleep may improve with lifestyle changes and self-help strategies. Of course, you can also get specialist advice and therapy for sleep problems in these cases.

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Practical Strategies for Optimal Sleep Hygiene

This is the part you’ve been waiting for — or you skipped it if you want to know HOW not WHY.

 

Remember Capt’n Snooze? He sold mattresses and offered amazing prices. No? Fair enough, he has been off our screens for a couple of decades. Good thing, too, because he was a terrible sleep role model. Just look! Upbeat music? Bright lights? Rollicking? Farm animals?!

 

Who needs role models, anyway? There are enough tips here to give you back control over the elements that can contribute to a good night’s sleep. Try to do as much of the following as you can, and then more if it’s not enough.

• Establish a consistent sleep schedule: Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps regulate your body's internal clock and promotes more restful sleep. It’s best to start going to bed only when you feel tired to give yourself the best chance at falling asleep. You can gradually move your bedtime forward as you get used to falling asleep more efficiently.

• Create a restful sleep environment: Make your bedroom a sanctuary for sleep by keeping it cool, dark and quiet. If possible, invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows, and consider using blackout curtains or white noise to block out external disturbances.

• Limit stimulants: How good is coffee? In this case, not very! Your body takes a long time to break down caffeine; half of whatever you consumed is still in your system 6 hours later. Oh, and there’s caffeine in a whole bunch of fun things: tea (including green tea), chocolate, fizz, energy drinks, pre-workouts and so on. Don’t underestimate this; even if you feel tired, the caffeine is still doing its thing, blocking neuroreceptors from allowing you a GOOD sleep. Nicotine also fights your brain’s natural sleep cycle. It’s best not to smoke, chew or otherwise take it in.

• Limit electronic devices: There are a couple of reasons for this one. First, the blue light emitted by your devices can disrupt your body's natural sleep-wake cycle. You should be able to adjust this in your settings, but even that won’t help with the next point… Electronic devices reinforce attention; they keep you glued to them. Phones can be very hard to put down because the people who design them are experts in manipulating your attention. Absolute experts, nothing less. At the very least, you should scroll out of bed in a comfy chair. 

 

Are you in a comfy chair? Good. Now, scroll on to the next point…

• No clock watching. It’s tempting to keep track of the time you have been awake counting sheep. However, clock-watching may only reinforce unhelpful thoughts like “Oh no, I’m still awake! I’ll never get enough sleep now and tomorrow I’ll feel awful!”. Instead, refocus back on the things you can control, like using a relaxation strategy or reading until you feel tired enough to drift off to sleep. There’s no benefit in knowing whether it’s 1am, 2am or 3am when you wake at night.
   

• Managing stress and anxiety: Stress and anxiety can wreak havoc on your sleep patterns, making it difficult to relax and unwind at the end of the day. Practice stress-reduction techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or mindfulness meditation to help calm your mind and prepare your body for sleep. Alternatively, just do something you find relaxing. It doesn’t have to be body-focused. Read a book. Colour in. As long as it takes your attention and you wind down a little, it’s all good.
   

• Nutritional considerations: Pay attention to your diet, as certain foods and beverages can affect your sleep. Avoid heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol close to bedtime, as these can disrupt sleep quality. Instead, opt for light, sleep-friendly snacks like herbal tea or a small serving of nuts.
   

• Prioritise physical activity: Regular exercise has been shown to improve sleep quality and duration. If you can aim for at least 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise most days of the week, then you’re doing yourself all sorts of favours. If it’s less intense and not as often, it’s still better than nothing. The more, the better (to a point…). However, it’s pyjama time in the lead-up to bed, not activewear time. Too much vigorous activity* in the lead-up to bed may have the opposite effect and make it harder to fall asleep.

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*Yes, yes, there’s ONE exception. The good news? Sexual activity can also improve the likelihood of falling asleep by producing oxytocin and inhibiting cortisol. In short, that makes us sleepy.

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When to seek professional help

Understanding the science behind sleep and adopting healthy sleep hygiene practices are important steps toward achieving restful and rejuvenating sleep. By prioritising sleep and implementing practical strategies, you can experience the many benefits of a good night's rest, including improved mood, cognitive function, and overall well-being. 

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If you’ve tried much of the above and it’s just not getting the job done, it might be time to talk to your GP and/or a Clinical Psychologist experienced with treatment for sleep problems.

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At Boyce & Dale Anxiety and Mood Disorders Clinic, our team offers evidence-based therapy for sleep problems, tailored to your specific needs. Get in touch; we look forward to helping.

Good night. 

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