In an innovative approach, the providers of a well-known brand of sleep medication and a global sleep wellness app have partnered to provide a holistic way to help manage sleep issues.
Why good quality sleep is important
Getting a good night's sleep is important for maintaining healthy food and physical activity habits. Getting enough quality sleep is important both mentally and physically, so finding and sticking with a proper sleeping schedule in turn benefits your overall wellbeing. Getting into sync with your body's natural sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm, is one of the most important strategies to better sleep.
While the sleep-wake cycle is one of the more obvious circadian rhythms, the body's near 24-hour internal clock, which is set by its surrounding environment, is critical to the proper functioning and processing of almost every body system. The word circadian, derived from Latin circa diem, means about one day.
Sleep disturbances after holidays
As we go back to work after the summer holidays, many of us may be aware that our sleep patterns have been disturbed by later bedtimes and longer sleep-ins. While that may be fine during the holiday, long term disruption is not good for our sleep and our general health, and getting back into a good sleep routine can be hard after a long holiday.
The start of a new year is also synonymous with a fresh start and a good time to resolve to establish sleep wellness for the year by re-setting healthy sleeping habits.
How to get back into a good sleep routine
Healthy sleep habits can enable you to achieve your recommended amount of sleep every night.
If you are one of many who want to enjoy blissful and restorative sleep again, here are some of our best tips for helping you get back on track.
A sleep routine does not only begin at bedtime – important elements of sleep health can occur during the day.
1. Time to rest, step by step Whether you are travelling between time zones or just taking time off from work it is important to remember that how quickly you can re-set your sleep schedule and re-synchronise is dependent on how long you have experienced an out-of-sync circadian rhythm.
By setting a wake-up time a little earlier, in small increments for example, you are slowly adjusting your body back to its old sleep schedule and helping shift the body clock gently back. The National Sleep Foundation suggests rising 15 minutes earlier each morning until you adopt an ideal wake-up time.
2. Natural light throughout the day
Getting adequate amounts of natural light throughout the day also keeps your body clock in a healthier sleep-wake cycle. Along with your bedtime and wake-up time, you may want to choose to schedule in additional healthy habits and activities throughout the day that will unavoidably support your sleep. Being physically active early in the day helps you hit physical activity goals, which will also contribute to a better nights sleep.
3. A good amount of downtime before you sleep
Research suggests that giving yourself at least 90 minutes of downtime is plenty of time to keep sleep from being compromised. if you cannot fall asleep after getting into bed, the general rule is not to spend more than 20minutes tossing around.
4. A soothing bedtime ritual
You may also want to try developing a soothing bedtime ritual that helps you set your mind to fall asleep, like practising a relaxation technique, taking a hot bath, or turning down the lights to listen to soothing music or an audio book.
5. Summer naps and consistency
As you work on your sleep routine and begin to get into a habit, it is important to not only have a consistent bedtime, but also- according to sleep experts like Dr Raj Dasgupta - to avoid taking naps unless you are feeling sleep deprived.
6. Meditation, hypnosis, sleep sounds and bedtime stories
These may help people drift off to good quality sleep. Several sleep apps are available, one of which is Aura.
If you are having trouble getting and staying asleep and it is not because of a health issue, trying out these simple tips may enable you to enjoy a better nights sleep, boost your health, and improve the way you think and feel throughout the day, all before you get back to work and the usual daily grind.
Embracing a holistic approach to sleep wellness by accessing Aura
People who purchase CIRCADIN, the long-established melatonin medication for the short-term treatment of sleep quality issues in people 55 years and over, may be eligible for a three-month free trial of the Sleep section of the award-winning, Aura*, which is used by millions of people around the world. Aura includes several modalities to improve sleep,including sleep, including guided meditation, bedtime stories, hypnosis, and sleep sounds, which be personalised. F
