1.    Avoid inflammatory foods. This includes any food you have a sensitivity, intolerance or allergy towards. Other inflammatory foods include processed food, anything high in sugar, trans-fats or excessive salt.

2.    Determine what time you need to wake up, then go to bed 8 hours before that time.

3.    Create a bedtime ritual for winding down. This could include a warm bath or shower, putting on your pajamas, meditating, writing in a gratitude journal, reading a book, watching a bit of TV, turning off your electronics.

4.    Ensure you do not use any electronics for at least an hour before bed. The blue light omitted by these devices interrupt your sleep.

5.    Avoid caffeine (of any sort) after 12:00pm lunchtime.

6.    Manage your stress. Limit your stress exposure and do things to trigger your parasympathetic nervous system. This is the system that tells your brain to relax. This could be spending 10 minutes in the sun, walking bare foot on grass, meditating, reading a fiction novel, watching TV, having a warm bath, getting a massage, going for a walk, doing some gardening or crafts, anything that brings you joy and helps you relax.

7.    Drink at least 2 litres of water per day. Staying properly hydrated helps all functions in your body. When your body is functioning optimally it will sleep optimally.

8.    Ensure you do not go to bed after midnight as this changes the way your body rests and recovers. People who do shift work have trouble regulating their cortisol (stress) hormone levels and therefore struggle with rest, recovery and energy. This can’t always be helped with shift workers, but it can be helped if you are not a shift worker.

9.    Ensure your room is pitch black.

10.  Keep all electronic devices out of your room. Buy an alarm clock. Don’t use your phone as your alarm. The electronic waves omitted by your devices interrupt the quality of your sleep.

– Coach Terri