Getting a good night’s rest and waking up feeling energised everyday can be tough. The secret? Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all answer, but it all does start with a good routine. 

It's important to first understand that sleep is incredibly important, and getting quality sleep is non-negotiable. We’re all guilty of putting life’s distractions before our sleep and let’s face it, who hasn’t burned the proverbial candle at both ends, putting off zzzs to finish a university/work assignment or binge-watch Netflix? We’re only human, after all – in fact, the only mammals on the planet who willingly delay sleep! A national enquiry by the Australian Government in 2019 found that four in 10 Australians aren’t getting their recommended seven to nine hours sleep per night, putting their health at serious risk. 

So Why Is Sleep Important?

Alongside nutrition and exercise, sleep is the third pillar of health and is the key to looking and feeling our best. The benefits of sleep are extensive but here are just a few:

• Sleep improves your immune function
• Sleep reduces inflammation
• Sleep impacts to your ability to interact socially and your mental health
• Sleep improves memory, concentration and productivity
• Sleep is even linked to physical health and weight regulation

Building Your Sleep Routine

The Goodnight Co. are always encouraging their community to focus on building a consistent sleep routine to help the body understand the cues to prepare for sleep.  If this sounds a bit overwhelming, start with small steps, try pulling together a couple of steps to help unwind before bed.  For example, cutting out screens at least an hour before bed, dimming the lights in your home, having a warm shower or bath and swapping out the piece of chocolate after dinner with a cup of herbal tea. Essentially, your sleep routine should be made up of the things that make you feel most calm and relaxed to prepare yourself for sleep. The good news, it only takes a few simple adjustments to your daily routine to set yourself up for a good night’s sleep. Better still, following a sleep health routine is far from a chore when supporting tools cover luxurious silk products, pure essential oils, feel-good remedies, relaxing baths and more.

3 things to remember when building your sleep routine

1. Stick to a consistent bedtime

Consistency in your sleep / wake cycle is just as important as routine. If you are someone who goes to bed at a different time every night and wakes up at a different time every morning, then you may find it hard to get a good night’s sleep. Sleep is very personal and what works for one may differ for another. Start by establishing how many hours of sleep you need each night to wake up feeling rested and that’s what you should be working towards getting every night, from here you can set your bedtime. 

2. It’s personal and you should enjoy it

Your sleep routine shouldn’t be hard. In fact, it should make you feel warm and fuzzy knowing you are setting yourself up for a great night’s sleep. Have a think about what you enjoy doing and add that to your wind down routine. It could be as simple as diffusing your favourite calming Pure Essential Oil scent, or playing soft music or even putting on your favourite pair of soft pyjamas early on in the night. All these act as mental cues to prepare your body and mind for sleep. 

3. A good night’s sleep actually starts in the morning

What we do throughout the day impacts how we sleep at night. From the foods we eat, the exercise we do, how much sunlight we get, to how stressed and anxious we feel. Research from the Lighting Research Centre at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, found that people who were exposed to greater amounts of light during the morning hours, between 8am and noon, fell asleep more quickly at night and were also less likely to report feelings of depression and stress. Talk about rising and shining! 

To create a routine personalised to you, we recommend tracking your sleep habits for at least 10 days and reflecting. Reflecting on your habits allows you to identify what actions may be keeping you up at night. You might find that the 3pm coffee is doing you no good, or that your body reacts better to morning exercise rather than afternoon sessions. Writing it down and tracking gives you the tools to build a bespoke routine that works for you, so you can look and feel your best, everyday. 

We know that so many people out there are really struggling with sleep and we can’t recommend enough to you how important it is to start prioritising your sleep. Once you build your routine, create consistent sleep / wake times and remain relaxed and excited about getting a good night’s sleep, the rest will fall into place. For more sleep tips, advice and support head over to The Goodnight Co.

Shea Morrison
The Goodnight Co