4 Impactful Ways To Improve Sleep

I’ve learned so much about my sleep lately.

Too much dessert in the afternoon = shit sleep
My partner’s snoring = shit sleep
Too much light = shit sleep
Generally overwhelmed and stressed = really shit sleep

The snoring thing’s an easy fix; I bought Loop earplugs and, honestly, they’ve been an absolute game-changer (they’re not your ordinary ear plugs. A friend of mine who tried hers for the first time yesterday messaged me saying, “Good lord, I can’t hear a thing. A THING!”).

The light thing – I’m in the midst of trying out eye masks. Leave a comment if you’re a fan.

But really, it’s about consistency and using sleep-focused tools to help you wind down. It makes ALL the difference to your health, your physical goals, your productivity, the way you treat people… Sleep can reduce stress, heal injuries, support recovery, aid digestion… Put simply: sleep is your superpower.

So here’s my top four ways to improve your sleep today:

1. Practice restorative yoga and/or meditation

This is a big one, and can really make a difference to the way you wind down. Slow, gentle movements, elevated feet, long, slow breaths – all of this stuff helps your body unwind and slow down and it really fosters a good night’s sleep, not to mention how it can help you shift out of overwhelm and stress. I created the new 14-Day Better Sleep Series for exactly this: 14 days of classes to help you wind down, and there’s even a full 14-point checklist to help you prioritise your shut-eye (not a member yet? Try this and everything else in the membership).

2. Turn your phone off and, ideally, leave in another room

It’s an obvious one and a biggie: phones off and away. There’s always a temptation to Google that thing that popped into your head, or reply to a message you received ages ago. And too much blue light in the evening messes with your circadian rhythm, which can hugely impact your sleep. So remove temptation and your phones. Easy.

3. Noise sensitive? Me too. Try (better) earplugs

Earplugs have been the worst things for my sleep, historically. They fall out, they get stuck, they feel weird. But when you get good earplugs, your partner can snore to their heart’s content (plus every other noise that annoys you when you’re trying to get some serious shut-eye). Loop are my favourite. They fit like a glove, work amazingly well at cutting sounds whilst also magically allowing you to hear your alarm, and they’re cute, too! Drown out annoying sounds = much better sleep.

4. Avoid workouts and large meals toward bedtime

Big, sweaty workouts and eating a big amount of food can stimulate your nervous system. This means getting a good amount of high-quality sleep is much harder. Do yourself a favour and eat earlier if you can, and schedule your big workouts for the mornings when you could use that boost in energy.