FORMER PM MARGARET THATCHER famously got by on just four hours’ kip, while wartime leader Winston Churchill hit the hay for just a few hours a night.
A study suggests the average person gets just six hours and 50 minutes sleep – and others are getting less than three hours.
Your path to getting a good night’s sleep begins the moment you open your eyes in the morning[/caption]
Dr Nerina Ramlakhan has eight sleep tips[/caption]
But a good night’s shut-eye doesn’t start with jumping into bed at a reasonable time, it begins the moment you open your eyes in the morning.
Confused? Here, physiologist and sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, tells Ella Walker how she gets quality sleep.
4AM – Go back to sleep: Dr Nerina says: “There are two main hormones that govern our kip – the sleep hormone melatonin and cortisol, which is produced when we’re stressed and drives us to get things done.
“Cortisol levels start to increase from around 4am, so many people find they can go into a shallower phase of sleep.
“I wake around then but don’t look at the time. I place weighted yoga eye pillows over my eyes and get another phase of sleep.”
7AM – Wake up the right way: The circadian rhythm – the body’s internal 24-hour biological clock that determines your sleep-wake cycle – is important to Dr Nerina.
She says: “I like to wake up naturally, I don’t like the jangling of an alarm.
“I get some natural daylight, ideally not through glass, even just a few seconds. It helps adjust my circadian rhythms.”
8AM – Breakfast of proteins, fats and carbs: It might be the first meal of the day, but Dr Nerina is already prepping for her sleep.
Something sugary like a croissant can overstimulate the nervous system and ruin sleep later.
So Dr Nerina has full-fat Greek yoghurt with a mixture of chia and flax seeds soaked overnight.
Dr Nerina says: “Protein and fat provides sustained energy, fullness and supports stable blood sugar levels.
“It sets the body on the right metabolic trajectory, increasing the likelihood of optimal melatonin production later.”
9AM – Post-breakfast coffee: Even sleep experts are not afraid of caffeine but they are careful with it.
“I have caffeine either with food or after breakfast,” says Dr Nerina.
“I don’t tend to have more than one caffeinated drink a day, and that’s before midday.
“The half-life of caffeine is about five hours, so if you have a cup of coffee at 3pm, you’ll have half the amount in your blood supply around 8pm.
“It might not make you feel lively, but could impact the quality of sleep.”
11 AM – Mid-morning exercise: Working out too late can also disrupt sleep so Dr Nerina does hers early.
She says: “I do strength training or go to the river and swim.
“Exercise is really important, otherwise I’m more stressed with too much mental energy.
“I don’t like exercising in the evening.
“It can overstimulate the nervous system and produce hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which will disrupt sleep.”
1PM – Lunch of eggs and gut-friendly foods: Increasing research is showing the impact of microbiome health on sleep.
Dr Nerina says: “If your gut is healthy, you sleep better.
“Lunch for me is always something that won’t spike blood sugar levels like heavy carbohydrates (which turn into sugar) would. I like an omelette with salad and sauerkraut.”
5PM – Dinner: A healthy meal and fasting window can support better quality sleep and help manage your circadian rhythm.
Fish, vegetables and rice is a great evening meal[/caption]
Dr Nerina says: “I’ll eat some fish, vegetables and rice. I do like something sweet, so it might be some dark chocolate.
“A few days a week, I try intermittent fasting, having my last meal at 5pm. Other times, I eat no later than 7pm.”
8PM – Turn down the lights: Bright light tells your body to wake up, even in the evening, so turn the main lights off.
Dr Nerina says: “I might watch TV and turn the lamps on instead.
“I go to bed around 9pm, my device is switched off, charging outside my room, and I keep the room as cool as possible.
“I take a magnesium supplement now too, which helps relax the nervous system and muscles.”
10PM – If drifting off is tricky: It should take 15 minutes to fall asleep.
It should take 15 minutes to fall asleep[/caption]
“If you have any trouble, Dr Nerina says: “I use some box breathing to help me fall asleep.
“If I’m really stressed, I do ten minutes of journaling before I turn the lights out.
“Stress journaling has been shown to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep.”
