Your Guide to Sleeping Well

by Matthew Powell

A Body Aware Specialist

Sleep. The single best thing ever. For those of us who can do it, anytime and anywhere, we are the lords of our own universe; for those of you who struggle to find sleep however, there may be nothing more deflating, irritating, stress inducing and health destroying.

Techniques to find sleep are tenfold and would, alas, need me to triple my 500-600 word quota to run through sufficiently; but the body, everyone’s body, is programmed to accelerate and decelerate during a 24 hour period so let’s explore what the stimulus and relaxant is, and if we can understand it, how we can harness both for the better?

by Lucy Miller

A Fitness and Nutrition Expert

How annoying is it, when you’ve had a busy day, have another one ahead but just can’t switch off? It’s so frustrating! So if you have a tough time falling asleep or you toss and turn in the middle of the night then its time to take action and that doesn’t mean popping a pill. Instead, I advise you to create a bedtime routine that includes stretching your limbs. Nearly all of us are guilty of not stretching – me included, so instead I’ve started to take ten minutes to do this quick routine before bed. Not only does it make me more relaxed, but it also helps to keep my muscles flexible, so I’m less likely to experience discomfort or workout-related injuries. I also find that it makes me put my iPad down, which can stimulate your brain and keep you awake at night. I know, it’s so hard to switch off these days!

by Maureen Cromey

An Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine Expert

Sleep has a quality to it, when we sleep well we wake feeling refreshed and optimistic.  Our mood for the day is even and we have enough energy to complete tasks set.  Sometimes we can wake and still feel tired, slightly worried or depressed and lack any drive or energy for the day.  Sleep is not just about the hours spent asleep but how well we have slept.

by Angie Newson

A Yoga and Pilates Expert

If you habitually take a long time to fall asleep, or you tend to snooze off straight away, only to wake a few hours later and have difficulty returning to slumber land - you could benefit from a review of your workout and training schedule. Interrupted sleep patterns, insomnia and other sleep disorders can often be the result of overtraining and/or the stresses and tensions of our fast-paced lives in the ever-increasing and expanding world we live in.  By incorporating yoga into your weekly fitness programme you will learn to calm the mind, become more balanced, less anxious and learn vital breathing techniques to aid relaxation.

by Dr. Sarah Brewer

A Nutritionist and Doctor

Tigers need 16 hours sleep, monkeys snooze for 10 hours, African elephants require four hours while giraffes make do with two. In contrast, the average human spends six to eight hours out of every 24 in the land of nod, though many awake feeling less than refreshed. 

by Steve Halsall

A Celebrity Personal Trainer

The Holy Trinity of energy (good sleep, food and attitude) is underpinned by the one thing we all love most; that being a good night's sleep. Good sleep is something every human being deserves, no matter what age you are, and having a good night's sleep allows for better decision making in all areas throughout the following day. Getting your head down and sleeping well is one of the most important things in anyone's life.