Sadly we lose an hour in bed this Sunday as the clocks spring forward, so chances are we're all going to feel a little sleep-deprived.
But it needn't be this way if we think a little smarter. A snooze expert says it can be a good idea to gradually alter your bedtime two to three days before the clocks change so you get used to falling asleep and waking up earlier.
Dr Lindsay Browning, psychologist, neuroscientist and sleep expert for And So To Bed said people should try going to bed 15 minutes earlier and waking 15 minutes earlier the first night. Then increasing this to 30 minutes earlier than your usual bedtime and wake up time on the second night, then 45 minutes the third night.
"Then this Saturday you could go to bed an hour earlier than your usual bedtime, then set your morning alarm for your usual wake time – your smartphone will automatically adjust this time overnight. This way you will not lose any sleep on the 26th when the clocks change," she says.
Dr Browning adds it's also a good idea to move your breakfast, lunch and dinner times a little earlier each day too, since mealtimes can also have an impact on our internal clock.
"Because you will be getting up an hour earlier than before, it is a good idea to get some light exposure as early as possible in the morning to help move your circadian rhythm," she notes.
Start your day by opening your curtains wide as soon as you wake up to let in the light, and ideally go for a walk first thing early in the morning to help your body get used to waking up and going to bed earlier.
Since morning exercise has been shown to help our circadian rhythm move, you could do some exercise in the morning to help you wake up more easily at this earlier time, and try to avoid it in the evening. Avoid caffeine after about 2pm, since caffeine has a six-hour half-life (meaning caffeine is still in your system many hours after your last drink).
"Lastly, practice good sleep hygiene by avoiding bright lights in the evening from your phone and laptop, as these can disrupt your natural production of melatonin,” she says.
Eight expert tips to sleeping well
Dr Browning has shared her eight top sleep hygiene tips to help Brits get better sleep as their cycle is about to be disrupted.
1. Have a regular bedtime and wake time
Keeping a regular wake and bedtime seven days per week will help you sleep better. When you keep a regular sleep schedule your body develops a robust circadian rhythm which helps you to sleep at the right time at night. If you go to bed early and wake up early on weekdays, but stay up late and have a lie-in on the weekend, you are giving yourself weekend “jet-lag” – making it much harder to go to sleep early on a Sunday night ready, for another early start on Monday morning.
2. Increase your exercise levels
As well as being essential for overall health, exercise directly impacts your need for “deep sleep” at night. Moderate exercise like a brisk walk has been shown to increase your deep sleep during the night which helps you to wake up the next day feeling more refreshed.
The more you exercise, the more deep sleep you will have and it is deep sleep which helps you to feel refreshed when you wake up, and helps with sleep continuity.
Make sure you exercise during the daytime and not too close to bedtime, as exercise in the evening can sometimes be disruptive to sleep, due to the release of endorphins and adrenaline.
3. Stop your caffeine intake 5-7 hours before bed
Caffeine has an average half life of 5-7 hours. This means that 5-7 hours after your cup of coffee, half of the caffeine is still in your system!
Caffeine is not only found in tea and coffee, but also in chocolate and in soft drinks such as cola and energy drinks, including the sugar-free variety. If you have trouble sleeping then it is recommended you have your last cup of caffeine at around 2pm.
4. Night time digital detox
A recent study found that one in five are kept awake by their phones. Make sure you switch off your electronic devices an hour before bed, in particular, your phone. Smartphones emit blue light which is the same as daylight.
This tricks the brain into thinking it is day time, which can make it difficult to transition into sleep mode when bedtime rolls around. Try reading a book or meditating before you sleep instead.
5. Have a warm bath before bed
Having a relaxing warm bath before bed will not only help you to wind down after a busy day, but also the temperature of the bath will help you sleep. When you go to sleep, your body temperature naturally decreases, which is why over half of the UK find it so difficult to sleep when it is hot.
If you have a warm bath, then you artificially raise your body temperature and when you come out of it, your body temperature will naturally start to drop, mimicking the dip in temperature that happens as you fall asleep, making you feel sleepier.
6. Don’t lie in bed for long periods if you can’t sleep
If you can’t sleep, then lying still in bed trying to sleep is one of the worst things you can do. The longer you lie in bed trying to sleep and clock watching, paradoxically the more anxious you are likely to get about not sleeping.
Keeping your bed for a sleep and sex only is helpful for your sleep because it helps your brain know that you're bed is a place for sleep, rather than for doing other things. Especially important for mental health is not using your bed as a place to worry or to ruminate about what went wrong in your day.
It is much better to get out of bed and do something else for a while instead of lying in bed, not sleeping for hours. Read another chapter of a book - just resist reaching for your phone.
7. Cut down on alcohol
Alcohol is a sedative and can help with falling asleep. However, as the alcohol is metabolised (processed by our body), it promotes wakefulness in the latter half of the night – meaning you wake frequently in the early hours. Also, alcohol affects the normal progression of the sleep stages we go through each night, meaning that the sleep we do get is not as restorative.
Lastly, alcohol is a mild respiratory depressant, meaning it makes breathing slightly more difficult. This is really important for people with sleep apnoea because it can worsen when they have drunk alcohol and make them wake more frequently.
The after-effects of heavy alcohol consumption (i.e. a hangover) not only affect your sleep but also your daytime cognitive and psychomotor performance the next day. Also, alcohol can affect your sleep during the night even after daytime drinking. Consuming alcohol at lower doses has less of a disruptive effect on sleep - you are less likely to wake up in the early hours and your sleep stages will be closer to normal the less you have drunk meaning better shut-eye.
8. Keep a journal
Making time during the day to write a journal or do a gratitude journal is a great way of helping to brain dump so your mind isn’t overloaded when you are trying to switch off to go to sleep.
Instead of your brain doing that thinking and processing during the night or in your dreaming sleep - which can also be disruptive to a good night’s sleep - write down any troubling thoughts, questions and ideas throughout the day in a journal. This will allow you to get those thoughts out of your head and out of the way of a restful night.
Make sure you write this by hand using a pen and paper and not on a laptop or phone as these emit blue light, which not only inhibits melatonin production but also may lead to checking social media, e-mails and so on, which will undo the work of the journal.
