We all know how important sleep is for our physical and mental wellbeing, yet many of us struggle to get enough shut-eye on a regular basis.
Sleep deprivation can sometimes be caused by a poor work-life balance, anxiety and stress, or consuming too much caffeine throughout the day. And while there are things most of us know to avoid if we want to sleep better, some may be less obvious.
Experts at Bed Kingdom shared some of their top tips for a great night's sleep, and some of them may surprise you. They've also research-backed solutions to help you develop better sleep hygiene.
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For example, they recommend avoiding caffeine as much as 12 hours before your bed time if you struggle to sleep. And there's another type of drink they say will mess with your sleep.
A Bed Kingdom spokesperson told the ECHO: "While alcohol can often make you fall asleep faster, drinking it close to bedtime can cause fragmented sleep and can be the cause of frequent waking throughout the night.
"Studies have found that drinking alcohol within four hours of bedtime can negatively affect sleep continuity and duration, leading to longer ‘wake after sleep onset’ (WASO), where you wake up during the night and struggle to get back to sleep.
"If you are having trouble staying asleep after an evening drink, try to have your last drink around 4 hours before you go to bed to ensure that your body has had ample time to digest and metabolise the alcohol before you try to fall asleep."
If insomnia affects your daily life and has been a problem for longer than a month, you may want to make an appointment to see your GP.
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