Get into good Sleep Habits
You will need to keep to your bedtime routine every day, because your sleep cycle is a daily pattern. Your sleep won’t change immediately, but it will gradually start to improve, as you put the techniques you are learning into practice.
- Light is vital for the sleep-wake cycle, as it keeps our circadian rhythm running as it should be.
- Your mattress and bedding can significantly affect your sleep.
- Research has shown that to aid sleep, the ideal temperature of a bedroom should be around 18ºC.
- If external noise like neighbours, traffic or animals is a problem, then ear plugs may offer a great solution.
- People with a sleep problem, or who are sensitive to caffeine, should consume less than 400mgs a day.
Your Bedtime Routine
You will need to set a routine that you will follow each evening, about 1hr and 30 min – 2 hours before bed, to prepare your body and let it know that it is nearly time for sleep.
Be specific about what you will do, and the order in which you will do this each evening, to prepare yourself for sleep.
As part of your bedtime routine you will need to organise and prepare your sleeping environment, for when you are eventually ready to go to bed.
We have partnered with Silvercloud to offer you free access to a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) self-help programme, designed by clinical experts using proven methods for helping people, all with the aim of empowering you to think and feel better.
This programme is based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
CBT consists of two key steps to feeling well:
- Understanding what’s going on inside you
- Making changes to feel better
The key idea behind CBT is that your emotions, thoughts, behaviours and physical sensations are connected, and affect each other.
Simply choose your programme on SilverCloud. When prompted to sign up, you will need an access code to enable you to create your account and use this resource. The access code is kwnelselfhelp