Beauty

SOUND SLEEPING: Tips for a good, natural night's kip

Restless nights? There's nothing troubled sleepers covet more than a deep, carefree sleep, yet resorting to sleeping pills can feel like the start of a slippery slope.

Here are some ways that will hopefully have you sleeping like a baby again and they involve opening neither your wallet nor your mouth.
1) Make sure you're tired
 Get up at a decent hour. If you're in bed by 11pm, you should be up by 8am.
Take exercise during the day, but never close to bedtime or your heart rate and adrenaline will still be pumping when you hop under the duvet.
2) What helps and what hinders
 Bananas, milk and camomile are natural tranquilisers.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day, but not in the last hour before you sleep or you will wake up in the night with nature calling. Keep a glass of water by your bed.
Don't drink tea (or anything with caffeine, of course) in the evening - it sounds obvious but you'd be amazed how many people think caffeine doesn't affect them. Caffeine (and the same goes for that second glass of wine) often shakes people awake in the small hours of the morning.
3) Prepare for tomorrow
 Look at your diary and write a list of everything you need to do the next day - even the small things like making a phone call. Do this at least an hour before you go to bed - things you've forgotten will hopefully pop into your head while you're brushing your teeth.
4) Wash your worries away
 A warm bath helps your muscles relax and gives you an invaluable peaceful time before bed, settling your mind as well as your body.
5) Listen to sleep gremlins
 Keep a notepad and pen by your bed. Little inner voices that wake you in the night can be a blessing in disguise, reminding you of something you almost let drop. Write it down to ease your mind.
6) Temperature gauge
 In that semi-sleep state when you wake in the middle of the night, your brain often doesn't register that you are a little bit too hot or too cold. Do something about it right away if you try to ignore it, you'll drift in and out of sleep and wake up feeling unrested.