How to sleep better – expert tips for a successful slumber

Learning how to sleep better will improve your mood, health and wellness. Insufficient rest can cause our body to produce increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol, so getting a good night's sleep can improve your ability to rationalize worries and boost your mental health. 

It can also help to regulate your weight, with a lack of sleep hindering your body’s ability to process insulin, meaning it’s harder to process glucose from your bloodstream, causing your body to store it as fat instead.

Sleep is a brilliant aid for your immune system, helping to fight off bugs and infections. What's more, people who don't get enough sleep are at higher risk of cardiovascular problems, such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.

Sleep expert, Kate Mikhail says: 'Given the pace of life and how much we want or need to fit into our day, people are often tempted to shave off hours from their sleep in order to add extra time to their day. 

'The problem with this is that when we give ourselves less than seven hours sleep, night after night, we’re selling ourselves short on so many fronts. Our immune system takes a hit, leaving us vulnerable to both short-term and long-term health risks, as well as burnout days, we’re emotionally less resilient and our moods and mental health can struggle to remain positive.

'On top of this, studies show that we are less productive, less cognitively sharp and that we make poorer decisions when we haven’t had enough sleep.

'If you feel tired during the day, over emotional, more stressed than usual, are prone to frequent illnesses, or you fall asleep the minute your head touches the pillow – these are all signs that you’re possibly not getting the sleep your mind and body need.'

By Ruth Doherty