Want to get the perfect night's sleep? Here's how
From our first days of life to our last, a good night's sleep is essential to our wellbeing.
Unsurprisingly, there are hundreds of hacks and tricks online, which can be quite overwhelming.
Never fear, we have the top tips for getting the best night's sleep from expert, Lucy Wolfe.
The sleep consultant has compiled 13 suggestions for getting the perfect shut-eye.
The first is to establish a regular rise and shine time, and to start your day with some natural sunshine, between 6 – 7 30 am.
According to Wolfe, this will regulate your body clock.
As you start your day consistently, you must end it the same way. The author recommends dimming lights before bedtime to increase your melatonin production.
Adults natural bedtime hovers around 10-11 pm and children under ten is usually 7 to 8 pm, said Wolfe.
Despite dreaming of our beds throughout the day, when it comes to committing to our sleep, we aren't always faithful.
The sleep expert said we have to get over our commitment issues and get seven to nine hours of Zs, with teens needing eight to ten and children requiring the most at 10.5 to 12 hours.
The next suggestion is to get outside and get active! 30 minutes to an hour every day will soon have the Sandman out of business.
Additionally, before bedtime banish large meals containing sugar and processed food, to get the best shut-eye.
If you're anything like us, the next one will hit you hard. Lucy said our reliance on caffeine can be "wreaking havoc" on our ambitions to be a sleeping goddess.
Though we don't have to kick our coffee ritual entirely to the curb, the expert recommends to have your last caffeinated drink by 2 pm and to cap consumption to 400 milligrams per day.
Keep crying as our chocolate binges at night could be responsible for our poor quality of sleep, as both the delicious food and fizzy drinks can contain caffeine.
Lucy also highlighted the deception of alcohol, so watch your wine!
We have all been there at one stage, you've maybe had one too many alcoholic beverages, your thoughts turn to bed. After faceplanting the pillow, it seems like the best night sleep of your life. You're out cold.
But the expert said don't be fooled, alcohol can help you get to sleep easily but then converts to stimulant impairing the sleep quality and duration.
Of course, the next one is quite straightforward, stay hydrated – it's everything.
Wave bye-bye to your precious electronics, its stimulating your brain, making it tough to cross over to dreamland and the quality of that rest is affected.
Another of Lucy's top tips is to invest in an alarm clock and ex-spell phones and gadgets from your bedroom.
Now that you're rid of the technology, it's time to create a "sleep sanctuary".
Your bedroom should be cool, comfortable and dark with limit distractions and high emphasis on creating calm.
Along with the sleep haven, a relaxing pre-sleep ritual before you go turn out the lights is crucial. Lucy has made this step even easier as she has developed Sleep Through Relaxing Rub. Use the spray, rub as directed and enjoy endless hours of sleep.
Furthermore, changing into nightwear helps your body and mind to understand its the end of the day.
Wind down both, body and mind with gentle activities.
Wolfe advises mind-gentle stretching and breathing exercises, visualisations, reading, listening to music, crosswords or Sudoku.
Lastly, as you've established the routine, created a safe sleep space, it's time to leave your worries outside the bedroom and fall in love with your sleep.
Lucy has created a vegan-friendly, cruelty-free range using her expertise to aid your sleep. Perfect for your newborn, right through to your parents, the natural sleep products will give everyone a wonderful night's sleep.
Speaking about her Sleep Through by Lucy Wolfe Body and Bed Sleep Spray and Relaxing Rub, Lucy explained:
"I selected natural ingredients that are known to help induce sleep and calm and reduce anxiety. Taking also into consideration that upper respiratory issues and pain also can interrupt sleep, especially young children, I included a natural decongestant and pain reliever."
Each product has been developed with great sleep in mind, a pleasant, but not over-powering scented spray, for your body and bedding, together with a relaxing rub lotion.
They can be used together or separately as part of your bedtime routine and suitable for all the family.
Lucy's goal is to create natural products that will complement your sleep approach and enable everyone to have a better bedtime routine, sleep longer, deeper and feel more rested in the morning.
Happy sleeping!