Whether you are going through a period of insomnia or you really struggle to drag yourself out of bed in the morning, chances are, at some point in your life, you’ve found yourself frantically Googling ‘best sleep hacks’ at 3 am.
If that’s you right now, you’re certainly not alone. An August 2020 study from the University of Southampton showed that the number of people experiencing insomnia rose from one in six to one in four when compared to pre-pandemic.
And yes, while the most acute phase of the crisis has passed, there is still a lot of uncertainty to handle, from talk of all existing coronavirus measures being scrapped this month, to the cost of living crisis. Essentially, more than enough to keep you lying awake in bed, eyes transfixed on the ceiling.
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7 Taking CBD before bed
The CBD ( cannabidiol) market has exploded over the past couple of years and the non-psychoactive compound of the cannabis plant is often used to help with anxiety, soothe inflammation and specifically target and reduce pain. Another popular reason people choose to take CBD is? To help them get to sleep.
While there are many people who swear by taking CBD before bed in order to drift off into a harmonious slumber, ‘there are no placebo-randomized controlled trials,’ explains Dr. Bostock. ‘In other words, we’re waiting for convincing research.’
‘Trials are in progress,’ she continues. ‘I’m not saying that CBD doesn’t help – it’s just that there isn’t enough research to know.
6 Wearing ‘Blue Light’ Glasses
We’ve never been more reliant on screens, so it’s no wonder that the rise of blue light glasses has boomed over the past 5 years. Not familiar? These special frames have specifically designed lenses that help to reduce our exposure to HEV light.
‘Blue light glasses might be helpful for some people if they’re exposed to bright light or bright screens in the last 2-3 hours before bed,’ explains Dr. Bostock. This could, in theory, ‘protect the production of the hormone melatonin, which cues the body for sleep.’
However, similarly to the research into CBD, there’s still a way to go. ‘It’s a mixed picture in the literature, with mostly small studies,’ says Dr. Bostock. ‘A new study just published showed that wearing blue light blocking glasses in the third trimester of pregnancy helped melatonin onset, but this had no statistically significant impact on sleep.’
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5 Magnesium supplements
Another sleep supplement reigning supreme on the internet? Magnesium. ‘A recent study suggested that (compared with a placebo) magnesium helped people fall asleep 17 minutes faster and stay asleep 16 minutes longer BUT this apparent increase in sleep time was not statistically significant,’ explains Dr. Bostock.
‘The studies were of low quality, using small numbers of people, so were not that convincing. Magnesium supplements are cheap and pretty safe though, so it’s unlikely to do much harm if taken at recommended doses.’
4 No phones before bed
We’ve heard it a million times before – if you want to get a better night’s sleep, you need to reduce your screen time. But how true is this?
‘The idea that blue light from phones disrupts sleep by interfering with the onset of melatonin is likely to play a role, but some research suggests that ‘sleep displacement’ from aimless scrolling on your phone is a more important barrier to sleep.’
In reality, our phone screens aren’t that bright, and overhead lighting is likely to play a more important role in interfering with sleep onset. ‘If you get plenty of exposure to natural light during the day, you’re less likely to be impacted by a bright light at night,’ explains Dr. Bostock.
‘I’d still recommend a digital detox an hour before bed to allow your mind to switch off, and reduce the odds of psychological arousal or getting distracted online.’
3 Keeping your bedroom cool
In order to fall asleep, we need our body temperature to cool. A popular sleep hack is to set your bedroom temperature between 16ºC-18ºC for optimum slumber. But how much truth is there to that?
‘Anyone who has tried to sleep in a heatwave will know that being too hot is a problem,’ says Dr. Bostock. ‘I don’t think there is a lot of research around the precise temperature but slightly cooler than the room temperature in the rest of the home could help.’
2 Having a hot bath before bed
It might seem like a sleep suggestion from your granny, but it turns out there’s a reason why this age-old sleep hack has stood the test of time.
‘A review of studies found that spending as little as 10 minutes in a bath, shower, or footbath of 40-42.5 degrees centigrade, which is warm, but not scalding hot, between 1 and 2 hours before going to sleep, helped people to fall asleep on average 10 minutes faster, and resulted in better quality sleep,’ says Dr. Bostock.
‘It pushes blood flow to the extremities which helps your core body temperature to cool, which is important for getting into a deep sleep.’
1 Rising at the same time every day, including weekends
We all love a weekend lie-in, but if you’re continually snoozing that alarm, you could be exacerbating the problem.
Ensuring that you wake up around the same time every day ‘helps to anchor your circadian rhythm (i.e. your body clock) and helps your body to anticipate waking and sleep times by releasing the right hormones at the right times,’ explains Dr. Bostock.
‘This assumes that you’re still protecting at least 7 hours for sleep though. It’s no good waking up at the same time if you’re only getting 5 hours of sleep, you’ll still feel tired!’
