Getting your brain ready for bed

We know we feel so much better after getting a good night’s sleep; but the benefits of getting good sleep are more than just feeling fresher the next day - getting our seven to nine hours of good quality sleep each night is really important for maintaining and protecting our cognitive abilities.

Good quality sleep and enough of it helps our brain to flush out any rubbish that builds up –(stuff like protein plaques and beta amyloid tangles) over time, this can help reduce the risk of developing conditions such as Alzheimer’s. Getting enough good sleep is also key for helping us to regulate our appetite - being tired can lead to feeling more hungry than we should and over-eating.

Here are some tips for getting your brain ready for bed

3 things to avoid

Cut down on the nightcaps

It could be tempting to have a little drink to relax and unwind before heading to bed - but in reality, having alcohol can significantly impair the quality of your sleep…

Alcohol is both a depressant and neurotoxin, it slows down your nervous system by reducing electrical conductivity in the brain - basically it quite literally slows down your brain..

If you’ve had several drinks, your Liver is then working to break down the alcohol when it should actually be resting. As the Liver uses more resources, it takes these away from the brain, meaning the brain does not repair properly and doesn’t function as well for the next day.

Looking at your screens

Watching TV to unwind after a long day is something many people do, but it doesn’t help your brain get ready for a good night’s sleep...

The blue light from device screens confuses the Pineal gland, which is responsible for releasing Melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep.

You may have heard of this issue coming from phones, but actually most types of screens, so tablets, kindles and even just TVs can cause it too. It’s best to switch off all the devices at least an hour before you are going to bed.

Late night snacking

Eating too much before bed-time also doesn’t help, especially if it’s acidic, spicy, or fatty foods, which can actually end up stimulating the brain

Particular foods to avoid at this time are thins like bacon and preserved meats, soy sauce, some cheeses, nuts, tomatoes, and red wine - these contain a chemical which boosts brain activity., which stimulates the release of norepinephrine, a brain stimulant that boosts brain activity. Sweet drinks with high sugar content can have a similar effect.

Now that you’ve cut these habits from your evening routine, what should you add to it instead? Here are a few good options for improving both the quality of your sleep and reducing the time it takes your brain to power down for the night.

3 things which can help

Smell Some Lavender

The smell of lavender is pretty powerful and helps to lower your blood pressure, heart rate, and skin temperature, making you more relaxed and likelier to fall asleep.

Making a habit of smelling Lavender before bed can help to signal the brain that it’s time to unwind and relax. If Lavender isn’t a favourite then Jasmine can be used instead

Drink Nut Milk With Turmeric

Swop the instant hot chocolate for a  hot nut milk instead. Almond milk for example is a great source of magnesium which helps to reduce the stress hormone Cortisol and relaxes your nervous system. If you want things a little sweeter then try using some raw honey instead of adding sugar.

Adding a little Turmeric to your Almond milk can help further – Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory which can reduce the chances of stomach upsets while you sleep.

Have a bath

At night, one of the things which helps us to start feeling sleepy is a drop in body temperature associated with the lower light levels; the rapid cooling off after taking a hot bath helps to immediately relax us and start the unwinding process before bed.

Adding magnesium salts (as we said earlier, magnesium helps lower stress hormones) can aid the relaxation process – especially as magnesium is well absorbed through the skin.

Aim to have your bath an hour to 90 minutes before bed & try and make sure your bedroom is not too warm after you have had your bath - this helps with the cooling down process.

Falling asleep can seem as simple as just ‘closing your eyes and nodding off’, but there’s actually a whole load of different chemical and biological processes happening behind the scenes - having an effective bedtime routine can really help you to support these processes and get the good quality sleep you need.