The Five-Step Programme to a Restful Night’s Sleep
What can you do today, right now, to improve your sleep? It’s surprisingly easy to make a big difference to the quality of your sleep so that you wake up refreshed, happy, and ready to face the day.
Elixir of Sleep is packed with wide-ranging and specific sleep solutions, from how to resolve nightmares and insomnia to how to meditate for inner calm. But let’s dive in right away with these science-supported best sleep practices so you can start improving your sleep tonight.
- Stick to a regular sleep schedule. This is widely accepted as being the single most important factor for sleep health. Try to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time. This is healthier than skimping on sleep during the week and sleeping late on weekends to catch up.
- Dim the lights for at least thirty minutes before you sleep. This stimulates the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and our brains automatically start to wind down. Avoid bright lights from screens during this time, or your brain will be tricked into thinking it’s daylight and rev up again.
- Avoid heavy meals and stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and chocolate too close to bedtime. These activate your body and keep your digestive system in overdrive. Caffeine can reduce the amount of deep sleep you get, so that you wake up tired even if you fell asleep easily and didn’t wake up in the night. It’s good to finish eating two to three hours before bed to maximise your ability to fall asleep and enhance your overall sleep quality. If you always need the bathroom in the night, try reducing fluid intake in the hour or so before bedtime.
- Exercise during the day—but not too close to bedtime. If you go to the gym or take a power step aerobics class until 9:30 p.m., it may prevent you from falling asleep before midnight. Experiment with what works best for you.
- Sit in darkness if you wake in the night and can’t fall back to sleep. Some people naturally find themselves awake for long periods in the night. It can be a beautiful, creative time for some. But if you feel anxious or stressed, get out of bed and sit in darkness until you feel sleepy or go to another room and engage in a calm activity, such as writing in your sleep diary, reading, or meditating.
[Excerpt from Elixir of Sleep: Practical Solutions for a Good Night’s Rest. Reproduced with permission from Llewellyn Worldwide. Copyright Dr. Clare Johnson, 2025.]
