health

Yes, there’s a formula to a good night’s sleep.

Nighty Night
Thanks to our brand partner, Nighty Night

There's nothing much better than a perfect night's rest. 

And as it turns out, there is actually a series of steps one must follow in order to sleep well, better and for longer. 

Below are the five practical things you can do to set yourself up for a good night's sleep.

1. Follow the 10-3-2-1-0 method.

We've all heard of the 4-7-8 technique, a military relaxation exercise used to help someone get to sleep faster and for longer. But, as it turns out, there is another simpler trick that may help anyone looking to get some decent shut-eye.

If you've been scrolling lately, you may have seen the 10-3-2-1-0 method video that continues to go viral on Instagram. It's basically a step-by-step routine that prepares us for a good night's sleep.

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Here's what you have to do:

  • 10 hours before bed: No more caffeine.
  • Three hours before bed: No more food.
  • Two hours before bed: No more work.
  • One hour before bed: No more screen time, so turn off your phone, TV and computer for the night.
  • And finally, zero: The number of times you can hit snooze on your alarm in the morning.

Now look, these rules seem relatively simple. Everyone knows not to drink caffeine before bed and to unwind with a book over Netflix or TikTok, but this method makes the process relatively simple to follow so we can recharge, stay sharp and have more energy throughout the day.

2. Come prepared for better sleep.

Nighty Night's Sleep Effervescent was made for those who want the quality of their sleep to be, well, better. The Nighty Night tablet, made to be dissolved into water, contains high quality, active ingredients including 600mg of ashwagandha which is traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. It's also scientifically formulated to improve sleep quality and promote healthy sleep patterns. 

Simply drop the tablet into a glass of water, let it fizz and enjoy the elderberry flavour. It is also fast dissolving, making it a handy addition to your sleep routine (that requires almost zero effort).

3. Start a sleep ritual.

Remember being a little kid and having a strict regime to follow in the lead up before bed? A warm bath, brushing teeth, going to the bathroom one last time and then finally being tucked under the covers by mum or dad before being read a story? Does any of it ring a bell? 

Well, that my friends, is what we call a sleep ritual. And it's one that even in adulthood, we should be incorporating. I'm not saying your mother has to give you a call every night to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to you, but it's very important to have at least some bedtime rituals that can provide a calming effect.

Maybe you like a hot shower, a gua sha and a cup of warm milk before listening to some music and drifting off into an enviable sleep. Maybe you don't like any of that. And that's fine, but get some habits in place so your body gets used to shutting down every night. 

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Believe me, you'll feel better in the long run for it.

4. Use a sleep journal as often as possible.

Sleep is one of those things that should be tracked in order for us to get better at it. Sometimes, it's not as simple as putting your head down on the pillow and falling into slumber. Sometimes getting a decent night's sleep is hard work. 

That's why a sleep journal can be helpful, because it allows us to log bedtimes, how long we sleep for, how well we sleep for and if factors like beverages that contain caffeine and/or exercise are affecting our sleep. 

It's not a perfect way to find out if we've had a good night's rest — mostly because human error is, er, very real. But using a sleep journal for at least one week can be really helpful for us or our doctors to identify any worrying patterns with our sleep that should be changed, amended or looked into.

5. Keep the bedroom for bedroom activities only.

I don't want to be judgy, but did you ever consider that perhaps eating, working, playing, watching TV and mindlessly scrolling in your bed — at all hours of the day — might not be good for your sleep? 

In fact, the only three things one should ever be doing consistently in their bed is either sleeping, meditating or being ill. All other things should be done elsewhere. 

Research shows that if a person spends a lot of time in bed awake, thinking or just simply not resting, they will begin to associate their bed with wakefulness. This is called conditioned arousal and basically means that we will find it much harder to fall asleep at the end of every day. 

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So, whatever you're doing that isn't sleeping, meditating or resting in bed must come to an end… preferably now. 

It hurts to hear, I know. But the moment we recognise that bed is for sleep, the better our rest will actually become. 

Thank me later. 

Find Nighty Night's Sleep Effervescent at your nearest Coles, Woolworths, Chemist Warehouse and leading pharmacies.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use.

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.

Nighty Night
Refresh your sleep with Nighty Night Sleep Effervescent! It contains 600 mg of Ashwagandha, which is traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and are scientifically formulated to improve sleep quality. Nighty Night is a convenient and hassle-free sleep effervescent tablet—simply drop it into your glass or water bottle, let it fizz, and drink! It has a great-tasting elderberry flavour and each effervescent tablet contains less than 10 calories.

Product Benefits:
*Traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to reduce the time to fall asleep
*Improves sleep quality
*Promotes healthy sleep patterns
*Enhances body relaxation
*Calms the mind

Find Nighty Night Sleep Effervescent at leading supermarkets and pharmacies!