Why Can't I Sleep? 6 Small Tweaks for Better Sleep

by Evelyn Montgomery Mar 16, 20200 comments

Do you have trouble sleeping? With 31% of the UK population suffering from insomnia and as many as 2/3 suffering from 'disturbed sleep' - you are not alone. The good news is that there are plenty of small changes you can make that will make a positive long-term difference to your sleep and mood.

Firstly, let's look more closely at exactly what your sleep problem is to try and find the cause - Is it getting to sleep in the first place? (possibly not enough of the mood-transmitter, GABA) Or is your problem staying asleep for the full 40 winks? (not enough serotonin). Sleep nourishes our body and our brain - it's fundamental to our immune systems, our mental health and our mood, here are 6 simple tips that you can start implementing today, to have a positive impact on your sleep:

1. Have some carbs before bed: it helps you to produce serotonin and melatonin.

2. Yoga: it naturally lifts your GABA levels to help calm a busy mind to help you get off to sleep.

3. Hydrate: often we wake to break our thirst rather than our fast.

4. Temperature: have a bath or hot shower before bed to trigger your body into sleep.

5. Find a sound that relaxes you: waves, raindrops, or talking all help to calm your brainwaves to help you relax.

6. Nutrition: increase your magnesium and amino acids (eat more protein) or by taking some tryptophan, glutamine, theanine, glycine supplements all of which have been found to help sleep (and all are in the 360ME range).