[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Sleep quality is hugely important. In fact, if sleep was the only thing I helped a sleep-deprived client improve, the benefits they would see from almost any approach to eating and exercise would increase hugely.

Below are some key ways to improve your sleep quality. The first thing to note is that a good nights sleep is created by everything you do during the day.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”20620″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

• Get outside within an hour of waking up, whatever the weather. A walk is a good choice, as is drinking your cup of tea outside. Early morning daylight will remind your body to produce the wake-up hormone serotonin.
• Change the times you eat to coincide with the daily rhythm you want your body to have. If you want to be awake and perky in the morning, eat first thing. If you want to wind down and get ready for sleep in the evening, don’t eat within at least two or three hours of bed.
• Try to stay at least vaguely active for most of the day in order to create adequate sleep pressure to feel sleepy at bedtime.
• Stop drinking caffeine after about 2pm.
• Avoid alcohol. It might make you feel relaxed and sleepy, but it really reduces your sleep quality.
• Turn off your electronics at least an hour before bed. The blue light will reduce your natural production of melatonin, which is the hormone our body makes in the evening to help us feel sleepy. You can use the ‘night shift’ function on your phone, but better still, turn off your computer, iPad and phone, and possibly your TV as well. The more time you spend inside during the day, the more artificial light in the evening will affect your sleep.
• Take some quiet downtime before bed. Show your body you want to switch off by reading a fiction book, having a bath or meditating.
• Make your bedroom as dark as possible. Wear an eye mask if you need to – even tiny amounts of light affect your sleep.
• Try these strategies for a week, and notice how much you sleep quality and day to day energy improves.

Heather Smith is a fat loss specialist Personal Trainer. www.fitbiztraining.co.uk[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Heather Smith is a fat loss specialist Personal Trainer. Get in touch for a free five-day meal plan via www.fitbiztraining.co.uk[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]