How to feel RESTED

Wake up to the problems stopping you from getting a good night's sleep

Inadequate sleep- of either duration or quality - affects many of us and the health costs are significant, says sleep scientist Dr Gemma Paech. Chronically poor sleep weakens the immune system, reduces memory and attention span, and increases the likelihood of conditions such as depression, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

The good news is better sleep may be one of the simplest wellbeing hacks we have at our disposal. Even better, getting more of it or improving the quality of it rarely requires spending money or doing much more than making some simple adjustments.

Take it easy

Thinking you're a bad sleeper might be part of the reason you're not sleeping as deeply as you could be. Blame your brain: when we find it difficult to fall or stay asleep, our brain starts to associate our bed with stress. "Your brain learns that your bed is a place where you struggle to fall asleep," says Gemma. "The more time you spend in there tossing and turning, the more you reinforce that idea." One rule of thumb that Dr Matthew Walker details in his book, Why We Sleep, is: follow the 25-minute rule. That is, if you can't fall asleep after 25 minutes or you wake up at night and can't get back to sleep, then don't stay in bed. Get up, "but do something quiet and boring that will calm your mind and make you drowsy," says Gemma. This will help your brain reconsider the idea that you're just no good at sleeping. What you tell yourself matters too. Rather than tell yourself you don't sleep well, start to view it as something that changes rather than being a done deal.

Daily habits