How to improve sleep quality

We've all been there – tossing and turning at 3am, one eye on the alarm clock and the other willing us back to sleep. Exhausting, isn’t it? We want our full eight hours and we want them every night!

So, how can you improve your sleep quality to make sure you start the next day feeling funky fresh and ready to seize the day? Here, we've put together our top tips designed to get you sleeping better than ever and for longer. You’re welcome.

What can impact sleep quality?

Knowing how to improve your sleep quality can be a big ask if you're suffering from sleep deprivation, so let's start by looking at what might have been tripping you up before you even put your pyjamas on.

From stressful work or home lives to diet and exercise regimes, our lifestyles play a huge role in how well we sleep. If you're facing a stressful week at work, or you've noticeably increased your caffeine or alcohol intake, you will be sure to see a decline in your sleep quality. Incrementally improving your diet, avoiding big meals before bed, and even holding off caffeine from midday onwards could be a quick way to boost your quality of sleep.

When it comes to how to improve your deep sleep quality, make sure your environment is optimised for rest. Too much noise could be the difference between sleeping deeply through the night or waking up from a restless slumber feeling lethargic. An overly hot room can also disrupt your core body temperature, wreaking havoc on your circadian rhythm and leaving you with nothing but a restless and uncomfortable night's sleep.

Get yourself a routine

Our inner body clocks – known as circadian rhythms – can be temperamental things but if you commit to good bedtime habits the chances are that you’ll be boosting your sleep quality. Select a consistent bedtime that works for you and try to keep your alarm clock the same in the mornings – and yes, even on weekends. Keeping to the same times for waking and sleeping is a crucial bit of brain training you need to get on board with ASAP.

Once you've got your timings sorted, it's all about your own bedtime ritual and high time you invested in some self-care. Focusing on your mental health can have such a positive impact on improving your sleep quality naturally. Meditating or a night-time skin care routine can be great ways to unwind and reduce your stress levels before bed. There are also innumerable benefits to reading a good book to really make your eyelids droopy.

Get sweaty to get sleepy

If you find yourself lying awake and staring at the ceiling, introducing exercise into your daily routine could reduce the time it takes you to nod off. It might seem counterintuitive, but it’s true – a fitness class at the gym or a 5k run could be just ticket to improve your sleep quality. Exercise reduces your stress and anxiety levels, making a good night’s snooze that little bit easier.

Exercising regularly can also help reduce your overall tiredness during the day, meaning you're less likely to sneak off for a quick afternoon nap and disrupt your internal body clock in the evening.

Use technology to your advantage

For the tech aficionados, there are plenty of gadgets and gizmos out there designed to boost your quality of sleep.

Using a sleep tracker could help you understand your sleep patterns in greater detail so you can make data driven decisions aimed at enhancing your sleep quality. A tracker might indicate that you struggle to sleep on warmer nights, prompting you to invest in a good fan or a top-quality mattress designed to regulate temperature more efficiently.

Getting the lighting right is crucial too. A light therapy box can set the right atmosphere in your bedroom by imitating outdoor light, recreating sunrise and sunset to help your internal body clock fall to sleep and rise as naturally as possible. Light boxes, along with other meditation and sleep focused apps, can also be a great way of reducing stress and helping improve your overall mental health.

Also, if you’re more of a film buff than a bookwork, why not consider one of our amazing TV beds? There are plenty of reasons why your bedroom needs a TV bed and having one available at the foot of your bed will have you more relaxed than ever.

Invest in a quality mattress and bed

Although a good workman never blames his tools, you'll be forgiven for blaming a bad night's sleep on a sub-standard mattress or poor-quality bed. The final piece of the puzzle is to invest in a top-quality bed and mattress. Here at Time4Sleep, we don't scrimp on quality when it comes to mattresses – here’s our pick of the very best to get you nodding off in no time.

If you find back pain or muscle soreness is standing in between you and some quality Zs, give our orthopaedic mattresses a go. Our famous V-Fibre Ortho Sprung mattress provides a firm but relaxing sleep platform designed to support spine realignment and improve air circulation, helping you to sleep deeper for longer.

Our Sleep Sanctuary Memory Pocket Plus 2000 mattress is also a guaranteed sleep quality booster as its top-notch memory foam works in tandem with individual pocketed springs to adapt to your body and have you waking up feeling refreshed and replenished.

And if that doesn’t sound luxurious enough for you, our Sleep Sanctuary Memory Pocket Plus 3000 comes with even more memory foam and pocketed springs for the best supported sleep you’ve ever had. Dreamy.