Essential sleep health tips for a good night’s rest

“Sleep should be seen as important as eating or exercise,” says Professor Matthew Naughton, Head of General Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at the Alfred. “Our diet, our physical activity and our sleep make what we call the golden triangle of health.”

So what steps can you take to improve your sleep? For starters – put the phone down!

“Our eyes have a dual function,” says Prof Naughton. “Our eyes not only are there for vision but also for sensing light.”

“That light sensation is crucial in allowing our bodies to know when to allow our own melatonin [to kick in] and therefore sleep. Our eyes are very sensitive to external light, and will be dictating to our bodies our circadian rhythm – our abilities to sleep in the dark and be awake in the day time.”

Using smartphones and other similar devices in bed can have a negative impact on sleep quality, with teaching your body to attribute time spent in bed to sleeping a big part of developing good sleep health.

Going outside and being active can also help.

“In some ways, lack of natural sunlight impacts our ability to get good quality sleep,” Prof Naughton suggests. “[And] a good diet and regular gentle exercise promote good sleep as well. We know if people have regular gentle exercise in the day time, their sleep quality will improve.”

“A nice bush hike or even camping can be a wonderful circuit breaker to help improve quality of sleep.”

If you’re concerned about the quality of your sleep, speak to your doctor about a referral to see one of our Sleep Clinic physicians and visit sleephealthfoundation.org.au/ for more tips on how to improve your sleep health at home.