As the festive season draws to a close, lots of us are probably finding that our sleeping patterns are disrupted – we’ve stayed up late at Christmas parties or snacking on tasty treats in front of the TV, enjoyed lie-ins while on holiday, or worked different shifts. But what effect is this having on our wellbeing, and how can we get back into good sleeping habits to start 2019 off happy and well-rested?

We all know that we should be getting enough sleep – and that we probably aren’t, as the majority of Britons (70%) now sleep for less than seven hours per night (the recommended amount is seven to nine hours a night).

It’s important not to ignore this, as sleep is vital for maintaining good mental health. In the same way that a healthy diet and exercise can help to improve our mental wellbeing as well as our physical health, so can getting a good amount of restful sleep.

For many of us, getting better sleep can simply be a case of making small lifestyle or attitude adjustments in order to help us sleep better. (Of course, for those with serious insomnia it may be necessary to seek more specialist treatment, and you can find a useful list of resources here.)

That’s why every evening in January MHM team members Danielle and Nicola will be trying out a different tip for sleeping better, and seeing which works well for them. Stay tuned to our Twitter account @MHM_Info to see how they do – why not follow along and try the tips yourself? We’d love to hear what helps you get better sleep.  

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With thanks to the following publications for providing statistics and tips:
https://www.sleepcouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/The-Great-British-Bedtime-Report.pdf 
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/sleep-report