Poor sleep has an influence on your overall wellbeing. Understanding the changes you can make to improve sleep are key.

Did you know that about one third of New Zealanders are sleep deprived? A study released in 2016 by private healthcare organisation, Southern Cross, explained how almost a quarter of New Zealanders claim to feel tired or fatigued every day, with more than a third of interview subjects being clinically diagnosed as sleep deprived. The worst affected were women aged 35 to 49. 

As you try and navigate your way through these challenging times, it is the perfect time to understand more about the importance of sleep. Sleep deprivation is a huge problem that affects people of all ages, particularly in the fast-paced, stress-dominant, device-obsessed world we live in. 

SLEEP

Hectic lifestyles aren’t the only things to blame for a lack of quality sleep. There are a number of reasons why New Zealanders aren’t getting enough quality sleep. 

As a sleep expert, Dr Carmel Harrington knows that getting a good night’s rest is more complicated than it seems. Stress, illness, diet and exercise can have a serious effect on your ability to drift off and sustain sleep through the night. The good news is that small changes to your habits and routines can make a huge difference to your quality of sleep. 

Your pre-bed routine can have a huge impact on how you fall asleep. Sleep-harming habits like drinking alcohol or caffeinated drinks late in the day and eating sugary foods after dinner can all contribute to poor-quality sleep. The programme helps you to identify and either minimise or eliminate your harmful sleep habits, supporting you in achieving a deeper, more restful sleep. 

Chronic stress can be a common cause of sleep problems. Stress during the day can make your mind race with restless, anxious thoughts just as you’re trying to drift off. Poor-quality sleep can make you feel exhausted and less able to deal with stress during the day. 

When you sleep can be just as important as how you sleep. People have a natural circadian rhythm that corresponds to cycles of light and dark, and if your sleep patterns don’t line up with that rhythm, it can be more difficult to get enough good-quality sleep. Shifting the time you head off to bed and wake can help you get more hours of deep, restful sleep. 

EAT

Eat better to sleep better. Nutritionist and diet expert, Dr Mikki Williden, knows that everything you put into your body has an impact on how it functions – and that includes sleep. Food, drinks, alcohol, medications and even supplements can all affect your sleep patterns. 

Sleep inhibitors and sleep promoters – do you know the difference? Alcohol, caffeine, sugar and rich, fatty foods can all act as barriers to restful sleep, particularly if they’re consumed just before bed. Other substances, including chamomile tea, fish and magnesium-rich foods, can help support healthy, restful sleep. Although cutting out harmful habits isn’t always easy, reducing these sleep inhibitors – and increasing your intake of sleep-supporters – can make a serious difference. 

When you eat can be almost as important as what you eat. If you eat too late, your digestive system can disrupt your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night. Changing the timing of your meals can make a significant difference to the quality of your sleep. 

MOVE

Move your body, relax your mind and sleep easy. Yoga guru, Nikki Ralston, believes exercise can be a powerful way to relax your body and calm your mind, making it easier to switch off anxious thoughts and drift off to sleep. 

You don’t have to do long, high-impact workouts to feel a difference – even short bouts of moderate movement can have an effect. Yoga is designed to help your mind and body unwind. It’s a powerful tool for people with sleep issues. 

A holistic approach to sleep

The Nutra-LIfe BalanceME Magnesium Sleep+ programme is designed to give you access to resources designed by leading international experts to support you in your journey to a great night’s sleep. The eat, move and sleep experts guide you with science-based techniques, daily tips and in-depth resources to help set you up for the day, as well as nighttime gems to ease you into a more restful night’s sleep.

The programme is supported by Nutra-Life Magnesium Sleep+ to support relaxation and healthy sleep patterns. It contains the gold-standard of magnesium, magnesium amino acid chelate – an easily-absorbed, organic form of magnesium that allows for higher absorption in your body, with sleep-supporting herbs, passionflower, lemon balm, and hops. 

The cream on top of this pack is a gorgeous eye mask to block out light and send your body a signal that it is time to sleep – what more could you ask for?


References:

^Sleep Health, Vol 5, Issue 6, December 2019, Sleep duration and psychological wellbeing among New Zealanders.

www.southerncross.co.nz/group/news/2015/shocking-sleep-stats