How we're prioritising sleep during lockdown

And our recipe for a dreamy turmeric latte

hello everyone With so much time at home recently, Ella and I had found we were both struggling with a bit of lockdown motivation, and were starting to slip out of certain routines that really help our sleep and mental states. As a result, we decided to really commit to looking after ourselves to get our energy back. We realised that change had to start with our sleep: particularly when we went to bed. Having babies means early starts, so early nights are essential for us. For the last few weeks we've been asleep by 10 and up just before 6, so that we can sneak in a quiet coffee and a workout or a yoga class before the day starts. It has completely changed my mood, motivation and energy. Going to bed 30 minutes earlier sounds like a small step, but it can kickstart such a healthy, positive cycle – giving you that bit more energy to get moving and get cooking. We really couldn't recommend it more.  My top tips for getting a good night's sleep: 1) I have a notepad next to my bed, and if I know I'm particularly stressed about something, I write a note about what I'm feeling before I go to sleep to try and get it all out. It doesn't work every time, but it's certainly limited my 4am worry sessions. 2) To get good sleep, it has to be prioritised and planned. Not drinking coffee past mid-morning, starting a wind down routine an hour before I go to bed, and trying to wake up and go to sleep at the same time each day gives me the best chance to get my magic 8 hours. 3) I find that if I spend too much time lying in bed in the morning, it makes me feel very lethargic. I like to wake up slowly, but when I'm awake, get straight out of bed. It gives me time to get ahead of the day and lays the right intentions for the way I want to approach the day. 4) Phones and sleep don't mix. I now leave my phone downstairs each night. If I do happen to wake up in the middle of the night, it removes the temptation to check messages, and means my bedtime and wake up feel much more peaceful. Sweet dreams, Matt how sleep impacts our health I've relistened to our podcast with Matthew Walker on the impact of sleep on our mental and physical health, which has given me another boost to get that early night. Sleep helps prevent many of the most common diseases, from Alzheimer's to heart disease and strokes. Getting enough sleep also supports blood sugar regulation, a functioning immune system and maintaining a healthy weight. A lack of sleep is also a strong predictor of mood disorders and is linked to increased rates of anxiety and depression. Find this podcast episode and others we've found helpful to learn more about the power of sleep on the 5 Pillars of Wellness hub. find out more newsletter recipe golden turmeric latte serves 1 This golden latte is a great warming drink to enjoy before bed. The mixture of turmeric, ginger and cinnamon is so soothing and creates a delicious flavour. We love to use a milk frother to make it extra creamy but it's also delicious just warmed through on the hob. recipe here delicious ways to feel better; the podcast why do we see the bad more often than the good? Why do we respond more to the negative over the positive; to criticism more than praise? Why do we worry so much? How can we stop our negative thought patterns? Science shows this negative thinking is innate, it's our negativity bias and it explains why negative events and emotions affect us more strongly than positive ones. John Tierney and Roy Baumeister, authors of The Power of Bad, explain why our brains work in this way and how we can recognise the negativity effect and break destructive patterns. listen now my lockdown lift: saturday date night To provide ourselves with a little lift during lockdown, we've tried to make sure we have something to look forward to each week. For the past two Saturdays, after we've put the girls to bed, we've cooked ourselves a really special dinner and spoiled ourselves with a really nice bottle of wine. It feels like a bit of a date night, and is a really nice way of spending quality time as a couple. I now really look forward to it each week.

                                                           

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