Sleep is an integral part to human life and research shows that we should always get between seven and nine hours sleep. Whilst this is the case, a number of us are often casualties of insomnia or sleep deprivation due to medical conditions.

Here are our top tips for tackling these symptoms and trying to get in the recommended amount of sleep.

Create a sleep sanctuary

Reserve your bedroom for sleep and other restful activities such as reading or meditation. We also recommend keeping it relatively cool as being too hot can also risk you losing sleep.

No screens here!

Banish televisions, computers, mobiles and tablets as electronics with a screen and bright lights are known sleep diversions and often keep you awake longer than you need to be.

Is a nap necessary?

Napping for an hour or so in an afternoon can help to make up for those hours lost during the night, but is it worth it? Naps often interfere with your ability to sleep at night and can really mess up your sleep patterns. If you really need to take a nap limit it to around 15-20 minutes.

Watch what you’re drinking

We’d recommend not drinking caffeine in the afternoon and going light on alcohol as they are stimulants and can often result in lost sleep.

Regularly exercise

A little exercise each day can help contribute to a more restful sleep as it can improve the time you spend in a deep sleep (the most rejuvenating sleeping time). However, don’t exercise for the 3 hours before you go to bed as this can often have an adverse effect.