By Nutritional Therapist Sarah Brereton

If you’re having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep every night, it can get pretty frustrating. A lack of sleep can also impact other aspects of your life and health, including your mood, energy, hormonal health and skin.

This year has taken a toll on us all, with many added pressures as a result of the pandemic. Stress and lack of sleep can form a vicious cycle. The less sleep you have, the less likely you will be able to cope physically and emotionally with daily demands and the more stressed this will make you feel. As we stress, cortisol levels increase and with prolonged stress hormone fluctuations during a woman's menstrual cycle can affect sleep patterns. This can lead to insomnia and/or  frequently waking up during the sleep cycle. Stress, hormone imbalances and eating late at night can all contribute to this, leaving you feeling ‘tired and wired’.

Chronic sleep deprivation can even affect your appearance. Over time, it can lead to premature wrinkling and dark circles under the eyes. As research links a lack of sleep to an increase of the stress hormone cortisol in the body, this can break down collagen, the protein that keeps skin smooth.

Good quality sleep can help you to feel better and more energised, which may be helpful in managing stress.

Tips for creating good sleep hygiene:

• Avoiding stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine close to bedtime. And when it comes to alcohol, moderation is key. While alcohol is well-known to help you fall asleep faster, too much close to bedtime can disrupt sleep in the second half of the night as the body begins to process the alcohol.

• Steering clear of food that can be disruptive right before sleep. Heavy or rich foods, fatty or fried meals, spicy dishes, citrus fruits, and carbonated drinks can trigger indigestion for some people.

• Exercising to promote good quality sleep. As little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling during the day, can drastically improve night time sleep quality.

• Establishing a regular relaxing bedtime routine.  This could include taking warm shower or bath, reading a book. When possible, try to avoid emotionally upsetting movies and using devices with blue light before attempting to sleep, so hours binge watching Netflix wouldn’t be advised if you already have sleep issues.

• Making sure that the sleep environment is pleasant. Mattress and pillows should be comfortable, maybe in summer time switch to a lower tog duvet. The bedroom should be cool. Consider using blackout curtains, eye shades, ear plugs, "white noise" machines or humidifiers.

There are foods which can help us sleep better. Try and include one of these tryptophan rich foods with some carbohydrates to increase it absorption through the blood-brain barrier.

Sources include almonds, turkey, oily fish, bananas, kiwis, oatmeal, milk, cottage cheese, eggs, dates, lettuce. Also, chamomile tea contains antioxidants that may promote sleepiness.

You could also consider taking Cleanmarine For Women (now known as Cleanmarine PeriodPlan) with Omega 3, Vitamin D, soy isoflavones and rosemary extract and a range of vitamins including vitamin B6 which contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and the regulation of hormonal activity; and B2 which contributes to the maintenance of  normal skin.