Are you great in bed?

Many of us will spend 26 years sleeping.

Or to put it another way, a third of our life. Funny then, that the majority of us don’t invest in it - prepare, practice and analyse - in similar ways as we might our diet or exercise regimes.

I can say, hand on heart I love to learn to sleep.

I’ve spent two years playing with techniques to get a great night’s sleep and how to wake up most efficiently too. These five simple tips can transform your time in the Land of Nod – and as critically, improve the rest of your life as a consequence.

Tip One - Your sleep cycle starts when you wake up, not when you go to bed.

There are simple ways to prepare for sleep from the moment you wake up. Think of your day in three phases; coffee, caffeine and exercise are for mornings, slow down as the sun sets and spend your evening winding down, not winding yourself up. Think about eating dinner early, not late (or the digestive factory will work the night shift), avoid over stimulating yourself with technology (leave the phone out of the bedroom) and lower the lighting in your life (dimmers and candles over fluorescents and 100w bulbs). 

Tip Two- Invest in the equipment.

I might be appealing to a more masculine trait with this tip; your bed, pillows, duvet and linen are tools to help enable high performance sleep. Many of us happily shop for nice clothes, a premium watch, fitness treatments and regimes or exotic sports equipment so why not invest in our bed? Research the best pillow, duvet, mattresses and linen that you can afford. Change it regularly –in terms of frequently washing the linen, turning the mattress and replacing the ‘software’ – the pillows especially. Think high thread count and fresh.

Tip Three – make it a room for improvement

The temperature, light and quality of air will all affect how good you are at slumbering. Often times, you’ll have the heating set at 22° - or more – and wrap up in a heavy tog duvet. The net effect is that you’ll probably sleep lightly, disturbed by overheating. Turn the heating off at night and consider having a little fresh air in the room if it’s possible. The optimal temperature is 18°. If, like me, you live somewhere where sleeping with a window ajar would mean you wake up to find all your belongings missing, install a mother-in-law’s tongue near your head. It’s a plant - Sansevieria trifasciata – not a nightmare – and uniquely it respirates using the ‘crassulacean acid metabolism process’, which means, rather than releasing oxygen during the day, it releases it at night. Finally, install curtains that are actually blackout unless you’re in the middle of nowhere, without ambient night light.

Tip Four – Fall asleep to sunset, rise with the sun.

Sounds idealistic, right? Buy a Lumie Body clock for about ￡60. This is one of the best gadgets I’ve ever bought for my wellbeing. You set the alarm and when you’re ready for sleep, set the light. It slowly dims the light, simulating sunset. The following morning, the light simulates sunrise over 30 minutes, which means you wake up naturally, rather than bursting with stress hormones when the alarm screams into life. The brand says it helps improve energy, mood and productivity. I can tell you; it works every night – and morning – for me.

Tip Five – drink water, before your feet hit the floor.

Over the course of 6 - 8 hours of sweet dreams, you’ll dehydrate – and even more so if you ignore Tip Three. So as soon as the Lumie light dawns on you, reach for 500ml (a large glass) of water. Make it a habit. Why? A dehydrated brain will be foggy and you’ll feel tired, and you want to start to counter that feeling as soon as possible, and before hitting the caffeine.

Are there other tips to be a star performer in the bedroom? Of course – try meditating rather than surfing (I use Calm), eat more digestible food (really, plant-based will transform your sleep) and get plenty of fresh air exercise every day, even if you get off the bus or tube a stop early and walk.

Nighty night.