From visualisation techniques to bedtime journaling, these six underrated sleep tips go beyond the usual advice, and may help you get the quality rest you’ve been missing

According to a 2023 Nuffield Health survey, Brits are only getting 5.91 hours of sleep a night, with the average healthy adult needing between 7.5 and 8.5 hours per night. Of those surveyed, only 36% said their sleep was ‘good’.

Sleep is supposed to be relaxing and restorative, yet many of us are driven to anxiety, wondering why we can’t sleep and how we can get more of it. So, if you’ve tried the basics, what can you do next?

Using the skin

Arabella Nesselrode, founder of Children of the Earth Skincare, advises applying natural oils to the skin to promote sleep:

“Melatonin, which helps you feel sleepy, is produced via a tiny mechanism in the skin. Therefore, you can use your skin (your largest organ) to help you sleep, via strategic plant ingredients in your skincare.”

Because essential oils and their components are rapidly absorbed through the skin, Arabella suggests aromatherapy oils like lavender for “the sedative and relaxing effect it has on our nervous system”.

Chamomile is another natural remedy known for its soothing properties. It contains apigenin, an antioxidant that binds to certain receptors in your brain that may promote sleepiness.

Write it down

According to a survey of more than 2,000 people conducted by mattress brand Eve Sleep, 79% of us struggle to switch off at bedtime, and 60% of us wake up in the night with worries.

“If we are struggling to sleep, then it’s often because our thoughts are going into overdrive just when our body needs to move towards rest,” says therapist Georgina Sturmer.

“Taking time to journal our thoughts can help us to declutter our thoughts, which can allow us to drift more easily into sleep.”

And the research backs this up, with a 2018 research review published in the journal JMIR Mental Health documenting how journaling can contribute to fewer stress-related doctor visits, lower blood pressure, improved mood and greater wellbeing – all of which can affect the overall quality of our sleep.

Try the sleepy girl mocktail

Consisting of magnesium powder, tart cherry juice, and sparkling water, this concoction has been hailed by TikTokers as the cure to their sleep problems. Hormones expert Le’Nise Brothers explains the power of magnesium: “Magnesium is incredibly beneficial for sleep because it activates the parasympathetic nervous system – the part of our nervous system that helps us rest, digest, and unfreeze.

“Magnesium also helps us get into deeper, restorative sleep cycles by lowering cortisol (our primary stress hormone) and activating gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that has a calming effect on the brain.”

Mix this with the melatonin contained in tart cherry juice, and you have the potential for relaxing bedtime aid.

Take an imaginary house tour

Meditation teacher Emily Kessler said in her TikTok, which has garnered more than 150,000 likes: “When you are trying to sleep at night, I recommend taking a few nice, deep breaths, calming your body a little bit, and then start to visualise a house.”

To bring it to life, it helps if you know the house really well – for her, it’s her grandmother’s home. This method relies on us engaging all our senses, visualising small details, and remembering the different scents and textures.

Instead of worrying about tomorrow, you can use this mindfulness practice to relax the body and mind. This relates to research that demonstrates how mindfulness meditation have the ability to significantly improve sleep quality.

Stop tracking

Obsessing over sleep can do more harm than good, so corporate wellness coach Dr Brad Cooper urges us to exercise caution when it comes to sleep monitoring.

“Sleep tracking devices are not at the level of accuracy they need to be in order to rely on them. Bad data drives bad decisions and unnecessary stress, in turn, affecting sleep.”

The term orthosomnia is now used by doctors to describe this movement, whereby we destroy our sleep by fixating on what we consider to be a ‘good night’s sleep’. Research conducted by Oxford University highlighted the negative impact this can have on sleep anxiety.

Hum to help you drift off

Humming gently for a few minutes before bed may help activate the vagus nerve, which plays a role in switching the body from its alert ‘fight-or-flight’ state into its calmer ‘rest-and-digest’ mode.

The gentle vibrations created by humming can also slow breathing and encourage relaxation, making it easier to fall asleep. Try humming a favourite tune, or simply making a steady ‘mmm’ sound while taking slow breaths for five minutes before lights out.