Make enjoying the benefits of consistent and restorative sleep your 2025 wellness goal with this 11-step health sleep habit guide from Ava Innes.
1. Choose a consistent bedtime and wakeup time.
The key here is being realistic, as well as consistent.
2. Get up as soon as your alarm wakes you.
As tempting as it is to hit snooze, ignoring your alarm has a huge impact on your brain chemistry and sleep cycle. People who continue to snooze find it harder to get up and go, and actually ‘wake’. Start how you mean to go on — seize the day.
3. Try to get outside within the first hour of waking, and first hour of sunlight.
Fresh air and sunlight exposure does wonders for circadian rhythm, the internal body clock responsible for regulating sleep. Those who practise this each morning report significant wellbeing benefits, for both their sleep and their mood.
4. Stay hydrated throughout the day.
People who delay their first cup of caffeine, and instead focus on hydration for the first 1-2 hours of waking, report better mood and concentration. So make water your first drink of the day. Pour a generous glass of water (half a litre) and squeeze in half a lemon for an extra boost. Leave a reminder by your desk, kitchen bench, or in your car to ‘drink water’. Aim for 3 litres per day. Invest in a beautiful large glass tumbler, and other non-plastic drinking aids such as straws that’ll help you boost water intake.
5. Take a midday wellness walk, minimum 20 minutes.
We all lead busy lives. But, no matter how busy, everyone can make time for a 20 minute walk. Perhaps you suggest your phone call is a walk and talk, instead of a sit down video call? Walking gives us more exposure to sunlight, and improves circulation. Both of these health benefits boost your overall readiness for sleep.
6. Limit caffeine after midday.
Consider alternatives such as fresh mint tea, or decaffeinated coffee. We recommend a hard rule of no coffee after 1pm.
7. Don’t eat heavy meals after 8pm.
Cut out sugary and carbohydrate heavy foods or snacks, specifically.
8. Create bedtime rituals and sleep ‘cues’.
As simple as lighting a candle at your bedside table. Or giving yourself an hour reading time under your Ava Innes duvet, as you unwind feeling the comforting weight send feedback to your body that now is the time to rest.
9. Unwind your mind.
What works best will be unique to you. Some of our recommendations include journaling, a therapeutic exercise that leaves stresses and worries of the day on the page. The brain naturally loves the gliding of pen on page, instantly relaxing the body. Getting under the covers and comfortable with a wonderful book is a timeless bedtime ritual. But it can also be as simple as making a specific herbal tea, taking a bath or shower, and as practical as closing your curtains and turning the house down for evening. The more you make your chosen activity routine, the stronger this activity will prepare you to drift to sleep.
10. Air your bedroom.
Trying to sleep in a stuffy, overheated bedroom is unpleasant. We benefit each night from the luxury of pure Highlands air cooling and cleansing our bedroom. A lower temperature creates the perfect conditions for sleep. The cooler and fresh air will encourage you to breathe more deeply – lowering your heart rate, sending oxygen to your brain, and aiding muscles in deep relaxation.
11. Invest in a weighted and temperature regulating duvet.
We choose a weighted duvet because the sensation signals to the brain that it’s time to rest. This allows our bodies to unwind and relax, which in turn starts to slow down the brain as we enter a true rest state. At Ava Innes, we fill our duvets with the forgotten luxury fibre of cashmere guard. Unsuitable for weaving, this straighter, denser fibre just so happens to create the perfect conditions for sleep — luxurious weight, impeccable temperature regulation, and breathable warmth. What’s more, sleeping under the combination of cashmere guard, wool and organic cotton enables your body to breathe free of poly toxins and other harsh man-made chemicals that disrupt the natural balance your body needs.
Sleep naturally, more soundly, and with reduced disturbances under an Ava Innes duvet. Read more about our incredible Sleep Success here.
