Sleep expert Tom Coleman shares techniques and strategies to achieve your best night’s sleep

Sleep is something that’s essential to our wellbeing, and greatly impacts our day-to-day lives, but so many of us struggle to get enough. Whether it’s because we find it hard to nod off or wake up in the middle of the night, the effects affect everything from our concentration and mood, to our immune system.

Tom Coleman is a sleep expert who helps people transform their lives and their sleep through proven evidence-based science. We’ve asked him for his favourite tips and techniques for a good night’s rest.

It has been reported that 6 out of 10 people who live in Ireland do not get the required amount of sleep every night. Why do you think so many people are sleep-deprived?

I really feel it’s a combination of factors that have formed the perfect storm for keeping us awake. Those are: a massive over-consumption of social media and inability to get off it, being hyper-connected to work through our phones, and a fear of missing out or not achieving, which could be seen as grind culture. Ultimately, I feel it’s our undervaluation of the power of sleep.

What are the most common sleep issues you see with your clients?

A hugely common theme is the inability to switch off the mind. Stress, anxiety and the racing mind are all three separate issues and very common. Many people arrive in bed wired and exhausted with a racing mind. People also fail to realise that they have the ability to slow the racing mind. We must learn to down-regulate to calm the mind, slow the thoughts and be relaxed cognitively and emotionally when we arrive to bed.

You’ve said your work focuses on biology over psychology – do women and men have different sleep patterns? How so?

Women have a slightly higher sleep requirement, which there are different explanations for in the scientific community. Women experience greater disruption due to their menstrual cycle and menopause. The amount of time spent in different phases of sleep varies through the menstrual cycle. Interestingly, research has found that when we sleep with our partner, our sleep cycles synchronise and our sleep improves in many positive ways!

For someone who feels as if they can’t shut their brain off at night, what advice would you have?

You need to build a bridge to sleep. You need to give your mind something to do that isn’t planning tomorrow or worrying, because that’s what it will naturally gravitate towards. I call it cognitive chewing gum – visualising a holiday, a happy childhood memory, listening to your breath. The goal here is relaxation, and doing a body scan or conscious relaxation can really help as well. Remember to be patient; the mind is like a child and will get easily distracted. Gently bring it back to the present if this happens. It takes patience.

Do you recommend meditation before bed? Why or why not?

In short – yes. Meditation is a wonderful tool. We understand that it works on many different levels, on the many different systems that influence sleep. It helps alter our brain wave patterns which in turn transports us to sleep faster. The trick is to start small, set a low bar and build consistency. When exercising we wouldn’t start by doing a 20km run, so with meditation maybe consider 3-5 minutes each night and build from there. Remember that having the goal of relaxation and not sleep will bring about sleep faster.

How can I curate the best bedtime routine for my lifestyle?

Know that every decision you make during the day will inform your ability to fall and stay asleep. The key here is learning to switch off from that alert state. The state of stress, of fight-or-flight. Those people who master “calm”, who can switch between systems effectively, are those who perform exceptionally well, avoid burnout and have loads of energy. Imagine a tiger in the wild  – calm, relaxed, even lethargic most of the time and then when they switch on, they are fully focused. We have a lot to learn from nature.

What techniques do you recommend for a good night’s sleep?

Try to get more physically active. A by-product of energy production is a chemical called adenosine, this is essentially sleep pressure. You can build pressure by being more active. Secondly, find a way to manage stress and front-load it into your day. The mental wind down is hugely important, and that’s not mindless scrolling! People mistake comfort for relaxation. Develop a nice wind down involving self-care, stretching, and a shower, and make sure you have an amazing sensory bedroom full of soft fresh sheets and nice smells. It all adds up.

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