Getting a good night's sleep is amazing, you feel better and look better too, however there are times when we just can't seem to get the quality of rest we need. 

A bad night's sleep can leave us feeling groggy, irritable, and unproductive the next day.

In this blog, I will discuss some tips on how to cope with a bad night's sleep and get through the day.

1. Most important is your mindset. Try not to worry about having a bad nights sleep.  Reassure yourself that you will always get enough sleep to cope with the day.  Sleep is a bit like breathing, our bodies will always get enough to survive. 
2. If you feel very bad tempered, take a minute to think about what you have to be grateful for.
3. Try not to sleep in after a bad nights sleep.  If you can keep to your usual routine you will benefit from that in the longer term
4. When you get up, hydrate with a glass of hot water and lemon. Leave the coffee for at least an hour after you have got up. Throughout the day make sure to stay hydrated.
5. Have a shower  with some zingy shower gel, it’s amazing how it can reinvigorate you.
6. Get some very bright light as soon as possible after waking. Light signals to your brain to be alert and to wake up. It also triggers your body to produce daytime hormones that regulate your body clock 
7. Play some music that you love, I have a selection of songs that make me feel happy.
8. Get moving as soon as you can. If you feel up to it, take a walk or go for a swim. It's amazing how much better you will feel after some movement.
9. Be kind to yourself, take regular breaks from whatever you are doing and try to do things that you enjoy if you can.
10. If you really need it, take a power nap around lunch time. Try to keep it under 20 minutes though or you will affect your sleep the next night. 
11. An alternative to a power nap is a couple of periods of meditation or breathing exercises which I found do give you a boost. 
12.  When you are sleep deprived two hormones Leptin and Ghrelin are out of balance and therefore you become hungrier and are more likely to choose junk food. You may not feel like cooking so try to keep a supply of easy to prepare healthier food. My favourites for getting through the day were:-

Soups, 

scrambled egg on toast,

 porridge, 

Pasta

Tin of mackerel with bag of rice

Weetabix and banana

Jacket potato & beans

Fruit & greek yogurt

My favourite easy healthy meal is...

Boursin  or feta pasta.... Just pop a boursin cheese or a block of feta cheese in the middle of a baking tray, surround it with cherry tomatoes and any vegetables like chopped onions, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, courgettes (anything you have left over in the fridge)  Pop it in the oven for 20 minutes and add some lentil pasta (or any pasta). Its the easiest meal to make, everyone loves it in our house and its got lots of vegetables