Olympic athlete Greg Rutherford reveals his bedtime routine for better sleep

Olympic athlete Greg Rutherford reveals his bedtime routine for better slumber

Olympic athlete Greg Rutherford sits on a stylish bed while being interviewed about his best sleep tips

(Image credit: Dreams, Greg Rutherford)

Olympic athlete Greg Rutherford MBE has shared his best sleep tips and bedtime routine in the hopes of helping others to snooze better. The Gold medalist has teamed up with bed retailer Dreams to share his expert insight and experience to coincide with new research into the sleep habits and bedtime routines of UK adults.

The survey, conducted by Dreams, constitute that Brits spend but 12 minutes on their sleep routine, as opposed to the expert-recommend 45 minutes to an 60 minutes, with over 55% admitting that they don't become enough good quality shut-middle. For Rutherford, a renowned rails and field athlete who recently transitioned to bobsleigh, lack of slumber is a big problem.

"Equally an athlete, slumber is up at that place with being one of the most important elements in influencing our performance, whether in training or just before a competition.

"Sleep is our superpower!" Rutherford continues. "Having a bedtime routine is an essential part of my evening - I call information technology my 'reverse warm up' and information technology follows a like construction to my kids' routines."

Kelly Davis, Marketing Manager at Dreams, added: "Information technology'southward articulate to meet that our busy lifestyles have an adverse impact on our sleeping routine, even more so for parents with children. Nosotros want to inspire the nation and help everyone to get a skilful dark's sleep."

Olympic athlete Greg Rutherford's best sleep tips

Wondering what a pro athlete does to snooze better at night? Then y'all're in luck as Rutherford has shared his acme sleep tips, many of which he uses equally office of his own bedtime routine. Here's what he advises:

45 minutes no screen time: "I do this as it's easy to get distracted by checking emails or texts and and so your brain starts whirring before slumber."

A warm bath: "This helps me relax my trunk, especially if I've been working out and need to soothe my muscles."

Greg Rutherford lies down on a Dreams Team GB mattress — (Image credit: Dreams, Greg Rutherford)

Listening to relaxing music: "If I know I might not exist able to switch off easily, I attempt to listen to some relaxing music until I drift off."

Reading a book: "This helps me unwind merely I've got a stack next to my bed which I'thousand however to finish!"

Using lavender pillow spray: "I use this on my kid'south pillows too because they like information technology and nosotros can accept it with us on trips -it reminds them of home."

Organising my chamber: "I like to become everything sorted a couple of hours before bed - then I'm not trying to find things and accidentally perking myself up in the process."

How does that compare to the sleep routines of the ii,000 people surveyed by Dreams? The survey found that respondents spend just 12 minutes on their sleep routine each night, with the nearly mutual pre-bedtime activities involving brushing their teeth, getting into their pyjamas, and washing their face up.

Equally we've been exploring recently on Tom's Guide, breathing techniques, such as the military sleep method and the 4 vii 8 sleep method, are much meliorate ways to unwind and relax before bed. Then if your bedtime routine is still leaving yous feeling wired when hitting the hay, incorporating a session of breath work should make a big difference.

Too brand sure you are sleeping on the all-time mattress for your body, and that you have a comfortable pillow that works for your favourite sleeping position, as both can hugely impact your quality of sleep.

Top 15 things Brits do as part of their bedtime routine

The Dreams survey found that over a quarter of respondents followed the same routine each night, with 63% like-minded that bedtime rituals accept a positive effect on their ability to fall asleep – and sleep well.

On the flipside, those not sleeping well commented on how poor sleep affects their ability to concentrate, and fifty-fifty leads to them craving sugary snacks. 55% of respondents admitted they don't go enough quality sleep.

Of those surveyed, here are the Top fifteen things Brits practice before going to slumber:

Brush my teeth
Modify into pyjamas
Launder my face
Take off my glasses
Set up an alarm
Read a book
Commencement my routine at the same time every night
Take makeup off
Prep my bedroom
Floss
Have a bath or shower
Listen to music or a podcast
Lookout man videos on my phone
Write a list for the next day
Practice stretches

For your ain bedtime routine to be effective, experts recommend offset information technology at the same time every night. That way your encephalon recognises all of the cues that information technology'south time to start winding down for sleep. And the more y'all practice your routine, the more than effective it will go and the better you will sleep.

Things to consider doing as part of your routine include having a bathroom or warm shower, reading a novel (but naught as well exciting or stimulating for your brain), doing some low-cal stretches, and trying a deep breathing exercise. If worries go on you awake at night, read our characteristic on how to sleep with anxiety, which has tips from a leading psychologist.

For more Squad GB and ParalympicsGB athlete'south top tips for a skillful night's sleep, visit the Dreams website , which contains information on the retailer'due south SleepMatch body-mapping bed service.

Davina is an experienced sleep and mattress writer who has previously contributed to our sister site Top X Reviews, among other Future plc brands. Davina's a large fan of organic slumber products and has recently invested in a wool mattress topper that she quite happily describes equally "life-changing." (Hey, we're serious about our sleep products). When she isn't snoozing or writing about sleep, Davina enjoys reading and artistic writing, and incorporates meditation and yoga into her wellness routine.