Sleep is a powerful weapon when it comes to body composition: it can help us grow muscle; burn fat and increase strength and performance; alongside all the general health and wellbeing benefits it’s known for. So here are our top five tips for a better nights sleep:

1. Set yourself a bedtime and stick to it. This may sound like we are parenting you a bit here, but this will have a profound impact on the quality of your sleep. Try to set a time that allows for eight hours a night and before long you’ll be nodding off within minutes of going to bed.

2. Supplement with Vitamin D. As well as many other health benefits, Vit D can reduce insomnia and provide a better quality of sleep. 4,000 IU taken each morning is recommended for someone who is deficient in Vit D.

3. Eat carbs at night. Don’t increase your daily allowance of carbohydrates, simply save some for before bed. This causes the body to release insulin and increases the body’s availability of melatonin and serotonin, all helping you nod off.

4. Supplement with taurine. If you are one of those people that really can’t switch off at night, this one is for you. Taurine has a calming effect on the nervous system, helping to lower anxiety.

5. Ensure a diet rich in magnesium. Similar to taurine, magnesium helps to relax the nervous system as well as lowering inflammation so the body finds it easier to drift off to sleep. Foods such as nuts and seeds, fish, leafy greens, and rice are all high in magnesium, however it may also be advisable to supplement in addition.

Once you’re in control of your sleep, you’ll be amazed at the difference: your hormones will be in balance; your stress and anxiety levels will be lower; you will feel happier and more alert and to top it all off, your physique will be leaner and stronger!

Sweet dreams!