Sleep has become a national obsession. In some industries, living off a few hours a night is seen as a symbol of tireless ambition and hard work. In wellness, it’s the more the better — a sign of balance, health and having your sh*t together. A glowing, bag-free complexion is just a bonus.

That’s why it’s truly aggravating when, despite spritzing your lavender sleep spray and keeping your bedroom a digital-free zone, allowing you a dreamy eight hours or so (between seven and nine is ideal) you still wake up feeling snoozy and short.

We spoke to sports doctor Phil Riley to find out what else could be causing those energy lows… 

1. Stress

Stress can play a big part in a disrupted night. Not only can it be hard to get those niggles out of your head, but it can also lead to poor hydration, excess caffeine, skipping meals and grazing on unhealthy meals — all of which can have a knock-on effect on your sleep quality.

Try: Keeping a pad and pencil by the bed to note down the things that spring to mind, so you can offload them and pick them up in the morning (when everything will seem a lot more bearable).

2. Caffeine

We know caffeine wakes us up, so why do we continue drinking tea and coffee into the afternoon? It has a half-life of six hours, so you shouldn’t drink any after 5pm, if you want to be sure it won’t disturb your sleep patterns.

Try: Monitoring your caffeine levels and, if you don’t want to kick the habit, switch to decaf from mid-afternoon onwards.

3. Alcohol

Though drinking can make you drop off quickly and deeply, the quality of sleep is far inferior to an alcohol-free night. It increases inflammation, dehydration and the risk of cardiac arrhythmia, leading to that (not so) inexplicable tiredness after a booze-fuelled lie-in.

Try: Drinking less before bed, by switching to water before the end of the night.

4. Exercising at the wrong time

Working out is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but doing it at the wrong time can have negative effects on your sleep pattern. Exercising in the evening, particularly if it’s high intensity, may disturb your ability to get a good night’s rest as it takes five hours or so for your body temperature, metabolism, stress and cortisol levels to return to normal.

Try: An invigorating morning sesh or, if that’s not possible, doing it as early as you can in the afternoon or evening.

5. Eating the wrong things at the wrong times

Having a heavy meal before bed prevents you from entering sleep easily, as your body will still be digesting. Furthermore, large meals mean slower digestion and can lead to stomach pains and acid reflux, causing discomfort which can, in turn, keep you up at night.

Try: Eating a bigger breakfast of protein-rich foods to optimise cognitive functions and keep you energised until lunch, and smaller dinners.

6. Lack of regularity

Though freelance jobs and busy lives make the idea of a set ‘bed time’ seem quaint, letting your body get into a routine will allow your circadian rhythm to help you drift off at night and wake-up naturally in the morning, enabling you to avoid an early morning alarm.

Try: Using a sleep journal to track when you go to be each night, and the time you wake up. This will allow you to map out your natural sleep cycle and work out the ideal time you should be getting to sleep.

7. Keep your sleeping space for sleep (and maybe sex)

‘Sleep hygiene’ might be a bit of an overused buzzphrase, but the basis in science is clear; using phones and laptops before bed will keep the brain from switching into snooze mode.

Try: Leaving tech out of the bedroom and giving yourself time to wind down in a dark, quiet room before you want to go to sleep.

Is a detox really necessary? According to a growing band of nutritionists, the answer is no.

‘Every day your metabolism produces substances such as carbon dioxide, lactic acid and free radicals, while extra toxic load comes from alcohol and pollution. But your body is equipped to deal with these before they build up and poison you.’

‘There’s absolutely no scientific evidence to back up the need to detox,’ she says. ‘The body has highly developed mechanisms such as the liver, kidneys and gut to do that for you.

‘Of course, if you push a system too far, those organs will have to work harder, but that’s not to say you then need to go on an extreme detox, because your body will naturally regulate itself.’

DILEMMAS WITH DETOX

Though clean eating can increase energy, improve bowel movements, clear sinuses, reduce infections and sharpen your mind, some detoxes can be counter-productive. You may feel virtuous on a juice fast, but you’ll miss out on fibre as it’s removed with the pulp, possibly take in large quantities of sugar and, ironically, deny yourself the very proteins needed for your detoxification enzymes to do their job properly, says Eve.

And, while going raw may preserve some plant enzymes, eschewing cooked foods means you’ll miss out on valuable nutrients.

‘Cooking helps with the absorption of some beneficial compounds,’ explains Angela, ‘in particular, fat-soluble carotenoids such as beta carotene, lycopene and lutein.’ Eat spinach raw and you’ll absorb less iron and calcium, while cooking tough veg such as asparagus breaks down its fibrous cells, enabling you to absorb more essential vitamins.

EAT SMART

While extreme detoxing isn’t really necessary, there’s plenty you can do to help your body deal with toxins. One of the best ways to directly influence liver function is to eat more turmeric, which has a unique action on the organ.

‘There’s often an accumulation of toxins in the first phase of the liver’s detoxification process,’ explains Eve. ‘Turmeric speeds this up, but you don’t want a build up of toxins in its second phase. Turmeric acts to even out the flow of toxins through the liver.’

Cruciferous vegetables also support your body’s detox processes, so fill up on liver-friendly broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and sprouts.

Another way to get clever with your diet is to rethink elimination regimes. Rather than cutting out whole food groups, which places a stress on your system and means you miss out on vital nutrients, be selective in your choices. If you want to reduce gluten, for example, you don’t need to cut out wheat entirely. Sourdough bread contains gluten, but the fermentation process almost completely degrades it, so it’s easier for your body to digest.

You can apply the same smart thinking to many dairy foods, too. ‘Keffir is one of the most beneficial sources of gut-friendly probiotics you can eat,’ says Eve, ‘and because it’s fermented, it only contains 1% lactose.’

Likewise, by choosing unpasteurised hard cheeses, you won’t miss out on the natural probiotics and enzymes lost in the pasteurisation process.

Looking after your digestive system is also important. ‘Your gut plays a massive role in how you detoxify and how you manage inflammation,’ says Eve, whose tips for good gut health include taking in a form of fermented food on a daily basis. ‘Sauerkraut, kimchi and miso are all bursting with natural probiotics, and deliver beneficial bacteria to the gut.’

Prebiotics will feed the gut’s friendly bacteria, so fill up on onions, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, oats and chicory.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

So does this mean you should forget about restricting your diet? It’s more about balance. Going dry for a month is good, for example, but don’t go mad when you get back on the wagon or you’ll pay the price.

‘If you go from drinking nothing at all to suddenly bingeing, you won’t have built up the enzymes that break down alcohol,’ explains Eve.

And while there isn’t the research to back up juicing or fasting, it can help you to change unhealthy eating patterns. Go a week or two without refined sugar and you’ll soon find many foods too sweet for your palate. Cut out added salt and, before long, most processed foods will taste far too salty, meaning your blood sugar and cholesterol levels will be healthier over the long term.

Juicing and eating raw veg can be very refreshing, but if you give it a go, do so before 4pm, says Dr Harold Stossier, of Austria’s Vivamayr clinic, then it won’t strain your digestion.

‘The best thing you can do to help your body’s natural detoxification processes is to eat more antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables [red grapes, blueberries, leafy greens, carrots and sweet potatoes],’ advises Eve. ‘Toxins will generate free radicals, but antioxidants neutralise them.’

Combine this with mindful eating, meeting your emotional needs at source rather than with food, and asking your body what it really wants to eat, and you’ll go a long way to creating a healthier you in 2017.