The Queen may be 95 years old, but it certainly doesn't seem like she's phased by it. Not only is she the longest-reigning British monarch, but with a busy year of engagements ahead of her, the royal's steadfast work ethic has become a fascination amongst royal fans - so what's her secret?
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Reportedly, the Queen goes to sleep at 11pm every night before waking up at 7.30am - clocking in an impressive eight and a half hours sleep. It's also said the monarch is fond of reading before she retires for the night, a proven way to improve sleep quality and reduce stress. But can you seriously sleep your way to a healthier lifestyle? Women's Fitness Specialist and founder of Mamawell, Rosie Stockley, seems to think so.
WATCH: HELLO!'s Georgia tries the Queen's sleep routine for a week
"Sleep is so important for physical and mental rest. Your brain gets to shut off and do its processing at night when you're sleeping and that works in several ways to prepare, process and rest your brain ready for the next day," Rosie says.
"Physically, sleep is so restorative for the body. It's crucial to have this downtime at night to allow your body to work optimally during the daytime," she continued.
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So, in a bid to improve my slapdash sleeping habits (and steal some of the Queen's radiant royal glow), I slept like the Queen for an entire week - using Rosie's tips along the way for guidance.
At 95, the Queen is still an active working royal
Eight and a half hours is the dream, let's be realistic. With balancing full-time work, a social life, my exercise routine and spontaneous plans, I'd often be hard pushed to get more than five or six hours of sleep. And as a toxic social media scroller, I regret to admit my iPhone is not only the last thing I switch off before bed, but it's also the first thing I reach for when I wake up - and my sleep quality is definitely affected by it.
So, did I notice any benefits to emulating a royal sleep routine? Here's everything I discovered after sleeping like the Queen for a week…
1. Switching off your screen before bed is a must
Surprisingly, I didn't anticipate going to bed at 11pm being royally challenging. Instead, I feared my overstimulated brain replaying TikTok sounds on repeat would prevent me from getting the quality of sleep Rosie describes as being "crucial" to a restorative rest.
A pre-bedtime scroll was really affecting my quality of sleep
Alas, I was right. An hour too long on my screen before bed wreaked havoc on my shut eye, and I quickly learnt that the quality of my sleep was suffering at the hands of the latest TikTok trend. Time to switch to a good book and aromatherapy.
2. I felt far more energised and focused
A few days into the Queen's sleep routine, I noticed a real difference in my ability to focus. This could be down to consistency, says Rosie. "Consistency is so important. If one night you're watching Netflix until the early hours and the next you're in bed by 9pm trying to play catch up, our bodies don't always respond well to this kind of inconsistency."
Her Majesty reportedly relies on a regular sleep routine to stay focused
"With the Queen's resting and rising time being so consistent, it seems she has a really good routine in place. Even if you're not quite clocking in eight and a half hours like the monarch, training your bodyclock to know when it's sleeping and waking can really help the body, both physically and mentally."
3. I learnt to love the wind-down hour
Rosie is right, that pre-sleep wind down hour is so important. When I switched out my doom scrolling to read a few chapters of a Sally Rooney novel, my eyelids felt heavy and my thoughts had slowed to a snail's pace before I'd even finished reading the final page.
"If you're someone who can find books too mentally stimulating, I would get cosy in bed with a herbal tea and opt for a natural sleep spray to help aid your wind down hour," Rosie recommends.
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If, like me, you're struggling to get your mind to settle, journaling, drawing and gentle stretching are great ways to help the mind and body relax before your drift off to sleep.
MORE: 6 best sleep supplements to try if you're struggling to sleep right now
4. Prioritising sleep is so important
As a serial sleep neglector, I really started to notice a difference in my mood once I started clocking up eight and a half hours. I also felt fuller after my meals, felt far less of an urge to snack, and found myself waking up feeling genuinely well-rested.
"It is really important to prioritise your sleep," Rosie says. We have a lot of push and pull with many things in our lives. Our days are so busy and it can be so easy to let the days slip into what could be our sleep or 'wind down time'."
I'm a total 8.5 hour sleep convert after completing the challenge
"I'm a mum, so getting over eight hours of sleep is quite unrealistic for me," explains Rosie. Instead, she likes to focus on the quality of her sleep, using her all-important wind-down hour before bedtime to decompress and reflect on her day.
"If you know you're not able to get enough sleep, if you can somehow find a routine, or make one that fits in with you and your family's life - then I think that can be really beneficial."
"Let's not forget the Queen is a mother herself, so she likely experienced many of the same struggles all parents do when it comes to getting sufficient sleep - a good, routine sleep cycle would have helped that during her engagements."
READ: 20 best things to help you sleep: The tips, tricks & products you need to try
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