Getting a good night’s sleep is vital to our physical and mental wellbeing. Now more than ever you may find yourself unable to get to sleep, waking up at an ungodly hour unable to get back to sleep or just waiting for your morning alarm to go off. The stress of not being able to sleep can leave us feeling lethargic, stressed out and unmotivated within every aspect of our lives. We all understand how debilitating running on empty can feel so we want to bring a selection of ways to get you back on track and help you to hit the hay.
Creating a Serene Environment for Sleep
Your bed should be a space of relaxation and comfort and your bedroom should reflect this. Ensure that there are no distractions such as a blaring radio or tv to keep you awake. Keep the main lights turned off and opt for a small bedside light to create a calming ambience in the room. Heavy curtains or an eye mask can create the dark environment needed to doze off.
Ditch the phone
In the daytime, blue light from the sun boosts our energy and memory. The blue lighting in our phones and screens are known to repress melatonin. Melatonin is the chemical that helps our brains know when it’s time to sleep so turning on a night light setting on your phone or avoiding social media before you sleep will help you to relax more.
You should also try switching your phone to silent or vibrate if you can, so that you can avoid unwanted distractions. If your phone is your alarm clock, then try setting it as far from the bed as possible to avoid the temptation to reach for it late at night. This is a handy trick if you want to actually wake up when your alarm goes off the next morning.
A To - Do List
You may be juggling home schooling children with working from home or thinking about how you are going to structure your next working day. A small change in our usual daily routines can throw us off for the whole day and before you know it, you have not managed to achieve anything. If you have the tendency to think about everything you need to do for the next day when laying in bed, get yourself a notepad and jot down what your plans are for the next day.
Be Mindful of Your Evening Activities
An hour or two before bedtime it’s always a good idea to do an activity that will help you to wind down for the day. Gentle exercise such as light yoga helps to stretch out your muscles after a long day. If this isn’t your thing, then take yourself away to a quiet space to read a book, magazine or even write a diary entry to reflect on your day. Getting into a peaceful mind frame will aid you in getting a good night’s sleep.
Unwind with a Long Bath
When we are stressed out our muscles tense up and our bodies become rigid. Having a bath is a really easy way to unwind whilst the warm water is known to help your body reach a temperature that is ideal for rest and sleep. Create an atmosphere of rest by using essential oils and candles. Oils such as lavender are known to promote relaxation whilst the oil is also known to help with anxiety and restlessness. After a bath, you can also add a few drops to your pillow, wrists or temples to sooth and relax your body and mind.
The Hypnosis of Sound
Sometimes you do not have control over the sounds around you, You can however zone out from these distracting noises by concentrating on natural sounds, playlists and videos of bird sounds, oceans or tropical rainstorms. This white noise is helpful is creating a rhythm for you to concentrate on and send you off to sleep.
Do remember that if poor sleep is still affecting your life you should always seek advice from the NHS website and your GP.
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