Most of us have gone through the pain and suffering caused by an inability to get a good night’s sleep. It’s difficult to work, to concentrate and to contribute to personal relationships.
So what steps can we take to break the cycle of insomnia and begin to rest and recuperate properly?
Create your own sleep routine
There are lots of different ways to establish a calming wind-down night time and sleep routine, and when you read them they will seem obvious.
First, and possible most important we all should set a consistent bed time and getting-up time, even during weekends and holidays. Routine is key when it comes to regulating your internal body clock and eliminating those periods of insomnia.
The lead up to your bed time should also be a well practised routine which ultimately leads to getting to bed ready to sleep. This could involve things like reading a book, drinking some non caffeinated drinks, listening to music (not too rousing) or even just a process of changing your clothes and organising your bedroom.
It’s better if these routines leading up to bedtime are not actually in your bed. You should avoid sitting in bed watching TV or interacting with any mobile device. It should be clear that laying in bed is the last part of a winding down process which quickly leads to sleep.
Create the ideal sleeping environment.
Here are the key factors to creating a bedroom which is designed for restful sleep:
Cool
Quiet
Dark
Simple really, but it may take some time and effort for you o set up your bedroom to fulfil all of these simultaneously and consistently.
You will need to consider your bedding, your curtains, maybe even the soundproofing of your windows.
Invest in good pillows and variable weight duvets, get blackout curtains that fit your window and maybe even try using earplugs and white noise machines. These can make a massive difference to your ability to sleep soundly but be patient as it takes a few nights to get used to every change.
Limit Stimulants
Caffeine is the obvious enemy of sound sleep, so substitute coffee for a non caffeinated drink. Herbal teas, milky drinks, even decaf coffee if you must – just avoid caffeine at all costs from 4-5 hours before your regular bed time.
Also nicotine and alcohol are disruptive for smooth and regulated sleep patterns so set a realistic end time for both, and make it at least 2 hours before you get to bed.
Some obvious tips
While frequent exercise is to be encouraged it should be early in the day, or at least completed 3 hours before you retire to bed. Exercise is a stimulant and leads to the release of Dopamine into your system – which is not conducive to quickly achieving restful sleep.
Don’t eat a big meal just before bed. If you are in the habit of eating late then pull your mealtime forward by an hour and have a light meal or snack. You will be amazed at how much better you sleep when your digestive system is not under pressure to keep working hard.
Avoid clock watching. We have all done it, lying in bed not getting to sleep and continuously checking he clock to see what time it is. Maybe in this situation you could use a meditation app, close your eyes and allow yourself to fully relax.
Appreciate that you can rest even if you are not in a deep sleep and allow yourself to drift. Hopefully to sleep.
I don’t believe that there is anything within these recommendations which is particularly difficult to do. The challenge is to abandon your old habits to establish new ones, and to stick with them long enough for them to become habits.
After all, Sleep Solves Everything.