I am LOVING the new Sam Smith song how do you sleep? I have been a fan from the moment I heard his classic, Money on My Mind, which I wrote about a few years ago because I admire the fact that he clearly does it for the love and has remained true to his values. It can be so tempting to digress from the true person we are, underneath it all. When our values and actions are aligned, we sleep easier. I talk about this a lot when I give keynotes because it is important. I feel so much better mentally and physically when I sleep well and I have always been an 8 hour girl.
If you consistently get a poor night’s sleep, and by poor I mean quality as well as the amount of hours you get to doze off, then you might find yourself experiencing the following symptoms: lightheadedness, dizziness, disorientation, headaches, migraines, depression, weight gain thanks to poor nutritional choices, irritability and anxiety. So yes, a good night’s sleep is crucial to the proper functioning and health of your mind and body.
But when you’ve been lying there tossing and turning for hours on end, night after night, that’s far easier said than done. So how can you get some much needed shut eye when your mind seems intent on keeping you awake. In this blog we take you through some tried and tested methods to restore your sleep.
The Basics
Start at looking around your room. How effective are those curtains at keeping the sun out? The darker your room the more likely you are to get asleep and the longer you’re likely to stay asleep for. Invest in some blackout curtains or consider getting the back of your existing pair properly lined.
Then think about how noisy your room is at night. If you’re on a busy street is it noise that’s waking you up night after night? How easy would it be for you to change rooms with the heavy sleeper in your family? If it’s not possible, invest in a pair of noise cancelling earplugs that will give you silence you need. We badly need to set up an office at home which I spoke to Hubs about earlier as I would prefer to have no laptops, screens and office equipment in our room.
If you worry about hearing a child at night then a white noise machine can also be a great way of covering external noise and still allow you to hear a baby or young child calling out.
Get Support
Finally, take a look at your bed. It’s not just about being comfortable but also supporting your body while you rest. That dip you always find yourself rolling into might just be the signal that you need to start looking at new mattresses or base sets. A new mattress can transform the way you sleep and if your old one is over ten years old, then you’re probably due an upgrade in any case. I am really keen to try the new memory phone mattress toppers, that are described by many as ‘sleeping on air’.
Get the basics right and it might just be enough to tip you over back into the land of sleep again. Don’t forget to turn your phone and TV off at least an hour before bedtime to give your brain a fighting chance of winding down. Check that you’re not drinking too much caffeine in the day and getting some fresh air and you should begin to get some relief. Take a warm bath and drink a warm drink and find a bedtime routine that works to allow you a consistent bedtime, signalling to your brain that it’s time for sleep.
Most importantly, go easy on yourself. How we sleep is a huge signal when it comes to our overall well being and happiness levels. Invest in yourself, whatever that means for you. I have some videos coming soon about how mindfulness has helped me to sleep better and live better.
