I Can't Sleep....

Oh my goodness how miserable am I if I don't get enough sleep?!! We can all have trouble sleeping occasionally but persistent sleeplessness affects our mood and ability to cope with stress. Of course our mood and stress levels can also affect our sleep 

pattern, but there are some things we can do to that can help improve our chances of getting a good night’s rest. These include making changes in our Environment, Behaviour and Thinking.....
There's no one magic panacea unfortunately but a combination of factors can make a difference. Check out the following ideas and get tweeking! 

• Environment
• Behaviour
• Thinking
• More Ideas
• Avoid..

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• ​​Is the room too light (or dark) consider black out blinds, eye mask and/or a daylight waking alarm. Avoiding bright lights in the evening and getting daylight in the morning helps the bodies circadian rhythm.
• Too hot or too cold? Ideally your room should be about 15-20 degrees farenheit. Change your duvet tog to suit the time of year. There’s also some research that suggest using weighted covers can be comforting and improve sleep
• Too noisy /too quiet? Can you reduce disturbing noise? Use relaxation/meditation music. Avoid TV in bed which is actually quite stimulating and although many people “fall asleep in front of the TV” it isn’t helpful for good sleep hygiene in the bedroom – use quiet music and read instead  
• Is your partner keeping you awake with snoring or restlessness? Discuss how best to manage this – let them know, don’t just suffer it; they may benefit from healthy lifestyle changes, changing pillows, sleep positions, using a mouth piece (they can see their GP if it continues to be problematic), using ear plugs or a white noise machine for example might also help.
• Is your bed comfortable? Many mattresses need turning regularly (check if yours does) You may need to invest in a new mattress – if you’ve had it 10 years you probably need to go shopping - if you can try it out in a shop before buying. Consider anti-allergen covers and pillows if allergies could be affecting your comfort.
• Try to make your room a fairly tidy and attractive, comfortable environment. This makes it nicer to go to and also stops you falling over things in the night which will rouse you further when you’re trying to be peaceful
• Using essential oils can aid relaxation and sleep – a diffuser (not candles), pillow/room mists for example

• ​Try to keep to a regular routine and pattern (going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, even weekends if possible) regardless of whether you’re tired or not – this helps train your body clock and gives cues to “wind down” at the end of the day.
• Develop a relaxing routine leading up to bedtime so your brain starts to associate it with winding down to rest and sleep. Even if you work until late, a relaxing routine before bed is helpful to “switch off”.
• Keep bed for sleep and sex – not watching TV or playing on your phone or computer
• Regularly exercise during the day but avoid it in the evening as best you can as exercise produces adrenalin and other stay awake chemicals!
• Cut back on caffeine (tea, coffee, some fizzy drinks) especially in the evening after 6pm. Try a milky drink instead.
• Avoid drinking a lot of alcohol. It may help you fall asleep, but it won’t be a good restful sleep.
• Some say to avoid eating or drinking a lot late at night. Try to have your evening meal as early as practical.
• If you don’t have a good night, avoid the temptation to nap during the day as it will make it harder to get off to sleep the next night.
• If you have something on your mind and there is nothing you can do about it right away, try writing it down before going to bed and then tell yourself to deal with it tomorrow. (after all there’s not usually much you can do about whatever you’re worrying about at midnight!
• If you can’t sleep, don’t toss and turn clock watching and worrying about it. Get up and go to another room, do something you find relaxing like reading or listening to quiet music. After a while go back to bed again.
• Keep a sleep diary and reflect on what has helped and what hasn’t, so you can make other changes and do more of what helps, and less of what doesn't. If nothing seemed to help, try something different.
• Try different relaxation and imagery exercises or mindful breathing to relieve physical and psychological tension – there are lots of apps available you can download to your phone or ipod.
• Take a bath before bed (but not too hot), add relaxing oils, use aromatherapy candles in the bathroom – avoid showering immediately before bed as this can be too invigorating
• Speak to your doctor about any medication you may be on and if that might be affecting your sleep. 

• ​Worrying about not sleeping will stop you from sleeping! Notice your racing thoughts as “just thoughts” and move your attention elsewhere – use imagery e.g imagining your thoughts as passengers on a train – put them on the train and send them on their way – you can catch up with them tomorrow if you need to, use breathing, grounding or relaxation techniques. Put your “crystal ball” down – whatever happens tomorrow you can deal with then, right now you’re in bed.
• Tell yourself that even if you can’t sleep you will feel better for having some time to relax and rest – you haven’t got to do anything right now!
• Distract yourself for a moment by thinking about a random sequence of objects e.g. name the pieces of furniture you have in your room or just random items maybe using the letters of the alphabet
• Remind yourself that when we tell ourselves we are getting no sleep at all we are usually underestimating the amount we are getting as we may be drifting in and out of sleep. It might be less than we think we need but it is some, so let’s atleast use the time to relax
• If you're worrying about something specific, write it down and then push it to one side to deal with / talk about / think about tomorrow – remind yourself that now is “my time to relax and rest” (if I sleep that’s a bonus!).

• ​Essential Oils:

There are many essential oils that can be of benefit for sleep.
Lavender of course is well known for it's calming and relaxing properties. It is a generally safe oil when used correctly for all ages. 
Frankincense is a great all round oil and is calming and balancing
Roman Chamomile is perfect for restlessness and anxiety and promotes peace
Sweet Marjoram is soothing and relaxing to the nerves
You could use one or a combination of one or two of the above, in a diffuser as per manufacturers instructions (do not use the candle-style diffusers in your bedroom due to fire risk). 

• Room / Pillow Mists / Body Oils with Essential Oils:

These can be purchased and are professionally blended for their purpose. They are available from reputable stores and online (You can check out links to Wellbeing Products including for sleep here)
With a personal consultation Hathi Therapies can assess and advise specific blends ,including making personalised products for you.
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Do not apply any pure essential oil directly to the skin as they are powerful concentrated plant oils
Wheat Bags
Provide warmth which is soothing and comforting. They are available with dried lavender and can be infused with oils to provide a combination of heat and aromatherapy. We do sometimes hold a very small stock of these. 

• Nutrition

There is increasing research supporting the belief that a diet providing adequate complex carbohydrates, essential fats, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and water can protect a balanced mood and feelings of wellbeing and that includes our sleep.

Some foods that contain vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants that appear to affect seratonin , tryptophan or melatonin levels can therefore be healthy for sleep are: sour cherry juice, kiwi fruit, almonds, goji berries, bananas, fish, jasmine rice, natural yoghurt, wholegrains and leafy greens. 

A small bedtime snack (not meal) that has both carbohydrate and protein such as milk & cereal or cheese & oatcakes or banana & yoghurt may be best as this will provide a sustained availability of tryptophan which is an amino acid that makes us feel drowsy. However try to keep the amount of fats to a minimum by using semi-skimmed milk/low fat cheese and avoiding additional sugar.
.......So there's a lot to be said for the old fashioned warm milky drink it's soporific and comforting and makes for a good bedtime routine.

Alternatively drinking chamomile tea 30 minutes before bed can help to calm the nerves, settle the stomach and therefore relax you before bed. It is best to not add sugar and brew it for no longer than 3 minutes so it isn't too overpowering to taste.

• ​Alcohol

I know! Sorry! But alcohol actually acts as a depressant chemically and although might make you fall asleep in excess, it will interfere with the natural sleep cycle and will not be a restful, refreshing or healthy sleep. It also can become addictive and make you feel depressed with long term use, which in turn leads to poor sleep. It also acts a diuretic so you may wake in the night to go to the toilet.

• Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant that blocks the action of hormones in our brain that allow us to sleep

• Long Term Use of Sleep Medications

Prescribed sleeping tablets may be very useful in the short term to get you back in to a rhythm but they decrease in their effectiveness in time. Many GPs are very reluctant to prescribe them as firstline option for sleep problems for this reason. If you are taking over-the-counter remedies over a long period of time discuss this with your GP.

• Arguing

Going to bed angry after a stressful conversation is not going to help your sleep. Allowing things to play on your mind and not resolving things won't help either. Its better to try and have important decision making conversations or addressing issues earlier or when you have more time to unwind afterward 

• Texting!

Chatting on your phone with someone may be comforting at night but it can also stop you from switching off mentally and you can find yourself disturbed by a text message as you are drifting off. Put your phone in another room or at least if you need it for your alarm in the morning then mute it, turn it to night mode so the screen is dim and turn it flat so you don't see any light from it if you get notifications during the night. 

• Don't check work email during the evening!

If you're not at work what are you really going to achieve? Accept perhaps to set off a chain of worry about something you can do nothing about until the morning and even if you can respond, the chances are that your email won't be seen until the next day. Check it in the morning.

• Smoking

Although smokers often use smoking to relax, nicotine is actually a stimulant so lighting up just before you go to bed could actually stop you from dropping off as well. Unfortunately heavy smokers may also be woken due to nicotine withdrawal so, dare I say it, it might be something to discuss with your GP about getting support to quit.

• Downing Lots Of Water

Its important to stay hydrated and drinking water regularly throughout the day will help but downing a large quantity at bedtime could lead you to feel bloated and waking in the night to go to the toilet