SLEEP — a naturally recurring state of mind and body, characterised by altered consciousness
Often, if you have problems with sleep, it doesn’t feel that it is naturally recurring at all. If you struggle to go to sleep or find that you have fitful sleeps, waking at odd hours like 3am or 4am, it can start to become additional stress and cause anxiety. We can be shattered at 10pm and wide awake at 1am, and lack of good sleep can cause health issues, it can add to our overall stress levels, it can also affect our weight, in fact there has been research which shows the
catastrophic affect on our health system if we aren’t getting enough sleep.
It becomes part of a vicious cycle — we may be stressed, we eat foods that aren’t good for us, we might reach for a glass of wine because we think that will relax us, we don’t exercise because we don’t feel motivated to do any, we head to our beds and then don’t sleep because we are worrying about the bad food we have eaten, the alcohol we have consumed, the fact we haven’t exercised… Lack of sleep affects our mood, energy levels, decision making — everything really. We start to
produce more cortisol and this increases levels of anxiety — a vicious cycle.
So how do we break the cycle? There are lots of small incremental changes we can start to introduce, and it won’t be a quick fix, but it will be a lifestyle change that will have long term benefits.
Firstly, look at your day, and be honest about how much caffeine you consume during the day. Make sure you have your last cup of tea/coffee before mid-day, and replace your last hot drink of the day with a herbal tea — I always take a cup of Calm to bed with me (Twinings) which has a mix of camomile, vanilla and roasted chicory root. I like the taste and I like to have a hot drink in bed last thing. I should add that some chocolate may have caffeine so eating this later at night
may also spike the senses and affect how well we settle down. No late night nibbling!!!
Have a cut-off time from your screens. Don’t take your phone to bed with you, or a laptop or a tablet. These days I know that many of us have books on a tablet, so if you do this because you like to read in bed then make a rule not to check anything else out on your tablet — no social media, texts, WhatsApp or emails. I much prefer an actual book, because I don’t have the willpower not to check emails and so on, on my tablet.
Design a bedtime routine. I have to confess to having a long, bedtime routine which starts at the same time every night — it starts either with a shower or at least a wash of my face and I get into my PJs, then I will clean my teeth, I organise the coffee pot for the morning, check everywhere is locked up, I make a drink and take it to bed, I moisturise my feet, my hands, my lips (this may be oversharing!!), I read while I have my drink, I have a last visit to the bathroom I
then start to settle down.
I always have the bedroom slightly cooler than any other room in the house with a window open, so that I can snuggle under the bedclothes. I have a lovely pillow which when my head hits it makes me want to sigh with relief… The British Cycling team always take their own pillows with them when travelling for competition because they believe in the importance of a good nights sleep for performance, and the pillow could make all the difference.
Listening to a Professor talking about sleep in the week, he said that he always encourages naps for people who struggle to get a good night’s sleep. He said that we tend to think if we nap in the day that we won’t sleep at night, but it has the opposite affect. So if you are able, perhaps you should try to incorporate a nap during the day. He referred to them as being disco naps because they can have such a positive effect on your energy levels and mood. So don’t fight it, if you
have had lunch and want to sit down and have a nap, just go for it — don’t take yourself to bed though, just get comfy in a chair and do it.
The other thing he talked about was the supplement Magnesium — this is an important mineral which helps muscle and nerve function, helps to regulate blood pressure and support the immune system. And it has been found to help with sleep.
I have recently introduced a magnesium supplement into my diet. I have only just started to take it, so I will keep you up to date if I feel a difference over the next couple of weeks. I take one tablet at lunch, and one tablet an hour before going to bed.
Finally, if you have done all of the above, and you are still struggling to switch off your mind — start a night-time journal. Keep the journal at your bedside, you can use this journal for a number of things, you could write down what you have to do the next day, you could write down what you have achieved or feel good about from the day, you could write down anything that has upset you, or anything you feel grateful for. Basically, use it to try and empty some of your thoughts from your
mind. Then as your head hits the pillow, and you close your eyes, start to focus on your breath: breathe in and out and count that as 1, the next breath in and out is 2 and so on. If you lose count go back to 1 OR silently say to yourself as you breathe in and out Calm, Relax, Rest. This pattern of breathing can help with getting to sleep, but also returning to sleep if you wake in the middle of the night.
Finally (finally), try not to be frustrated if you wake in the night. Accept it, then return to focus on your breath.
I hope that this will help for those of you who struggle with sleep. I will report back on the magnesium.
Next week I will look at Diet.
