SLEEP - the recovery time of day!

Okay, so we all know that sleep is important, and we feel better when we have it! But - how do we get it???

Stress, worries, depression, anxiety, anger, grief, and other mental health concerns can greatly impair a persons sleep. Just as can physical health concerns such as pain.

So, do you know and use 'Good Sleep Hygiene'???

Sleep is as much as a habit as anything else - a few nights poor sleep can disrupt the pattern and in turn create a poor sleeping 'habit'. So there are a few tricks of the trade to assist in developing good sleep patterns.


1/ Avoid clock watching! Get rid of that alarm clock, or phone next to your bed and stop looking at the time. Waking in the middle of the night - or having trouble getting to sleep and looking at the clock with only lead to frustration, which in turn may keep you awake longer. So set an alarm, hide the clock face and don't be tempted to clock watch.

2/ Avoid caffeine - even from as early as Midday! Even people who have drank a strong coffee and slept well in the past can be affected by caffeine when feeling stressed or worrying about something. So, best practice it to avoid it all together. This includes soft drinks that contain caffeine, and even some teas!

3/ Form a 'habit' - a pattern. Set an alarm and wake up at the same time each day, this will eventually assist you to develop s regular 'sleep' time. It won't happen overnight though!

4/ Get some exercise - Exercise is great for good mental health - evening showing to be as effective as a low dose antidepressant for people with mild depression. Exercise can also help with tiring out the mind and body by the end of the day. Careful though - don't exercise just before you go to bed as a racing heart will wake you up.

5/ Avoid alcohol - Sure, alcohol or a 'night cap' can help some people drift off to sleep, but what it does is sets an internal alarm clock and often causes people to wake up within three hours. Alcohol certainly doesn't assist in getting a good nights sleep - and by the way it is actually a depressant. Also, avoid that last cigarette before bed, as this will also increase your heart rate.

6/ Try a glass of warm milk before going to bed - Warm milk (not hot water with milk) can induce a sedative effect due to the dairy component. (PS - Soy can also have this effect). One study I read showed that warm milk can have a similar effect as a low dose Valium - without the 'hangover' feeling in the morning!

7/ Ensure you are the right temperature for sleep - Being cold or hot can wake people up or make it hard to get to sleep, so be cautious and dress appropriately, even have a shower before bed if you need to warm up or cool down. Some people will have an increased amount of nightmares if they are too hot!

8/ Try aromatherapy - Lavender has often thought to assist people in getting off to sleep. Try a lavender body wash, or some pot puri next to the bed.

9/ Black out your room - Make the room as dark as you can, especially for shift workers. Our bodies are in turn with light and dark, so ensure that the curtains are thick enough so that the early sun does not come creeping in ready to wake you up.

10/ If you are worrying or have racing thoughts - try Journalling. When we have thoughts going around and around in our head some part of us is telling us 'Don't forget!', when we write things down we are then subconsciously telling ourselves 'It's on paper - I won't forget so I can let it go now'. Journal whatever is going on, it doesn't even really have to be legible!

11/ Eat fish - make sure you have an adequate Omega intake in your diet - take a supplement if you don't get enough elsewhere. Omega is necessary for brain repair and function.

12/ Get that quiet time before bed - turn off the computer (yes that includes my Blog!), turn off the distractions and allow yourself that quite time - if you get that while you are up, then you shouldn't need as much quiet time while you are lying in bed not sleeping!

13/ Start paying attention to your mood and sleep patterns - there are now great phone Apps that help you track your mood and sleep, or even just record it on paper. The only way to really get an idea of what is keeping you awake is by building a greater awareness of what is actually happening!

These are just a few tips of 'Good Sleep Hygiene'. It's important to give everything a go before resorting to sleeping medication - sleeping tablets only offer an impaired sleep. They can be useful in the very short term, but as a long term treatment can do more harm to a persons sleep cycle than good.

If you find you try everything that you can find and still aren't sleeping then please do see a doctor or other health professional as there may be an underlying cause that needs to be treated first...

Okay folks, I better turn the computer off, go and have my glass of milk and head to bed now!

Sweet dreams all!