I have always been a troubled sleeper, from a newborn to adult. In the last 3/4 years I have found some solutions, which have helped HUGELY!
Sleep is vital for a happy, healthy and balanced life. Hopefully these tips will help any fellow sleep challenged souls.
1. Ear plugs. Great for drowning out snoring and seagulls! I prefer spongy ones, I get a big box from boots, lasts me ages! This type seems to drown out far away noises so you can still hear babies crying etc.
https://www.boots.com/boots-foam-ear-plugs-20s-10153243
2. Free YouTube sleep music. This just hypnotizes me to sleep the more I use these videos. Here’s some of my favourites. And yes – you can hear the music through ear plugs. I play these videos on my phone – just remember to turn your data off if you don’t have unlimited.
3. Prioritise Sleep. Make time for sleep. Have a routine and try to stick to it. I go to bed early on work nights – about 9pm or 10pm (8pm if I’m lucky). Then I’m up between 5am or 6am.
If I lose sleep due to children or a late social occasion I usually try to catch-up with a nap at the weekend.
4. Record Your Sleep. I do this via my fitbit which logs my types of sleep via helpful graphs. I thought I was getting plenty sleep but was surprised, that I’m lucky if I average 8 hours per week. So I find this tool really useful.
5. No reading or TV in bed. This is personal preference, as I find reading or watching tv can over stimulate my mind.
6. Be aware of Anxiety. When I’m anxious or stressed – I don’t sleep. So I use mindfulness or meditation to calm my mind. There are lots of free apps and videos on YouTube. Sometimes, my anxiety or stress can be that bad that I still don’t sleep. However, I do find I’m calmer, more relaxed and rested which is better than nothing.
7. Make your bedroom a sanctuary. Make sure your beds comfy, your room is tidy and uncluttered, open a window for fresh air, have clean scented sheets on your bed. Make your bed a place you want to be for the 8 hours.
8. Have children. Not for everyone of course but once you have children, they tend to exhaust you more, so sleep comes easier. That was my experience anyway.
9. Sleep in a dark room. Have heavy curtains or black out blinds in your bedroom. Its natural to sleep in the dark.
10. Amethyst crystals. Amethyst crystals are said to help promote a restful sleep and help you relax. You can have a bowl with some loose tumble stones, a crystal cluster or some lovely amethyst jewelry.
11. Lavender. This herb is renowned as a sleep aid. Indulge in some lavender pillow spray, a lavender bubble bath or use some lavender body cream before bed.
12. Exercise. A simple sleep remedy is do regular exercise. An extreme example but if you walk for 15 miles – your likely to sleep that night.
13. Cut down on caffeine. No caffeine after 12pm.
Happy sleeping peeps.
