If you struggle getting to sleep – or wake frequently through the night, it may not be anything to worry about.
Recent research suggests we may not be programmed to sleep for eight hours straight without waking up. And a study of more than one million people over six years suggests that people who sleep for six or seven hours a night live longer than those who get the eight hours so many people crave.
But if you’re struggling with your sleep and feel like you’re suffering, here are some tips for a better night’s sleep.
10 Tips For Sleeping Well
1. Work with your circadian rhythm. If you’re an Early Bird, go to sleep nice and early. Night Owls can stay up later – but only if you can sleep in!)
2. Turn off! The hour before you go to bed is for you to wind down. This means No stimulants! No tea/coffee alcohol, no food no radio, no reading, no TV absolutely no computer!
3. Tune out. So you’re wondering what to do? Have a warm bath with a few drops of lavender oil. Prepare your clothes and breakfast things for the morning.
4. Fast. Your last meal should ideally be before 7pm. Your stomach has to churn round all that food in your tummy so if you leave it too late it might keep you up. You’re giving the body conflicting jobs to do.
For many people this will not seem too easy, so you can gradually adopt this way of eating. Many of our European counterparts still value lunch, by emulating them and aiming to make lunch your main meal of the day, you get the necessary energy to finish the day out. Then your last meal before 7pm can be soup and/or salad, certainly something very light and you can have the same thing each night.
5. Make notes. If there are a lot of thoughts going around in your mind especially work thoughts make some basic notes, in bullet point form that you can pick up next morning at work.
6. Hum! If your thinking is obsessive try the Humming Bee exercise. Once you’ve done all of the above and are ready for bed sit comfortably with the lighting low. Close your eyes and take a reasonably deep breath as you are breathing out make the gentle sound mmmmmm, you will feel the vibration around your lips and within your face and head. Do this for at least 10 minutes.
7. Drop off. Once in bed, lie flat with your eyes closed, have your eyes look gently straight ahead and then imagine they can just drift/fall back into your head as if you are floating slowly backwards.
8. Get oiled. You can try a drop of lavendar oil on your pillow – but don’t overdo it.
9. Foot rub. Buy some sesame oil. Warm it and massage your feet thoroughly – toes too! Then put a pair of socks on and go to bed. You will sleep like a baby!
10. Get up. Set your alarm for no later than 7am or earlier (if you’re an Early Bird) so that you can do all the things you wanted to do the night before. Even if you haven’t slept well, do this because it will help you sleep better the next night. This is because you are re-training the body to a new routine.
If you haven’t been sleeping well for a while then you will need to adopt this routine for some time – at least a week – to allow your body to adapt to the changes and for sleep to come more naturally.
Sleep well!
