Disturbed Sleep
Disturbed Sleep
There are times in our lives when sleep is elusive. Sometimes for positive reasons, Christmas in the morning- will I get what I asked for, a new love interest- does he like me, a new job- will I get it; the butterflies in the stomach, the excitement and anticipation of new possibilities opening up to us.
Then there are other times when lack of sleep is not so welcome; worries, scared of the monster under the bed, first day at school, the day of exam results and for those of us with children, the joys of night feeds, sick children and as they get older, restless nights waiting for them to come home.
Surely at a time when things are supposedly more secure in our lives this ought to be the time when we are entitled to a good nights sleep- the sleep of the righteous, the sleep of the been there done it, don’t need to go to every party anymore, the cosy sleep of the I know there will be consequences if I stay up until 2 surfing the web kind of sleep.
But no.
The years when we stood around in fun pubs and clubs trying to stay awake for longer and longer, begging the sleep fairy not to come have now come back to haunt us. Tossing and turning in our Egyptian cotton sheets, trying to fool ourselves that we are asleep, making the noises, deep breaths, assuming the position, counting sheep, maybe its because I’m hot, maybe its because I’m cold. We used to be able to just close our eyes, maybe a little shuffle and bam, its 8 hours later!
Or perhaps its not the falling asleep that’s the problem but waking because you need the loo, are too hot or most annoyingly…are just bloody wide awake!!!
So what can we do about this?
Well, thankfully there are many solutions;
Teas for insomnia
Chamomile and the delicious Pukka Night Time, sage tea is great for helping you to have vivid dreams
Sour Cherry Extract
Yes you heard right! Sour or tart cherries are a natural source of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the sleep cycle. A cherry supplement or a glass of cherry juice a day were found to sleep 84 minutes longer and have a less disturbed sleep.
Clothing
Clothes and bedding can make a big difference to your ability to sleep well and also not wake up with a stiff neck and shoulders. I changed from 2 pillows to 1 wine i kept getting a crick in my neck and it completely stopped. If keeping the right temperature is a problem, natural wicking clothing like bamboo pyjamas are great at drawing away moisture from the body and maintaining a good temperature.
Breathing and Yoga before bed
Easy, gentle breathing exercises, a few yoga poses like a shoulder stand and cat and cow pose prepare the body and mind for sleep and help us to let go of the day’s stresses- Stay Tuned for a 3 minute relaxing meditation coming in the next week….
You don’t need to be a bendy yogi, a chef or a buddhist meditator to be able to do any of these. Just believe in yourself, try something new and say welcome back to the 8 hour sleep fairy.