#9 Sleep zzz
Sleep is the topic of my blog this week firstly because firstly I am not getting enough of it and secondly because apparently it’s World Sleep Day Today (Friday 13th March 2020 (who knew?).
Sleep is one of the most important pillars of good health – it helps the body repair itself, reduces stress, improves our concentration and helps us stay alert. Even if we eat well and exercise regularly but don’t get enough sleep, our efforts may be undermined.
Up until now, I haven’t had much trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep but lately I have been having more problems. I think I know the 2 main reasons for this:
1) There is too much going on in my head with work and life events and I can’t seem to shut my thoughts down enough to sleep
2) My age…..sadly I have to accept that I am getting to an age where inability to sleep is a common symptom (for women, thanks mother nature)
Having researched top tips for getting to sleep, I actually already do a lot of them:
I don’t drink coffee after 2.00pm
I don’t look at my phone / computer straight before bed
I don’t have a TV in my bedroom
I go to bed at the same time every night
I don’t have any distractions such as snoring or light or noisy neighbours
I am not too hot and my bed is really comfortable
I aim for 7 to 8 hours which seems to be the most common standard guide for adults
HOWEVER I think I do know 3 things that I can do that I am hoping will help:
I have a tendency to ‘nap’ on the sofa in the evening whilst winding down in front of the TV - I realise this is not good as it makes my body think it’s time for sleep only to be woken up. So I will try to prevent this (or just sleep all night on the sofa!)
There are some natural remedies that supposedly help to sleep (such as valerian root extract) so I am going to try some of those out rather than resorting to hard drugs
I have been meditating in the morning as part of my new well-being routine but may also try to do a specific meditation before bed at night to see if it will help calm my mind
All of us should make sure that we are recognising the importance of getting a good night sleep - for the sake of ourselves and everyone around us!
I will provide an update on whether any of these work - please let me know if you have any tips on how to get to sleep!
