Overcoming Sleeplessness

I appreciate that I can’t have my best day every day.  There are always going to be some times when things are tough and I feel stressed.  Times of change, issues to deal with at work or home, worrying about the kids, about family issues….. there are a myriad of things that can cause me to feel uneasy and may even keep me up at night.  This year, I reckon I’ve had the least amount of aggregated hours of sleep compared with any other year ….. and that’s even counting the years I had my newborn babies!  I’ve gone through a lot of change, a stressful restructure at work and some new beginnings have meant lots of new ideas buzzing around my head at 2am in the morning!

I really value my sleep, and know that the more sleep I get (I need 8-9 hours) the better I perform.  I heard a radio DJ say the other day that he can get by on 5-6 hours a night, but I really think that is just bravado and the reality is that everyone should be getting between 7-9 hours of sleep a night.  It’s a most frustrating thing to recognise that I need sleep, and really want to sleep but just not be able to.  Usually I don’t have trouble falling asleep, it’s when I wake in the middle of the night that I can’t go back to sleep.  I just can’t seem to still my mind. 

There are a number of things I’ve tried to give myself the best chance of a good night’s sleep:

-          Keep a list of important tasks to remember, so that I don’t keep them in my head.  Ideally these should be in my MS Outlook calendar as meetings or tasks, but a notebook on the bedside table also works well.

-          Don’t drink coffee after 12 noon.

-          Try to relax before bedtime by doing some mediation

-          Turn off my laptop/TV/tablet a good 30 -45 minutes before sleep and instead read a book or the newspaper.  The light and backlight can stimulate brain activity, preventing it from relaxing and preparing for sleep.

-          Eat dinner in the early evening

-          Get some exercise!

This last one I really need to work on.  I’ve found the perfect motivation, too.  I’m going to take part in the Steptember program (www.steptember.com.au) which promotes walking at least 10,000 steps a day, while at the same time raising money for Cerebral Palsy.  I really need the extra motivation, and hope that after 30 days of increased physical activity it will become a habit and part of my daily routine.

I’ve also found some other ideas from the website http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm which have worked for me in getting back to sleep:

• Deep breathing. Close my eyes, and take deep, slow breaths, making each breath even deeper than the last.
• Progressive muscle relaxation. Starting with my toes, tense all the muscles as tightly as I can, then completely relax. Work my way up from my feet to the top of my head.
• Visualizing a peaceful, restful place. Close my eyes and imagine a place or activity that is calming and peaceful for me. Concentrate on how relaxed this place or activity makes me feel.

I also recognise that I need to let a lot of stuff go.  There’s no need to worry about things – it’s a waste of energy and clogs up my mind with negativity, leaving less room for positive, creative thoughts and solutions.  What gets me by on those days that don’t go so well, where I’ve got a lack of energy and no pep is that if every day was a brilliant day, then I couldn’t recognise a brilliant day!  There will always be an awesome day to follow a tough one.

If you have any tips on how to get a great night’s sleep please share them with me!  Write a post below or send me email to livewelllivesmart@gmail.com .

 

Image by Marin, FreeDigitalPhotos.net