Many people coming for psychotherapy find that their sleep has been negatively affected by ongoing stress and insomnia can become an issue that persists over time.
When clients come to me feeling anxious or stressed, I always enquire about their sleep quality and sleep patterns as sleep has a huge impact on our mental health.
Research shows that one sleepless night can increase anxiety levels by thirty per cent so focusing on prioritising your sleep is vital to improve mental health.
Our ability to feel focused, calm , to cope with stress and our emotions, to file away trauma while we sleep is impacted hugely when we don't get good sleep.
In this week's blog post, I will share some simple but proven tips to improve your sleep quality and help you if you are struggling with insomnia.
Avoid screens before bed because the light they emit interferes with our sleep hormones. Exposure to screens before bed interrupts our body’s relaxation hormone (melatonin). Avoid screens for 1-2 hours before bedtime and read instead or listen to music.
Don't rely on alcohol to help you get to sleep. Alcohol interferes with your sleep quality and it's easy to become dependent on alcohol to get to sleep. Avoid or reduce alcohol so you get better quality sleep.
Keep your bedroom cool as research shows you will sleep better in a cooler bedroom.
Keep a routine- Get to bed before midnight and try to get out in early morning light for a few minutes to set your body clock. The morning light hitting your eyes will set your circadian rhythm (your body clock) and you will find it easier to get to sleep at night.
Avoid caffeine in the evening time (this includes tea and coffee as both are high in caffeine). Try Rooibos/Red bush tea as a caffeine free tea instead or hot milk or herbal tea.
Warm milk with a little honey before bed will help you relax.
Focus on relaxing your body and slowing your breathing rather than 'trying' to go to sleep. If you are forcing yourself to get to sleep, you are stressed. Focus instead on relaxing your muscles and slowing down your breath. Use a guided meditation e.g heart chakra meditation on Youtube or listen to soothing music.
Try natural supplements from your health food shop. When we are under stress, our bodies use up more magnesium than usual, so a good quality magnesium supplement is helpful. Eating a diet rich in green leafy vegetables and colour will help support your body through anxious times. Viridian L-theanine & lemon balm capsules are excellent for increasing our calm brainwaves. Biocare Magnesium Taurate capsules have a calming effect on the body and mind and magnesium helps support a healthy stress response.
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