Sleep 101

So in recent weeks I have been struggling to get to sleep and once I am asleep, to stay sleeping through the night! I have had issues with sleep before and have in the past, been prescribed medication to help me sleep. At the moment I am not taking any medication and so I thought I would write a post about how I try and get my self to sleep.

A new remedy that I have been using is the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray which smells of lavender and is enriched with essential oils. I love the smell, but I would say its not to everyones taste, so maybe spray it somewhere other than your pillow to try it first! The idea behind this product is that you inhale it whilst your sleeping and your head is against the pillow and its supposed to help you relax and unwind.

If you talk to any sleep experts, they always say to not be around your phone, laptop, TV etc before your about to sleep. I do agree with this to an extent. However, I am one of the words biggest worriers and so I usually check my emails just as I am about to turn out my light just incase there are any emails that I need to reply to quickly. Also I keep my phone near to my bed so I can write any last minute thoughts that run through my head.

I like my room to be as dark as possible, so this for me means turning my radio around so the light doesn't shine in my face, turning my phone over so I can't see the red light flashing, making sure there is something covering the charging light of my laptop etc. This might all sound crazy but for me its something that helps me to get to sleep.

Another bed time ritual is listening to my iPod whilst I'm in bed drifting off to sleep. Surprisingly I don't listen to calming, slow music but more up beat music. I have made playlists so that I don't have to keep flicking through random tracks and effectively 'wake up'.

Before I go to bed, I like to have a bath or shower. Usually a bath helps to send me off to sleep, being in warm, bubbly water is really relaxing. Its also the perfect time to read a book or magazine.

Reading before you go to bed gives your mind something to do. Often I find that reading a couple of pages of a good books makes me realise how tired I am.

Lastly, if there is anything that I am worrying about I find that it doesn't help me go to sleep because it keeps me up, so I try to push it to the back of my mind or talk to someone about it.

Everyone has different methods of helping them to sleep and its all about finding the ways that work for you!