Problems with either falling asleep or waking up repeatedly during the night are more common than you might think.
The main cause of poor sleep is anxiety. Spending time worrying about not getting enough sleep can make it difficult to step back and think about why you’re not sleeping. By considering anxiety as the cause, we can look at ways of managing it. Improvements in sleep will then come naturally as your levels of anxiety drop.
How much sleep should you have? In general, it’s thought to be between seven to nine hours consistently. I’ve stressed consistently because what you can’t do is have shorter sleeps in the week which build up a ‘sleep debt’ you then try to pay back at the weekends with lie-ins. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work.
If you would like to explore further, I recommend the book by sleep scientist, Professor Matthew Walker
Here are some habits you can adopt to get a better night’s sleep:
- Value your sleep and prioritise it. Prepare your bedroom for sleep by removing any screens and devices that might distract you. Consider setting an alarm for getting ready for bed – then go through your nightly routine of winding down (things like applying skin care products or cleaning your teeth). Concentrate on the process of ritual and allow plenty of time for each step.
- Try starting a ‘worry journal’ where you write down anything that’s troubling you. Be sure to end the journal each night with three positive things.
- Give breathing exercises, sleep relaxation music or guided relaxation a go – they can be surprisingly effective.
- If you are struggling to get to sleep or you wake in the night and can’t get back to sleep, don’t lie in bed. Get up and make yourself a drink. Read a book or listen to some music (it is important that you don’t do ‘jobs’ or ‘work’ during this time). Wait until you feel sleepy again before returning to bed.
- When your alarm goes off in the morning, get up rather than hitting snooze. Get into this habit and it will become routine.
If you would like to use a free relaxation sleep audio I have created, simply click on this link below.
If you would like to work with me on a 1:1 basis, then please get in touch.
By addressing how you are thinking and feeling, I’ll help you develop an awareness of how, in your body, psychological events and physical sensations are so closely connected. Without this awareness, we can get stuck in a vicious loop which I call ‘the cycle of suffering’.
As The Mind & Body Guide, my aim is to explore these connections to help you gain insight into yourself. This could be looking at present problems or those that are more deeply seated: things you’ve been told or events you’ve experienced which have shaped who you are now.
I have decades of experience in health care. Years spent working as a senior physiotherapist in the NHS. I’ve taught Pilates to hundreds of people. And I’m a qualified psychotherapist with a suite of therapy skills to draw on.
My approach to therapy is to help you to understand yourself mentally and physically. Then, working together, we can plot your pathway to a healthier, happier life.
The Mind & Body Guide.
Therapy for the whole of you.
