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Author: Gill Jackson
Originally published: 04/10/2020
Many of my clients, friends, and family tell me they aren't able to get a good nights sleep. Some go as far as to say they suffer from insomnia on a regular basis.
We all know how essential sleep and rest is for both our physical and mental health so I thought I would share a few of the tips and techniques to help you get a peaceful 8+ hours.
How to get a good night's sleep
Go to bed when you are tired. Sounds obvious right? But so many of us don't do it! There is no point heading up to bed when you are wide awake as the temptation to scroll through your phone or read half a book will be too compelling! ,,
Equally try to avoid staying up far beyond feeling tired as this is also counterproductive to getting a good night's sleep. Plus if you stay up late you are far more likely to have an accidental sofa snooze before heading up to bed- sofa snoozes often work like a power nap and make you feel re-energised rather than ready for your beauty sleep.
Avoid stimulants*. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and processed sugar close to bedtime. Caffeine can take up to 8 hours to leave your system so ideally it should be avoided after lunch. Often it helps to set a curfew time for yourself- e.g. no sugar or caffeine intake after 2pm. If you really can't cope all afternoon and evening without a brew then try switching, to de-caffeinated.
*Small caveat to avoiding stimulants as individuals with certain neurodiversity's (for example ADHD) often require stimulants to achieve calm. If this is you disregard this one tip and follow your Doctors orders regarding stimulants.
Eating sugar, especially processed sugars, can cause your blood glucose levels to spike and then crash. When your nervous system goes through these extreme highs and lows, you may also experience changes in your mood. This can really impact bedtime since feelings of worry or sadness can make it harder to relax and fall asleep.
Additionally, there is evidence that consuming more sugar is linked to restless, disrupted sleep. A 2016 study included healthy volunteers placed into one of two groups; one was fed a controlled diet that limited added sugars and fats, and emphasised fiber. The second was allowed to eat whatever they wanted, in whatever amounts. Researchers found that the second group consumed significantly more sugar and fat—and their diet had an impact on the quality of their nightly rest. The volunteers who consumed diets with more sugar spent less time in deep, slow-wave sleep. This sleep stage is essential for the body’s physical restoration and healing, as well as for maintaining a healthy metabolism and immune function. The volunteers who ate more sugar also took longer to fall asleep. And they experienced more restless sleep, with more frequent awakenings throughout the night.
Avoid alcohol. Avoid relying on alcohol to calm down before bed, yes your nightcap may assist you to drift off to sleep initially but the quality of that sleep is likely to be very poor. And the regular use of alcohol to assist you to get to sleep can result in an unhealthy habit or even an addiction forming.
How much alcohol you drink and when you drink it can both influence sleep. As you consume alcohol, it is rapidly absorbed into your bloodstream, where it remains until your liver can metabolise it. If you have alcohol in your bloodstream when you go to sleep, you are likely to experience alterations in how your body cycles through the four stages of sleep. Resulting in initially more deep sleep and less REM sleep (REM is a stage of sleep which essential for both mental and physical health and healing) and more light sleep in the latter stages of the night once the alcohol is metabolised, resulting in more frequent wakings and low-quality sleep.
The bedroom should be a sanctuary. Avoid watching TV, reading, the use of phones or tablets, or working in the bedroom. The bedroom should be kept for sleeping (and intimacy- which is also great for a good night's sleep!)
With so many of us working from home now the temptation can be to check those emails in bed, resist if at all possible or your brain may find it hard to switch off and be calm enough for sleep.
Keep the clutter to a minimum in the bedroom for the same reasons- a calm, clutter-free space will help you to drift off more easily.
Even the colour of your room can effect how relaxed you become and thus how well you sleep, for example many people have red in their bedrooms as a feature wall or in accessories as it's the colour of romance. It's also the colour of danger and subconsciously your brain is aware of that which is not very conducive to a good nights sleep! So next time you are decorating think about which colours keep you calm and tranquil and maybe opt for them in the boudoir.
Adopt a healthy lifestyle. Diet and exercise are really important to achieving a good night's sleep. Eating a well balanced, healthy diet will properly fuel your mind and body.
Regular gentle exercise will help you to feel physically tired enough to sleep well.
What if I can't get to sleep?
If you can't get to sleep in the first place or you wake up and can't drift back off it can be really frustrating. Try some or all of the below;
7/11 breathing is breathing in for a count of 7 and out for a count of 11, the important thing is to elongate the out breath. (If you can't quite manage 7/11 try 3/5 instead.)
Muscle relaxation- take 2 or 3 deep breaths and then tense your toes and feet, hold for 5 seconds and relax. Next tense your toes, feet and lower legs, hold for 5 seconds and relax. Then tense your toes, feet lower and upper legs, hold for 5 seconds and relax. And so on until you are tensing your whole body, (except your head- that could give you a headache!)
Do something boring! If you still can't sleep after trying the above then get up and do something really boring- finish a task you have been putting off, fold the washing, list out as many types of insects that you can (unless of course insects are your passion!). Do not reward your brain and body for waking up with things like food or with fun/stimulants like watching TV or playing on your phone- this one is particularly important in our quest for how to get a good nights sleep. So glass of water or milk if you are hungry and back to bed- no screens! , Once you feel tried again return to bed and if you still don't get to sleep within 30 minutes get up again and do some more boring tasks until you feel tired. Repeat as needed. This helps to reaffirm to your brain and body that sleep time is exactly that or it has to face a very boring alternative- basically you are training your brain to behave the way you want it to!
Happy snoozing!
If you have tried all of the above and are still struggling to sleep please do get in touch with a medical professional.
Author: Gill Jackson of Gill Jackson Therapeutic Counselling, BA Hons Counselling, Diploma in Couples and Family Therapy, Diploma in EFT, Assoc. CIPD, SMACCPH
Bio: I am a Therapeutic Counsellor/Psychotherapist, Accredited Mentor and Trainer in private practice in the UK, qualified since 2007. Working with adults and young adults. I specialise in Anxiety Disorders and Depression.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gilljacksontherapy
Instagram: www.instagram.com/gilljacksoncounselling
This article is not intended as a replacement for medical advice, if you are suffering from any physical or mental ill health please seek advice of your Doctor where necessary.
Images used with permission from Wix and Unsplashed.
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