We’re well into fall now…the trees are losing their leaves, the wind is blowing and it’s time to cozy up. Fall is a beautiful time and a season of letting go but it can also be a time of restlessness. School and work are in full swing and everyone senses the holidays coming. It’s a busy time and with this busy time usually comes a busy mind. It’s no surprise then that many of my clients lately are struggling with getting good sleep. And sleep is super important since lack of it affects our ability to manage our emotions during the day (so if we’re already struggling with our emotions it’s like adding insult to injury when we’re not getting good sleep…it makes everything worse). This has been a hot topic around the office this month so I thought I’d share some helpful tips for getting better sleep.
- Make sure your room is dark and cool enough. Use blackout shades or an eye mask.
- Use a white noise machine (or fan) to block out all the little nighttime noises.
- Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time. Our bodies run on rhythm and routine.
- Pay attention to how well you’re taking care of yourself during the day. Eat well, avoid too much caffeine and get some exercise (but not late at night…exercising too late at night causes many people to have a hard time falling asleep).
- Listen to an audiobook to get you to sleep. Set it on a timer so it automatically turns off at a certain time. This works better than scrolling through Twitter on your phone or falling asleep to Netflix on your laptop. ( ;
- Download an app like Calm and try the bedtime stories feature or one of the guided meditations.
- Ritualize bedtime. Treat yourself like a baby. When we want to get a baby to sleep we build routines around bedtime to help their brains and bodies receive the message that sleep time is approaching. It’s really not that different with ourselves. Have a warm cup of tea, do some old fashioned reading of a paper book, give yourself a light massage with lotion on your arms and legs, spritz a little lavender on your pillow, whatever you can come up with. Do it in the same order each night to signal to your mind and body that it’s time to wind down.
- If you wake in the night, rather than tossing and turning for an hour (or more), get up, go to the bathroom, and then repeat any of the above routines. Or go sit on your couch and read and only return to bed when you feel tired again. These strategies are kind of like pressing the refresh button on your computer. You’re starting over. But keep in mind that you can’t force sleep so it doesn’t make sense to get upset if you can’t fall back to sleep. All you can do is try and if it doesn’t work it’s better to have an attitude of acceptance than to become upset about it (which often makes it even less likely you’ll be able to fall back to sleep).
- Assess your overall stress level. Are there things you need to let go in order to dial down the stress in your life? Stress revs up your nervous system and this can become chronic, making it difficult for your body and mind to wind down.
- If sleep continues to elude you, there is good evidence for the helpfulness of cognitive behavioral programs for insomnia. Many of these can be taken online and are well worth the cost.
There can be so many reasons that you’re not sleeping well. Illness, hormones, the weather, stress or how you’re doing mentally and emotionally. Whatever the cause, make sure you get the help you need. Sleep is the hub of the wheel of your overall health. When sleep gets better, everything gets better.
Wishing you sweet dreams!
