Feeling wired and tired during the day but can’t switch off at night?
Trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep can be really frustrating. It can affect people of any age and is often worse after being exposed to long term stress. Research shows that people who get let less than seven hours sleep can experience fatigue, irritability and interfere with short term memory. Research suggests people who don’t get enough quality sleep will often take longer to finish tasks and have an increased risk of making mistakes as well as have a slower reaction time.
Symptoms can occur after just one night’s poor sleep or over weeks and may will probably worsen over months of poor un-refreshing sleep. Sleep deprivation not only affects your work performance and your personal and professional relationships but also increases the risk of contributing to chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, anxiety, depression and obesity.
If you or someone you know is having trouble sleeping, ask for help now, its important for your health and well-being.
Lifestyle tips to improve quality of sleep
Reduce stimulants such as tea and coffee as well as sugar. Limit coffee to one in the morning if you need to drink coffee.
Limit alcohol consumption; alcohol can relax you and help you go to sleep but then it will act as a stimulant and you may find yourself wide awake at 2am.
Regular exercise you help you relax at the end of the day.
Develop a bedtime ritual
Make sure you have a comfortable mattress with suitable bedding to prevent overheating.
Reduce noise, light and extreme temperatures.
Use blackout curtains, ear plugs or a white noise machine or app to promote restful sleep.
Go to bed at the same time every night somewhere between 8-10pm depending on your evening routine to enhance your sleep cycle.
Give your body cues that its time to slow down and sleep; listen to relaxing music or drink a cup of chamomile tea.
Practice deep breathing and relaxation exercises before bed.
Find a meditation app or relaxation music to help you unwind.
Don't expose yourself to bright light from your phone or tablet as this can reduce the hormone melatonin which influences sleep.
Reduce screen time an hour before bed, that is TV, phones or computers in the evenings.
If you do need to use these devices use an app which inverts the screen lighting to create background with white text or remove the blue light which has been shown to reduce melatonin levels by 23-38.
Try reading a book in bed, it will relax you as the eye movements which track the words across the page enhance relaxation and promote drowsiness.
Herbal medicine
If these tips don’t work, don’t despair nature has a number of herbs which can help you relax and promote sleep without becoming habit forming and addictive;
Passiflora is derived from the passion-fruit plant and is a great herb to relax, reduce anxiety and promote sleep.
Lavandula herb improves the quality of sleep without causing a hangover effect like some sleeping medications do.
Piscatorial is a great herb which is used extensively for chronic pain, anxiety and nervous tension as well as helping you relax enough to promote sleep.
Zizyphus has been used by the Chinese to help people relax, reduce anxiety and promote sleep.
Magnesium is required by the body for over 300 chemical reactions, including energy production and muscle relaxation. The mineral is important and may need to be supplemented when people are experiencing stress, insomnia and have tense aching muscles. Its worth speaking to your practitioner who can recommend a high quality and absorb-able form of magnesium to assist you to establish a healthy sleep cycle.
Let me help you obtain quality sleep and ease anxiety. To make an appointment you may book an appointment online or give me a call on 0404 470 497 - Fiona Cameron.
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