SLEEP ISSUES
Sleep issues are really common and can be easy to resolve. You might be experiencing some or all of the below symptoms:
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Physical symptoms
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Tired, Restless, Lethargic, Low energy levels, Poor concentration
Thoughts
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I’m going to be awake all night, Tomorrow will be a bad day, I’m going to fall
asleep at work
Behaviours
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Napping during the day, Drinking more caffeine drinks, Lying in bed awake at nigth, Checking the clock, Staying up late
Feelings
Irritable, Tearful, Stressed, Worried
Everyone at some point will struggle with sleep issues. It’s hard to know how much sleep exactly that we need but we can usually monitor this by how we feel after a good night’s sleep or after a bad night’s sleep. We usually have problems falling asleep, staying asleep or not feeling refreshed by the sleep that we do get.
Aside from physical health issues, we often struggle with sleep due to a number of things that are happening in our lives.
•Poor sleep routine and unhelpful bedtime habits such as not giving yourself time to wind down before bed, exercising or eating too late, drinking caffeine before bed, having your room too hot or too cold etc.
•Worrying and catastrophising about not getting to sleep can cause a vicious cycle where we cannot sleep because we are worried about not getting enough sleep, which leads us to worry more and then causes more sleepless nights.
•Events happening in your life can be causing you worries such as financial issues, relationship breakdowns, bereavements, redundancy, bullying, work issues etc.
Over we can exacerbate or maintain our sleep difficulties by continuing unhelpful habits such as:
•Making a prediction that you will not sleep before you’ve tried
•Checking the clock
•Browsing the internet in between trying to fall asleep
•Going to bed too early, when you don’t feel tired
•Keeping your bedroom too hot, too cold, messy or noisy
•Sleeping during the day which messes up your sleeping pattern
•Having a cup of tea and/or a cigarette when we wake in the night
•Watching TV or doing another stimulating activity in the middle of the night when you wake up
•Lying in bed waiting to fall asleep
There lots of things that we can do to try and improve our sleep.
•Exercise earlier in the evenings rather than late at night
•Replace stimulating activities like watching TV before bed with non-stimulating activities such as reading a book or doing a crossword
•Listen to mindfulness before or in bed – Headspace is a really good app for this; https://www.headspace.com/
•Replace a late night shower with a bath
•Reduce or cut out caffeinated drinks after midday
•Make sure your bedroom is a good temperature
•Go to bed when you’re sleepy
•Try not to clock watch or browse the internet once you’re in bed
•Try not to nap during the day, which can mess up your sleep patterns
Break the cycle
If you go to bed and after 15 minutes you are not asleep, get out of bed and go to a different room. Sit in a different room comfortably (you can do some non-stimulating activities) until you begin to feel drowsy again. Once you feel ready to sleep again, take yourself back to bed – don’t fall asleep where you are.
If again you find yourself still awake after 15 minutes, repeat the cycle.
The aim of this is to break the association that your brain has made that tells it bed is a place where you think and stay awake – bed is for sleeping (and sex) not for thinking.
You can also try some relaxation techniques;
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•Progressive Muscle Relaxation - http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/docs/ACF3C8D.pdf
•Meditation - http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/docs/ACF3C8D.pdf
•Deep breathing - https://psychcentral.com/lib/learning-deep-breathing/
•Mindfulness – This can come in many forms. Adult therapy colouring books are a really good way of practicing mindfulness.
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If you're still struggling with sleep issues, please contact us to find out how we might be able to help.
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