Do you snooze or lose? Many would agree that sleep naturally occurs at the end of the day. Some of us may even find ourselves dozing off before reaching our beds, opting to unwind by sitting down, relaxing, and watching some mindless TV. It isn't this simple. We can find ourselves tossing, turning rolling the bed night after night. The more of a struggle sleep becomes, the more stressed we feel. We often find ourselves caught in the relentless cycle of tossing and turning, unable to find peace in the quiet of the night. This struggle isn't just about closing our eyes and drifting off—it's about the battle within, where every attempt to rest feels like another step into the room of restlessness. The bedroom, instead of being a haven of tranquillity, becomes a stage for a nightly performance of unease and discomfort. We can even become somewhat fixated, and frustrating and even 'beat ourselves up' for the place we find ourselves in. We don't always know the reasons for this...even if we did we might not always be in control and able to do anything to change stuff. Whatever the why. All poor sleepers face their sleep-wake cycle being disrupted. Did you know... Our brain learns through repetition it grows neural pathways, and it allows us to learn, unlearn and also sometimes relearn. This applies to the kind of learning that we experience when we are tying shoelaces and also when studying times tables as a child. The memory we hold influences how we behave and you could say approach situations. Sometimes we get fixated and frustrated with our current situation, even blaming ourselves for it. I often talk to clients about how they approach stressful nights trying to sleep, many own ' beating themselves up' Regardless of the reasons, all poor sleepers encounter disruptions in their sleep-wake cycle. It's fascinating, isn't it? The way our brains operate, honing in on repetition to forge these neural pathways that shape who we are and how we navigate the world. It's like every action, every piece of information we encounter and repeat, carves out a little more of our mental landscape. Many of us when not able to fall asleep naturally, after trying all of the tricks in the book. Counting sheep is one I always remember. One that would sometimes work for me was convincing myself I was going to have to get up for school. This was in my younger years, school wasn't one of my favourite places. When we lack success, we count the hours we've lost and could have had. You've guessed it this leaves us feeling frustrated, and anxious because of the busy day we have ahead of us and ultimately sleeping less and stressing out more. A common saying thrown around when I was growing up was 'What they don't know doesn't hurt them' I didn't always understand this but on this occasion, I agree not knowing would be helpful - there's less likelihood of us getting hung up on the numbers. Try these tricks... 1) Covering the Clock When struggling to fall asleep naturally, many of us have tried various methods without success. One classic technique is counting sheep, a fond memory for many. Personally, I sometimes tricked myself into thinking I had to wake up early for school, back when school wasn't my favourite place. When we face sleeplessness, we tend to dwell on the lost hours and what could have been. This leads to frustration, anxiety about the upcoming busy day, less sleep, and increased stress. Growing up, a common phrase I heard was 'what they don't know won't hurt them.' While I didn't always grasp its meaning, in this instance, I agree that ignorance could be bliss - it helps us avoid fixating on the time. 2) Routine rules When we are going to sleep in the evening many of us will find ourselves using our phones, or watching a movie. Some day this lighting simulates us. We might even stay up until a film ends, rush up to bed squeeze our eyes shut and hope we drop off and sharpish. Can I ask something When we get ready in the morning, we do things in order, we don't put our shoes on before our socks. When we do this, it helps our brain get prepped and ready for the day ahead. We need to do the same for getting rest. You might put your phone down and move away from any screen an hour before sleeping, having a milky drink and using relaxing scents on bedding 3) Energy to empty We sometimes find ourselves staying awake at night because we have such a busy mind, overthinking about a text we sent or the day ahead. If we use our energy to empty our minds and then pick anything we need to do tomorrow, rather than trying to sleep with a mind full. I can support you to sleep better and stress less. |
AuthorDemi Shakespeare
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