Top Tips for a Great Night's Sleep

1.    Blackout your bedroom
Make sure your bedroom is as dark as possible – Your delicate circadian rhythm needs darkness at night (and natural light during the day) and to operate at it’s best.   Use blackout blinds, heavy curtains and avoid things that glow (electrical equipment – see below) in your bedroom.  I also like to use an eye mask when necessary, which gives an extra layer of light protection.

2.    No electrical equipment
Bedrooms should be free from all electrical equipment including TVs, mobile phones etc.   All electrical equipment emits electromagnetic radiation that is harmful and can disrupt your sleep.  They also normally have at least one glowing light or digital clock that glows that lights up the room.   If you regularly fall asleep in bed with the TV on, move it out of your room.   At the very least, unplug it from the wall before going to sleep.  Use a battery powered alarm clock or if you use your mobile as your alarm (as I do), experiment to see if the alarm will still work when the phone is switched off.  If it’s a smart phone, switch it to ‘Airplane mode’ so it’s not sending a signal out through the night (though it will still emit electromagnetic radiation)

3.    Switch yourself off
Can’t stop thinking?  Thoughts running through your head?  There’s nothing worse than lying in bed thinking/worrying too much and not being able to drift off or waking in the night and not getting back to sleep again for what seems like hours.  I’ve got a few techniques up my sleeve for this, my favourites being

1. Essential oils - Everyone knows lavender essential oil in the bath before bed or on the pillow can help, but have you ever tried frankincense or valerian massaged into your feet?   These essential oils are grounding and balance out all the energy whizzing about in your head.  Putting them on your feet adds to the grounding effect, so that you can quieten down the ever-chattering internal voice.
2. Bach Flower Remedies - These work in much the same way as essential oils, in that they help to calm the mind.  You can get Rescue Night (or Healing Herbs’ ‘Rest’ – available at Peak Wellbeing) which is Rescue Remedy (5 Flower blend) with added White Chestnut, for ‘Unresolved, circling thoughts’.  A couple of squirts under your tongue will help to get you gently off to the land of Zzzzz.
3. Visualisation - I also like to visualise the energy/thoughts leaving my body.  I do this either by imagining the energy flowing down through my body and out the soles of my feet into the ground, where the Earth absorbs and takes it away, or with every out-breath, I visualise the thoughts leaving my body with the breath and dissipating into the atmosphere.   If I have a specific problem I need help with, to add an extra dimension, I visualise (on an in-breath if you like) the energy coming back to me through the night in a calming, positive way, enabling me to get a good night’s sleep, waking up with a new way of looking at things and hopefully a solution to the problem.

A combination of all these techniques will help to create the right atmosphere conducive to a good night’s sleep.  Of course it goes without saying that a healthy lifestyle also plays a big part.  Do you have any tools and techniques that help you get to sleep that you’d like to share on our Facebook page?