How to improve your sleep routine

If you’ve been having trouble sleeping it can have a cumulative impact on your life.  Your concentration and memory will suffer, you’ll lack energy and motivation and your appearance will deteriorate.  Sleep is a habit, and sometimes a disruption to our sleeping cycle will break our good sleeping habit and create a new disrupted sleeping pattern.

There are 3 types of insomnia:

·         Sleep onset insomnia

·         Sleep maintenance insomnia

·         Early awakening insomnia

Some instances of sleep disturbance are as a result of a physical condition e.g. menopause, overactive thyroid, chronic pain.  It is important to talk to a doctor to eliminate any possible medical condition as the cause.

The body craves routine, therefore a good sleep hygiene routine is essential to getting a good restful night’s sleep, and this routine should include:

·         No eating within 4 hours of sleep, avoid heavy meals particularly late in the day

·         Avoid stimulants such as caffeinated or energy drinks, I would suggest avoiding these after mid-day to ensure you have metabolized them completely before bed time.

·         Don’t watch TV in bed – it’s stimulating (no matter how dull the show!). 

·         Avoid screen time, I know so many of us are using our phones as alarm clocks, however we don’t really have to have them on our bedside table. The temptation to pick them up and check our social media pages or email can be all too tempting when we wake in the night. 

·         Stick to a regular bed time.  The body responds well to this, it likes to follow a  regular pattern, they don’t call it a body clock for nothing!

·         Enjoy a gentle walk after dinner to wind down

·         Read a book, or even an inspirational thought.

·         If you’re open to it a Journal can be a great way to end the day.  I’d suggest that firstly brain dumping anything that you’re worried about is a good way of clearing the mind and avoiding that cycle of going over and over the same thing as you lie awake (otherwise known as ruminating).  Always conclude with a gratitude entry, even in the worst day there’s always something to be grateful for , even if it’s that warm cup of tea or the pretty flower you saw growing by the side of the road (against the odds).

Sometimes if insomnia has become chronic, you may need to devote some additional effort into breaking the back of the poor sleep habit.  You may need to have some additional rituals to reset your sleeping mode, these could include:

·         Doing some gentle stretching and deep breathing exercises

·         Taking a warm relaxing soak in the bath with some essential oils

·         Having an oil diffuser in your bedroom pre sleep time with some relaxing essential oils

·         Listening to sleep hypnosis or guided meditation before drifting off and focusing on your breath until you drift off to sleep.

o   This breathing technique is highly effective for inducing sleep.  Inhale for a count of 7, hold for a count of 4, and gently exhale for a count of 8.  Repeat this breathing process and you will find that your body and mind relaxes as your focus on the breath increases and you will slip into sleep.  Don’t worry if your mind wanders, that will happen, when you become aware of it just gently bring your focus back to your breath and you will hopefully see results.

Clinical Hypnotherapy is highly effective in the treatment of chronic sleeping disorders; if you find that you need further assistance to restore a healthy and restorative sleeping pattern, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 0435 923 817.


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