A few years ago I really struggled with insomnia, some nights I hardly slept and back then I’d often get up at 5am because by that time I was beside myself from trying so hard to sleep and failing catastrophically. Although I sleep like a hibernating badger in winter nowadays I have had the odd bout of trouble sleeping so I wanted to share a few tricks that I’ve picked up along the way.

Insomnia works very much like anxiety does for me – it comes and goes depending on what’s going on in my life. I’ve also found that the two work together – if you’re anxious or worried you can’t sleep, then you’re anxious from lack of sleep and a good routine which results in you getting less done and feeling like you have more to worry about. It can so easily become a vicious cycle and begin to impact more than just your bedtime. So these are my ‘tools’ that I’ve learnt along the way, these have helped me to break that cycle many times, they may not all work for you but I hope that there’s a little bit here for everyone.

First of all:

Maintain a good routine

Remember when you were a kid and your parents sent you to bed at 7.30 almost every single night, you hated it because it always seemed too early? Well that was your routine, something that slips once we get the freedom to choose our own bedtime. You need sleep to function though just like kids need it to develop and grow, so be firm with yourself and set your own bedtime routine which ensures you get enough time to relax before switching off the light. Jumping into bed without allowing your body time to relax and unwind may not be a problem for some but, most of us would benefit from having some time to come down before we want to switch off for the day so be sure to factor in a little downtime.

Address the bigger issue

Sometimes we don’t sleep because there’s an issue going on and that might be too big for us to tackle on our own. This is something you have to judge for yourself but it’s an important call to make. There’s no shame in asking for help to address a deeper issue, the sad fact of life is that sometimes bad things happen to good people and although we may try to be brave and manage how these experiences have affected us we cannot always do it single-handedly. I wouldn’t be where I am right now without having therapy, I wouldn’t have gone travelling on my own, I wouldn’t have taken on a Maths Degree, I wouldn’t own my own home, but most importantly I wouldn’t be free from all the bad feelings I carried from my childhood illness – it changed so many things about my life and it could for you too. The worst mistake that you can make is thinking ‘this isn’t bad enough’ to need some help, we are humble beings and expect ourselves to be able to heal too easily sometimes.

Practice daily gratitude

Lastly, end your day on a positive note by recognising what you have to be grateful for. Move away from a routine of scrolling through social media comparing your life to everyone else and instead pick out three good things that happened in your day and three good things that you did today. If you begin to pay more attention to your own life then you’ll find that you actually have more to be grateful for than you realised. It’s incredibly damaging comparing lives, we’re all on different paths, there’s no competition, no prize to be won just this gift we are all given every day to live this life and make of it what we can.

Now try to incorporate some of these into your lifestyle and see what works best for you:

Read

I hated reading as a child, in fact probably all the way through school but, now reading is like an escapism for me. Although I have to read a lot for my degree I still enjoy getting lost in a new story and it certainly occupies my mind before I switch out the light. I also think that being quiet and still for half an hour helps my body to wind down slowly, so the positive physical effects of reading in bed probably have just as much impact as the psychological ones.

Listen to music

Music can be both a useful tool and a hindrance when it comes to drifting off to sleep. When listening to music before bed you have to find what works for you. For some of us, music may stimulate our brains too much and have the opposite effect than what we were hoping for but it’s certainly worth a try. Spotify is great for this because there are an abundance of playlists already created for this kind of thing, so you’ll easily find a chilled out one that you can play quietly to help you relax.

Or…

If I’m feeling unmotivated and like I need a bit of a boost at the end of the day I’ll find a TED Talk and listen to that in bed. There are some really thoughtful and inspirational ideas shared and so many to choose from. The positive vibes seem to rub off on me and I also find them really calming too.

Meditation

This is something that I’ve only recently delved into but now I wish that I hadn’t waited so long to give it a go. Although I don’t meditate regularly I have found it to be a big help at times where I have found stress interfering with my sleeping habits. It’s the simplest thing but it’s so powerful in helping to focus the mind and bring you back to the here and now.

Pilates and Yoga

Another way that you can help your mind to refocus is by practising yoga or Pilates. The breathing techniques required in each are great for helping to alleviate stress and induce calmness. Along with the many physical health benefits, like many forms of exercise, there are also a number of psychological benefits too and you can have a go at home, all you need is a mat and a tutorial which you’ll easily find online.

Finally a few little additions you might want to add to your ‘good night’s sleep’ toolkit:

For your room:

Good pillows & a good mattress

Room spray – to help you relax Perfect Night’s Sleep Pillow Mist & Quietude are my favourites

For you:

Night cream

Nighttime rescue remedy

Magnesium – a great vitamin that can help with insomnia

Please note: I get paid commission on any purchases made from my personal website Temple Spa – Alice Maddocks