I hear time and time again how people are finding it hard to get to sleep. This week, I want to share some easy steps in order to get that good night’s sleep you’ve been dreaming of (excuse the pun!).
There can be several reasons why you might not be able to sleep. So, amongst these tips, you’ll likely find one, or many, of the reasons you can’t get to sleep – or stay asleep!
Routine
We all need a good routine to help get into the habit of falling asleep with ease. Preparing your mind and body for a good night’s sleep happens way before getting into bed.
It starts with having a bedtime. This doesn’t mean forcing yourself to get to bed at the same time even when you’re not tired. But getting to know your body, how long you can stay up, and when you feel like you’re ready to wind down and get ready to sleep.
Sleeping on a full stomach
When you eat too late and lie down soon after, it can cause a lot of discomfort as you haven’t fully digested your food.
Being uncomfortable when you’re trying to get to sleep isn’t the best start when you’re trying to fix your sleep habits.
So make sure you leave enough time after food to sit up, digest and have a more comfortable rest when it comes to bedtime.
What are you watching?
Dreams usually draw reference to the last thing you’ve watched. So, if you have found that you’re usually waking up with a start from a stressful or scary dream, what were you watching earlier?
Dreams aren’t real
It’s easy to get drawn into your dreams, especially if they’re lucid they can feel pretty real.
If you find yourself waking up and unable to get back to sleep, it’s important to remind yourself that it isn’t real, and especially in the middle of the night your fear/stress can be exacerbated.
This is no reason to feel a need to stay awake. You are in control of those dreams and so you can just and well create a new, more positive dream state for yourself.
Firstly, think about the dream – why would you be having it? Where would those thoughts have come from? Reminding yourself where that dream would have come from will help you to realise that reality is substantially different from your dream.
Sleep is good!
Dreading going to bed can really set you up for a bad night ahead, so create some positives for going to sleep. i.e. You’ve had a long day so lying down sounds great – or – you’ll feel so rested tomorrow!
I wanted to address making sleep a positive and enjoyable experience. This is possible for anyone if you create the right build-up to bedtime and accept sleep as a time to rest and recuperate, rather than it being distressing.
