Sleep Hygiene
Around about now (end November) my sleep starts to get disturbed. I go into overdrive in an insane attempt to get everything done in time for the holidays so that "I can relax". Why I feel the need now to do a massive 'spring clean' of the garage, the attic, the shed, and the 'bits and bob drawer' as well as everything else is beyond me. But it seems to be de rigueur that everything must be perfect in order to warrant that downtime.
With this in mind, I decided to record a "Yoga Nidra for sleep". I am not going to claim that it will send you to sleep, but my hope is that it might help set you up to sleep. It is 'open ended' meaning that at the end I don't guide you back into wakefulness, I just stop talking and hope that the Z's have taken over. You can download it for free.
While we are on the subject of sleep; I thought it might be useful to share a few 'Sleep hygiene tips'. One thing I will say is that sleeping well, isn't always about just sleeping well. It's not just about lavender sprays and dim lights. Our bodies need to earn the rest. We need to expend the energy during the day. The flips side of sleep is wakefulness, and what we do during our wakeful hours is just as important.
Perhaps consider balancing out that Yoga Nidra for sleep, with an invigorating Yoga class in the morning to expend some energy. (There are some free audio classes or join an online class and you get a recording to do for 7 days after the class.) As with everything it is all about balance. (and yoga ;)
Sleep hygiene
Stick to a sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Sleeping later on weekends will not fully make up for a lack of sleep during the week and will make it harder to wake up early on Monday morning. Internal mechanisms of adenosine and circadian clocks, and they're always operating, you need to provide them consistent, powerful anchors so that your cortisol, your melatonin, and then everything that cascades down from that, such as your metabolism, your ability to learn, your sense of alertness, your dopamine, your serotonin, all that stuff is timed regularly.
Exercise is great, but not too late in the day. Try to exercise at least 30 minutes on most days, but no later than two or three hours before your bedtime. Consider what type of workout you do. Perhaps an invigorating session in the morning and a more calming stretchy session in the evening.
Avoid caffeine and nicotine before bed. Coffee, cola, tea, chocolate contain caffeine and its effects can take as long as eight hours to wear off fully. A cup late in the afternoon can make it hard for you to fall asleep at night. Nicotine is also a stimulant. Often smokers only sleep lightly and wake up too early in the morning because of nicotine withdrawal.
Avoid alcoholic drinks before bed. Having a nightcap may help you relax but it robs you of deep sleep and REM sleep, keeping you in the lighter stages of sleep. Heavy alcohol may also contribute to breathing impairment at night, and you also tend to wake up in the middle of the night when the alcohol effects of worn off.
Avoid large meals and beverages late at night. A snack is okay, but a large meal can cause indigestion which interferes with sleep. Too many fluids make you go to the loo.
If possible, avoid medicines that delay or disrupt your sleep. Some commonly prescribed heart blood pressure or asthma medications as well as over the counter and herbal remedies for coughs, colds or allergies can disrupt sleep patterns. If you're having trouble sleeping, consider taking your medicine later. (Obviously, read the leaflet and speak to a doctor.)
Don't take naps after 3:00pm. Naps can make up for lost sleep, but late afternoon naps can make it hard for you to fall asleep at night you're reducing your ‘sleep pressure’. (Sleep pressure builds up throughout the day so by the time evening comes you are ready for bed).
Relax before bed. Don't over schedule your day so that no time is left for unwinding. Relaxing activities such as reading, listening to music should be a part of your bedtime ritual.
Take a hot bath before bed. Temperature plays an important role in our waking and sleeping states. The drop in body temperature after getting out of the bath may help you feel sleepy and the bath can help you relax and slow down, so you're more ready to sleep.
Have a good sleeping environment. Get rid of anything that might distract you from sleeping, such as noises (snoring partners?), bright lights, an uncomfortable bed, or warm temperatures. Also, turn the clock so you don't watch it if you can't sleep at night. Obviously, it's better not to have a TV or cell phone or computer in the bedroom to distract you and stimulate you.
Have the right sunlight exposure. Daylight is key to regulating sleep patterns try to get outside in natural sunlight for at least 10-30 minutes each day, 30 mins of waking up. Keep your circadian rhythm happy by also having some sunlight exposure in the afternoon. Turn your lights lower around bedtime, avoid bright lights between 10pm - 4am
Don't lie in bed awake. If you find yourself still awake after staying in bed for more than 30 minutes, or you're starting to feel anxious or worried. Get up and do some relaxing activity until you feel sleepy. The anxiety of not being able to sleep can make it harder to fall asleep.
Learn to de-stress. Try different things that can help you: consider breathing protocols, hypnosis, yoga Nidra, morning pages, journalling, Restorative yoga....
See a health professional if you continue to have trouble sleeping. There are other reasons you might not be sleeping. About 1 in 5 people has some form of sleep apnea and there is something that can be done about it (Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where breathing is interrupted repeatedly during sleep. Characterised by loud snoring and episodes of stop breathing.)
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