Struggling to sleep?

With our lives being turned upside down over the last 12 months due to the Pandemic, it’s not surprising that more of us are struggling to sleep than ever before.

This year World Sleep Day is on Friday 19th March, their motto for 2021 is ‘Regular Sleep, Healthy Future’ highlighting, especially at the moment, how important getting enough sleep on a regular basis is to our long-term health.

We’ve all been there. Struggling to sleep night after night. This lack of sleep makes us moody and irritable. It can also lead to feeling overwhelmed, unable to concentrate and feeling less motivated to achieve our goals. And in some cases, feeling low or depressed.

So, we have put together our Top 10 Sleep tips to help you get a better night’s sleep.

Top 10 Sleep Tips:

1. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends and days off.
2. If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes or so, get up and do something boring or calming until you feel sleepy. Then go back to bed and try again. Don’t start doing anything that will over stimulate your brain, as this will wake you up even more.
3. Avoid caffeine and nicotine. These can act as stimulants, so best to avoid up to 4-6 hours before going to bed.
4. Avoid alcohol. Again, it is best to avoid alcohol 4-6 hours before going to bed. Many people think that it helps them to relax, but in fact its impacting on the quality of your sleep.
5. Don’t watch TV in bed. You want your body to learn to associate bed with a good night’s sleep. If you refrain from using the bed for watching TV, eating, reading, working from home, etc your body will soon learn that it’s time to sleep.
6. No napping. If you want to sleep at bedtime, it’s best to avoid naps during the day. If you feel that you must, make sure it is for less than an hour and before 3pm.
7. Bedtime routine. Developing your own bedtime routine is another way to remind your body that it’s time to go to sleep. Meditation, breathing exercises or relaxing stretches around 15 minutes before bedtime can help you to unwind. Alternatively, enjoying a hot bath 1-2 hours before bedtime or sitting calmly with the lights low with a caffeine-free hot drink.
8. No clock watching. If you are struggling to sleep you can fall into the trap of watching the clock too much. Checking what the time is during the night can wake you up and encourage negative thoughts ‘Oh no, look how late it is, I’ll never going to get to sleep’ or ‘I’ve only had 4 hours sleep, it’s too early, this is terrible’.
9. Get the room to a comfortable 18 degrees, black out curtains/blinds, why not invest in some comfy bedding and a lavender pillow spray.
10. Regular exercise will help you to get a good night’s sleep, however do not exercise in the 4 hours before bedtime and nothing to strenuous. Walking in the morning is a great way to start you day feeling refreshed.
11. Use a Sleep app to help track your progress. There are some great free apps available to help you do this and some also include bedtime stories for adults or soothing dreamscapes to help you doze off.

If you still struggle we can recommend reading the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations from 2006. They will send anyone off to sleep!

If you need any assistance with any aspect of managing your people, please call us on 01527 306066.