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SUPPORT FOR HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Good sleep can greatly improve your quality of life, promoting physical and mental wellbeing. Check out these strategies to sleep better.

Improving sleep

Almost everyone has trouble getting to sleep every now and then, but for some people, particularly those experiencing a lot of stress, this can become an ongoing problem. Troubles with sleep not only cause you to feel tired, but can also really negatively impact your day to day functioning and health. 

Learning ways to manage sleep difficulties can greatly improve your quality of life.

The following strategies should help you sleep better at night:
  • Set your body clock – go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including weekends. Maintaining a sleep schedule that is regular and predictable can help your body maintain a rhythm and make it easier to fall asleep. If your sleep-wake times are too inconsistent, you may feel tired and groggy all the time, as your body is never sure when it is meant to be awake and when it is meant to be sleeping.
  • Avoid stimulants – within 3 hours of bedtime don’t: drink caffeinated drinks, eat a heavy meal or do energetic exercise.
  • Be active during the day – regular daytime exercise will help improve your sleep quality. If you get outside early and get some sunlight in, this will also help to set your body clock for a good night’s sleep.
  • Avoid naps – try not to lie down, nap or sleep during the day.
  • Wind down at bedtime – have an hour of quiet time before bed. This nightly routine could consist of  switching off your electronic device, reading, having a bath or listening to music.
  • Make your bedroom a good environment for sleep – keep it cool, dark and quiet. Regulating the temperature in your bedroom is important as our core temperature drops when we fall asleep. If your room is too warm, you risk making it harder to fall or stay asleep.
  • Get up if you can’t sleep – if you can’t sleep after 30 minutes or so, get up and do something relaxing and/or boring until you feel tired, then try again. Don’t lie in bed fretting, as this will only make you associate your bed with lying awake.
  • Challenge your worries –  if stress or anxiety is interfering with your sleep, one way to intervene with this is to write down all your worries. Journaling can be helpful to get worrisome thoughts out of your head and get more shuteye. If your anxious thoughts are directly related to sleep itself, then try a few thought challenges.
A few examples might be: 

I’ll never get to sleep

  • Sleep is not a light switch. It takes good sleepers 15-30 min to get to sleep, and to wake up. 
  • You are getting more sleep than you think. Insomniacs underestimate how much they sleep due to the stress of lying awake.

I woke up in the middle of the night or early morning and feel awake, so I will not be able to fall back to sleep. 

  • It’s normal to wake up once or twice in the night, everyone does. You may initially feel alert; drowsiness will follow. 
  • If you do wake up early, don’t get frustrated or battle it, that will only wake you up more. Relax. Give yourself permission to be awake. Interestingly, accepting being awake informs your brain it’s ok to go back to sleep.

I can’t function without sleep.

  • Sleep is not the reason for ALL problems. Fatigue can also be due to stress, lack of exercise, poor nutrition, dehydration, low iron and more. Even if you get a poor night of sleep, you will be able to function the next day.
  • If your sleep problems are particularly bad, you may want to visit your GP to discuss.
  • Good luck, and sleep well!