REST EASY - guide to a good night’s sleep
As September heralds in the autumn, in
a sense the changing season brings forth a fresh start – a new year if you
like. It’s the beginning of the academic calendar, and as such a return to
routine. So how as a family can you help yourself with that routine? A
good night’s sleep for all is essential. But often, that is easier said than done.
Sleeping through is something that
should come naturally to us all. It is something that as a newborn we learn to
do once we manage to separate the need for food from the need for sleep – this
is something baby (and the exhausted parents) can often need help with, and a
good maternity
nurse can be a lifeline in this
situation.
It maybe that your little one has
settled beautifully and is in a great night-time routine, but even the best baby
sleepers can go on to have problems later. Night
Nannies can help with this aspect of an
infant or child’s routine.
As adults however, night-time sleep
can be erratic. Life style factors play a big part. Pressures, worries and
stress, have all been known to take their toll and show themselves as insomnia.
Perhaps a Personal
Assistant could help you manage your
workload and address your work/life balance, or perhaps Eden can help you find
a Life
Coach before insomnia begins to affect
your health and happiness.
First, it should be noted that a lack of
sleep can appear as a direct result of various health problems, and, if you recognise
any symptoms please do visit your GP. Perhaps sleep apnea or restless leg
syndrome are the cause? Visiting a sleep specialist could help. A sleep study can be performed in order to confirm the diagnosis and
recommend the adequate treatment solution.
The good news is, there are plenty of natural
ways to help reduce stress and anxiety and equip you with strategies
for better sleep, which
in turn will help with health and happiness.
1) Spending time in natural surroundings, whether it’s at city parks,
in forests or at the beach has been shown to
have specific health and wellbeing benefits, and lead to a better night’s
sleep.
2) Promote sleep by making sure
you eat carbs for dinner.
Food such as potatoes for the last meal of the day deliver amino acids that
will trigger Melatonin, the sleep hormone.
3) Reduce the amount of artificial light around you because it disrupts the body’s melatonin production. Not
only the lighting in your home, but that which comes from the many electronic
devices and screens that today that we are all so accustomed to.
4) A cool and dark bedroom is one way of guaranteeing a better night’s sleep. When the
temperature of the body decreases, the onset of sleep is stimulated. The
darkness stimulates the production of melatonin and promotes a restful sleep as
well.
5) Yoga,
meditation and deep breathing can all help
manage the stress that occurs throughout the day and lead to a better night.
6) Physical exercise
is essential for maintaining general health and it can really help with insomnia,
especially when performed in the open outdoors.
7) A wind-down Routine is essential to aiding relaxation and putting
you in the right frame of mind for a good night’s sleep. Having dinner at a
sensible hour, giving your body time to digest the food, enjoying a warm bath
all prior to bed, are all signals your body can recognise as time to shut down
for the night. You may like to try something like the Lavender and loveage candle (Jo Malone, £42). Its calming effect
can help ease anxiety. Jomalone.co.uk
8) If you need to, try reading – obviously not a thriller or a
book that will leave you agitated, but something you enjoy that will help your
eyes become heavy.
9)
Quality of sleep can be improved with the help of natural remedies. Some supplements may help such as Magnesium and Green Tea for their calming
effects and Taurine, which reduces
cortisol and can help induce the
onset of sleep.
10) Listening to music can help. But not just any music. Michael Tyrrell, an author and composer has produced Wholetones,
a healing frequency music project which by
working on a cellular level helps restore the body’s circadian rhythm and
consequently improves sleep and wellbeing.
This post first appeared here