Trouble Sleeping?
Do you wake up tired? Stay up late at night, wide-awake? Toss and turn all through the night? You're not alone. Poor sleep, commonly known as Insomnia affects one in 5 adults in the UK.
The symptoms of Insomnia are:
- Waking up too early
- Not being able to get off to sleep easily, or at all
- Awake for long periods at night time
- Waking up feeling incredibly tired, craving more sleep
- Tired in the daytime
- Irritable
- Lack of concentration or ability to function
So how much sleep does one need?
Everyone is completely different. The average amount of sleep required is 7 hours for an adult. However, with age it becomes normal to sleep less. Ideally, you should feel refreshed and able to concentrate throughout the day and sleepy before bedtime.
What are the causes of Insomnia?
The usual causes of poor sleep are stress, family, work or personal problems and can even be down to sleeping in a different bed. These reasons are often temporary, and improve with time.
Anxiety, depression, or even a poor diet can also contribute to a lack of sleep. With treatment of these, it is possible to improve sleep. Your GP will be able to recommend some options best to suit your situation.
10 natural and simple ways to promote sleep focusing on your general wellbeing
- Have a soak – Enjoy a fabulously long soak in the bath before bed. Light some candles, play some gentle music, get a good book, chuck your favourite bubble bath or salts in, and just relax. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and enjoy. Your muscles relax when they are warm, taking away that tense feeling.
- Food before bed – Try not to eat at least 2 hours before bedtime. It takes 6 hours for your stomach to fully digest food, and if you suffer from indigestion the last thing you want to do is go to bed with a full stomach. If you are desperately hungry, drink a glass of warm milk before going to bed.
- Dinner – Whilst on the subject of food, let’s talk about dinner. Dinner should not be too stodgy nor too large. Your metabolism naturally slows down in the evening, preparing for sleep, which means it’s harder to burn off dinner than breakfast, as you have all day for that. If it helps, look at what you have eaten during the day and see if you have missed anything out to complete a healthy daily diet. It will make cooking more creative as you have to think up new ideas.
- Herbal Teas – Chamomile Tea is the perfect treat before bed. Containing natural soothing and calming ingredients, they can help you get off to a peaceful sleep.
- Lovely Lavender – A few sprinkles of lavender essential oil on your pillow or in your bath can promote healthy sleep. Be careful not to use too much, as Lavender can have the reverse effects if used in great quantities.
- Exercise – Research shows that those who exercise regularly or have physical jobs sleep better than those who don’t exercise regularly or have sedentary jobs. Be it some gardening, a yoga class, some stretching or a run, any form of exercise will promote healthy sleep.
- Alcohol, Caffeine and Cigarettes – Avoid alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes in great quantities before bed – It can disrupt your sleep pattern noticeably.
- Empty your bladder before bed – This should prevent any mid-night wake ups. It’s an incredibly common reason for nocturnal waking, so try and get into the habit to break the cycle.
- Make your bedroom your haven – Free your bedroom of clutter, turn off the TV or radio, keep the lighting low and phone switched off. This allows for no distractions, and helps to keep you relaxed and peaceful.
- At night - A slightly cool bedroom is perfect for sleeping. It mimics your body temperature drop during sleep, and also saves energy and money!
Why not wind down to one of our free relaxing workouts before going to bed? Click here: Fitness on Demand
