Struggling with Insomnia? Desperately Seeking Sleep? Read on for tips to reclaim a good night's sleep!
Sleep. It is so important for your health and well-being and lack of it can have a huge impact on how you feel.
Like many Mums (and many of the women who I work with), I spent a number of years being chronically deprived of sleep due to children waking or being unsettled during the night.
Prior to having children, I also experienced periods of insomnia, usually during times of high stress around exam times whilst I was studying.
Stress is one of the biggest disruptors of healthy sleep. A stressed active mind being one of the main reasons that sleep onset is delayed and is often behind frequent waking during the night or the inability to get back to sleep once woken during the night.
Aside from making it hard to calm an active mind, stress, both acute and chronic can disrupt your adrenal function, leading to a disordered cortisol (stress hormone) rhythm. This can mean that your body makes too much cortisol later in the day or evening, leading to you feeling wired and unable to wind down at night. Then instead of making a healthy amount of cortisol in the morning to help you get up and going for the day, you might struggle to get going or function in the morning without the help of caffeine, because of the imbalanced cortisol production.
A nervous system that is wound up and on high alert is also not going to allow you to wind down and go to sleep. You need to be in parasympathetic nervous system mode rather than sympathetic (active/fight-or-flight mode) to be able to relax enough to go to sleep. This can be another reason why, even though you know that you're exhausted, you still feel too wired to wind down to get a deep, restorative sleep.
So what can you do?
If stress is behind your insomnia, a wind down routine in the evenings can make a big difference. Some of my suggestions here would be to think of simple things that you find relaxing- for me this is a bath with epsom salts and essential oils, some calming herbal tea and reading before I go to sleep.
Switch off devices well before bedtime
The light from phone/computer/ipad screens can disrupt the sleep hormone cycle. Being alert or distracted by things on line keeps you in active mode rather than wind down mode. Also remember to switch off WIFI at night as it can also disrupt your sleep.
Consider stress support nutrients and herbs
Key stress support nutrients are magnesium, B vitamins, zinc and omega 3 fatty acids. There are some fabulous herbs (other than valerian- I don't use it because it can lead to unpredictable results in some people!) which can support your nervous system to relax and reduce excess cortisol production. The right herbs won't leave you feeling drowsy the next day and also don't create a dependency. If your adrenals have become stressed or depleted there are some fantastic herbs to support them back to balance.
Reduce caffeine intake
Each of us metabolises caffeine differently and even caffeine consumed earlier in the day can still potentially affect your sleep. Remember that green tea and chocolate or cacao also contain caffeine so be mindful of how much of these you are having in the evenings. A herbal tea might be a better option than green (and certainly black tea) in the later afternoon or evenings.
Meditation or breathing techniques
These are wonderful for stress reduction and relaxation in the evenings or if you happen to wake during the night and find yourself unable to get back to sleep. One of my favorites is the 6:2 Calm Breathing ( breathe in to the count of 6, hold your breathe for the count of 2. Exhale slowly to the count of 6, hold for count of two before repeating the cycle).
Consider what you're eating
Sugar and food additives can interfere with sleep as can eating foods that you are intolerant or sensitive to.
Hormones
Notice whether your insomnia is occurring at certain times of your menstrual cycle or whether menopausal symptoms are causing a disrupted sleep.
Drinking too much or eating too much before bed
Drinking too much before bed can mean that you'll be woken up to go to the toilet during the night. Make sure that you're getting enough water earlier in the day rather than leaving it until the evening. Eating too much before bed can interfere with sleep and also leave you feeling sluggish the next day because your body has been working to digest overnight instead of being able to rest.
Also, consider whether you are staying up too late and becoming overtired?
That time when the house is quiet and there are no needs to be met other than your own is precious and many Mums find themselves wanting to stay up and savour this time. Just make sure though that you're not staying up too late and becoming overtired as not only will that mean that you're not getting enough hours of sleep, but going to sleep overtired can often lead to a broken, light sleep.
