StyleNest team up with Dr Guy Meadows and take a few tips from his new book The Sleep Book: How to Sleep Well Every Night to help banish tossing and turning and counting sheep.
If your greatest fear is going to sleep, fear not as over 30% of the UK population suffer from sleep issues. Chances are, when you’re fighting the fatigue, you are most likely doing all the wrong things so take a look Dr Guy Meadows simple sleep tips or download the Sleep App to help support you at night.
Tip 1. Discover
Sleep is a natural physiological process that can’t be controlled and having a reliance on unnatural night time rituals or props (e.g. warm baths, pills and alcohol etc) can fuel sleep anxiety and further sleeplessness. Follow a normal & regular wind down each night to retrain your brain to sleep.
Tip 2. Accept
Worrying about poor quality past sleep or imagining how bad things will be in the future if you don’t sleep only helps to increase night time arousal levels. Whilst noticing things objectively and without judgment in the present moment like the touch of your duvet on your toes or the gentle movement of air in and out your nose can actually promote sleep.
Tip 3. Welcome
Fearful thoughts or strong emotional reactions such as anxiety at night can keep you more awake. Learning to change your relationship with them by getting to know them and even welcoming them when they arrive will reduce arousal levels and lessen your sleep struggle.
Tip 4. Build
Go to bed and get up at ‘roughly’ the same time each night – this will help to keep your body clock on time and promote your natural drive to sleep. If you are awake at night choose to stay in bed and conserve your energy by lying still and being calm and mindful.
Tip 6. Live
The fear of not sleeping drives us to stop living our lives such as avoiding going out at night with friends or sleeping in the spare room. Commit to making small actions everyday that take you closer to what is important to you in your life. A happy and content brain is a sleepy brain.
For further tips please see The Sleep Book – How to sleep well every night published by Orion on 13th February 2014 (£9.99) www.thesleepschool.org