Lets talk about sleep.

First Published 16 December 2021

Are you getting enough sleep? Is it good quality? Are you waking up feeling rested or restless?

When we are tiny, sleep is pretty much most of what we do, and then as we get older we start to fight it.  Fear of missing out, pushing boundaries (starting with refusing to go to bed when the parentals tell us), wanting to watch just one more episode/read one more chapter – whatever our reasons for not wanting to go to bed, on some level we likely started to fight it – at least some of the time.  And don’t get me started on all these gurus who are adamant that we all only need 4 hours sleep!!!

We all need differing amounts of sleep and those differing amounts may, and most likely will, change throughout our lifetimes.  

So, this is where we need to start paying attention to ourselves.  How long do we need to sleep for? Is it the same every night of the week? And that’s before we even think about looking to other sleep hygiene factors!  While I do firmly believe that we are all unique, here are a couple of things you might want to look at if you aren’t feeling refreshed when you wake up, or if you struggle to get to sleep or stay asleep!

• Caffeine – what time do you stop drinking it? It might be worth experimenting what time you have your last coffee or coke.
• Sugar – same as caffeine – how late in the day are you consuming it?
• Devices by your bed – do you charge your phone by your head (please tell me no one still sleeps with their phone under their pillow?!) – what about alarm clocks/alexa devices?  General rule of thumb is to keep these kinds of appliances 6ft away from your body over night.
• Electronics – do you really need a TV in your room? If you do – have you turned it off before you try to go to sleep?
• Lighting – is it dark enough? If you do need a bit of light – is it the best colour temperature for you? Would an eye mask be helpful?
• Blue light – speaking of colour temperature – do you limit blue light in the hours before bed? Look at your devices – can you switch them to warm light from say 9pm? Is it better if you stop using them an hour or so before you go to bed?
• Temperature – is your room warm or cool enough – this might also take some experimenting – I know for me if there is central heating on in the room I am in, I either don’t sleep well or I wake up feeling dreadful! Maybe you could do with a hot water bottle or an open window?
• How long – this is maybe one of the trickier ones – try experimenting going to bed earlier or later and likewise, what time does your alarm go off? Do you find having time to snooze worthwhile or a waste – work out what is right for you.
• Comfort – is the mattress firm or soft enough? What about the pillow? Which side of the bed are you sleeping on? Is the bed positioned in the best place/direction in the room for you?
• Wifi router – try not to have this be in the same room as where you sleep.  I know some people strongly feel the need to unplug the router overnight – I tend to go for a slightly more pragmatic approach and suggest not having it in your bedroom as a minimum.

There are many other factors to look at when it comes to sleep – and if this is a challenge for you then we can muscle test what’s best for you – I’ve had clients come to me with challenges on sleep and the changes their bodies want have ranged from simple – turn the alarm clock around because the numbers are glowing blue and they were disrupting sleep; to some a little more involved – redecorate the room to be a different colour (or a little more simply – change the colour of the bedding) and a whole range in-between.  If trial and error isn’t working for you and you are dealing with bad sleep, not enough sleep or even insomnia, book in and we can work through any changes that may be beneficial to you.

If you or anyone you know are struggling with their sleep just send me a mail or text and let’s get a (free) zoffee in the calendar – or you can go straight to booking in for a session!