Counting Sheep

In the current chaotic climate it's not surprising that there are many people not sleeping well.  The Huffington Post (14 November) reported that three quarters of British women are currently having problems sleeping.  And a new sleep disorder has been identified – as well as insomnia and sleep walking, we now have sleep texting.  Apparently people are sending text messages in their sleep (although a cynic might see this as a handy excuse to explain away texts sent in haste and regretted later!).   

Hypnotherapy is good at getting to the underlying cause of sleep problems.  How many times have you heard someone with insomnia say: “I don’t know why I can’t get off to sleep”?  Often whatever is bothering the person and is either preventing them from dropping off to sleep, or is waking them up in the middle of the night, is doing so at an unconscious level.    Through hypnotherapy they can get insight into what the problem is and are able to rectify it and get back into a normal sleep pattern.

As one of several important contributors to a healthy immune system and disease prevention, we shouldn’t underestimate the importance of getting enough good sleep.  So if you are having trouble nodding off and counting sheep isn’t working, here are some tips to help:

1. When is bedtime? Decide on a specific time to go to bed and make it your routine.

2. Bad things before bed – Caffeine, alcohol and eating too late.

3. Dark and quiet - Make your bedroom sleep friendly - as dark and quiet as possibly at night with distractions (books/phones/TV/computer/music systems etc.) kept to a minimum.

4. Empty your head - If your head is still full of thoughts at bedtime, get a notebook and use it as a brain dump book.  Keep the book at your bedside and simply empty your mind of those thoughts each night by writing them down before going to sleep.  You can then pick things up again in the morning.

5. Don’t stare at the ceiling - If you find yourself unable to fall asleep, get up and go into another room. It is important not to stay in bed at this point as you want to associate bed with sleep, not with being awake.  Stay up as long as required until you feel sleepy, and then return to the bedroom. If you awaken again, repeat this exercise as often as is necessary throughout the night – and if it persists make yourself do a task you really don’t like doing – sleep will then become the preferred option.  

6. When is morning? Set your alarm and get up at the same time every morning irrespective of how much sleep you got during the night. This will help your body to set a consistent sleep rhythm.

7. Cat naps don’t help insomniacs - Avoid napping during the day.

8. Exercise – One of the many benefits is that it helps us maintain a good sleep pattern.

As the Dalai Lama says: "Sleep is the best meditation."

Good night : )