A few weeks ago I wrote a short post on instagram about my sleep, or lack there of. I was amazed at how many people commented ‘yup, me too’ – similar to the day I rang the chemist shop to ask if they had chilblain cream and the nice lady said ‘not a tube, we’re all sold out, there’s been a run on it’ – while I still had chilblains and no cream, I felt a little better knowing I wasn’t the only one.
I am almost afraid to say it for fear of jinxing myself, and I don’t want to make any of my insomnia compadres feel bad, but just in the last week or so, I feel like I am back on the sleep track. Hallelujah.
Why was I lacking in the sleep department? Perhaps fluctuating hormones and definitely a bit of anxiety.
While I know everyone’s sleep story is different, and my heart goes out to those with chronic insomnia, here are a few things I did to get me back on track.
Coffee – I love it and I love the ritual of the moka on the stove and the reward of a big old double cupper in the morning. I very rarely drink coffee after 10.00 in the morning and I don’t like going full decaf but I’ve found half caf / half decaf and I don’t even notice it.
Tidiness – It would seem I am evolving or maybe mutating into a tidy person. It’s taken me a while, but I’ve realised for me, mess = stress. These days, I even make the bed in the morning as soon as I get out of it.
Journalling – a friend of mine gave me one for Christmas and I take a big old thought dump into this every morning. This really helps me get to the bottom of stuff that’s bugging me.
Acupuncture – I was an acupuncture virgin, but after just one session I slept like the dead for two nights in a row, and barring a couple of unsettled nights, since then I have woken up with my alarm each morning, instead of 3-4 hours before it. Who would have thought being needled could be so relaxing?
There are a few more little hacks that I’ve employed at various times that I have found help my sleep;
The obvious one of course is no devices in the bedroom. Shut them down before you get there. If you need your phone alarm put it in your drawer and make sure the sound is off. Avoid checking it for time during the night. I also had an electric clock I actually think it’s big angry red numbers glaring at me caused me stress – particularly when they were saying 3am and I was wide awake.
Keeping things cool – while I’m partial to an electrical blanket, I avoid heavy PJs and keep the bedroom cool. It’s not quite the weather for it at the moment perhaps, but if I wake during the night from Spring onwards I open the window.
Lavender – a friend of mine recommended the ‘This Works’ pillow spray and there is indeed something very soothing about it. Sometimes I’ll diffuse lavender before going to bed.
A bit of inulgence - My Mum gave me a gift of jasmine silk pillowcases a few years ago and are cooling and soothing. Apparently, they don’t dry your skin like cotton can…wait…was that a subtle hint that my skin looks dry?
CBT – there are some great podcasts which talk about CBT for people losing sleep. Repeated interrupted sleep or being unable to get to sleep can cause anxiety. CBT addresses this and aims to ‘diffuse’ the stress associated with insomnia. https://www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/041-you-are-feeling-sleeeepy-kathryn-pinkman-dr-louise-newson
Eatin’ and drinkin’ - Finish eating two hours before you go to bed, this works for me. I don’t drink that much wine but I know when I do my sleep really suffers. Waking up dehydrated at all hours and with the fear on top of it - it’s a big no-no for me.
Lastly yoga nidra, one of the most relaxing things you can treat yourself to. Click here for one of my favourites.
If your sleep is up and down I really hope you find your own way back to a good night’s sleep.
