Orisitme

As a child I didn’t sleep much, I was lucky if I got 3-4 hours a night. It didn’t really matter then because I was never tired during the day.  However, as I got older and overwhelmed by a busy lifestyle, things got worse. I was constantly tired in the day and unable to sleep at night. Lack of sleep added to stress levels which added to lack of sleep and so on. One night (when I couldn’t sleep) I came to the conclusion I needed to make changes. A lot of them.

I suppose I should be clear about my qualifications to write on such a topic (one that I suspect impacts many more people than you’d think). I have no ‘formal’ qualifications whatsoever.  

One night as I was laying in my bed gazing at the ceiling trying to sleep, it all became clear to me. I realized that I would have to educate myself on how to get a good nights’ sleep.  I am usually a great one for learning from the experts. After all, if you want to learn to drive a car you go to a driving instructor, don’t you? But, on this occasion I knew this was something that I had to do on my own. My lifelong battle with sleep (I mean lack of it) made me the expert on my condition and my issues were so personal to me that I felt the solutions were within me too.  I decided I would teach myself how to get a good night’s sleep. It took a while, but that is what I did. I went from 3 – 4 hours’ sleep a night to getting between 7 -8 hours.

I suppose one of the first things that I should qualify is ‘what is a good night’s sleep? Of course, a good night’s sleep will mean different things to different people. Let’s face it, some people can ‘make do’ with just 3-4 hours’ sleep a night while others need a solid 8-9 hours. What I do know is that the amount of sleep you need may change over the years and it is important to recognize this when it happens.

For me, a good nights’ sleep is one where I sleep 7-8 hours, get up no more than once in the night to go to the loo. Wake up hungry and have a darned good crap!

I decided to analyze why I was not sleeping. I was going to bed really tired but I would often fall asleep and wake up after about an hour and - more often than not – stay awake for several hours.  I asked myself a couple of questions:

Why, when I did get off to sleep was I waking up?

·        To go to the loo

·        I was freezing cold because the covers were on the floor

·        I was disturbed by my phone or other technical gizmo

·        I was disturbed by a household member or pet

·        I was waking up for no obvious reason

·        I felt uncomfortable after a meal.  Eating and/or drinking late at night can leave you bloated or keep waking you up to have to go to the loo. Apparently, your digestive system closes down overnight.

·        I was waking up with a solution to a problem – really! (The solution would often be gone by the morning!)

·        I should also say that even when I was going off to sleep, I’d toss and turn and thrash about quite a bit and would often wake up having to rearrange covers and pillows!

Why, when I wake up can I not get back to sleep? - I never really cracked this one other than I think it was stress. There is no doubt in my mind that stress is to life what rust is to iron. As this blog is not primarily about the causes of stress (that’s a whole different blog!) I won’t go into details of how to manage stress other than to say that - like sleep- stress is something personal that you need to understand and manage (another subject for which my only ‘qualification’ is life experience).

So, my quest for a good nights’ sleep, first off, I changed my sleeping environment:  

·        I moved my bed so that it was next to the window. I find looking at the night sky relaxing.  

·        I removed the TV and techy stuff from the bedroom. Although I do keep my mobile in there a little way away from me for the morning alarm.

·        I got myself a double sleeping bag and slept in that. Amazingly it reduced me tossing and turning.  

·        I got myself a V pillow. It was brilliant! It changed my sleep experience the first night I used it. I sleep in the centre of it and for the first time in years I can sleep on my back!

Next, I adopted ‘good’ habits (that suited my lifestyle):

·        I try to go to bed the same time each night. I find a routine helps.

·        No reading or listening to music in bed.

·        Food – I have my last meal early and nothing to drink after 4pm. I realise this is drastic and would not suit everybody but it suited me. I wasn’t feeling bloated or constantly getting up to go to the loo.

·        I changed my diet (details in a separate blog).

·        I put a notepad and pencil by my bed so that if I wake up and think of something I can write it down.

·        I do not watch sleep related tv programs. I used to enjoy the TV program ‘Medium’, however, the program often has scenes of the main character in bed awakening suddenly with a psychic vision. I stopped watching the program and any similar.

·        If I cannot get off to sleep, I think backwards over what I did that day and that tends to help. I am always asleep before I reach the bit where I got up that morning!

I would point out that I did all of the above over a couple of years. As I started to make even small changes, my sleep patterns improved and as I started to sleep better my stress levels reduced, because I was coping better in the day.

When you make any change to your lifestyle it is important to give it time to see whether it works for you. Patience is what is needed. However, a few of the changes I made helped me on my quest so quickly it was not at all difficult to adopt them permanently. Getting the V pillow was one. Changing my eating/drinking habits was another. Of course, I do still eat in the evening occasionally, around Christmas or I eat out with friends and of course the change disrupts my routine, but even that I am learning to cope with.      

This is what worked for me. Everyone is different and if you are having problems sleeping, I am not saying it will all work for you, however, just try and establish what your sleep issues are and then work towards resolving them. It will be worth it. If you think the you need help from books or a trained therapist then go get it.  A good nights’ sleep is a wonderful thing. It is something that I for one will never ever take for granted.