TOP TIPS FOR A BETTER NIGHT’S SLEEP

Over recent months, many people, clients and friends, have told me they’ve had difficulty sleeping, that they’re overthinking, finding it hard to relax and switch off. Some have expressed a general anxiety about insecurity in the world, and some about feeling financially challenged.

We all need at least 7 hours sleep and disturbed nights can take their toll on your emotional well being and ability to manage pressures at work as well as day to day tasks.

Sleepy quiz

Firstly, let’s see what’s keeping you awake. What do you recognise in yourself from the list below?

• Too much to do; remembering in the night things you need to do in the day?
• Feeling bored? Not enough to do? Plenty to do but feeling bored with it?
• Feeling isolated? Not feeling connected to family, friends, or colleagues? Lack of friends?
• Job insecurity? Loving your job & fearing you may lose it?
• Dislike of your job, feeling itchy feet and wanting to move on to better things?
• Unemployment?

Maybe one or some of these issues are familiar to you?

• Finding it hard to make ends meet; worry about money?
• Feeling isolated? Not feeling connected to family, friends, or colleagues? Lack of friends?
• A disagreement with a friend, family member, colleague or boss? Dwelling on what happened and how to deal with it?
• Worry about the state of the world and what might happen? Can’t switch off when it’s time to sleep.
• Inability to get comfortable, or to hot or too cold, noise, lumpy mattress?
• Pain from illness or injury?
• What else?

Practical steps for better sleep

It’s worth identifying the specific causes so that you can aim to find specific solutions. In coaching sessions we look to prevent or manage these particular causes. However, whatever the cause, there are many practical steps you can take to give yourself the chance of a better night’s sleep.

1. Keep to a routine: having set times of day to eat, work, exercise and sleep help your body fall into patterns, and to expect those patterns. We all have a body clock that tells us when we concentrate best and our less focussed times of day. So if you plan to switch off for the night at a regular time, you will more likely fall into that pattern.
2. Avoid cat naps and sleeping in: sleeping at odd times in the day and getting up late and going to bed late at weekends, for example, will adversely affect that pattern.
3. Take exercise to suit you: ideally get daily fresh air, perhaps take a particular route that you like, which might be leafy and away from the fumes of busy streets
4. Build social interaction into your day, with regular contact with colleagues, family and friends. Join online and in person groups to enjoy shared interests and find new sources of activity and learning.
5. Healthy intake: this is important for your digestion as heavy meals can affect your ability to sleep, especially if taken late in the evening. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and evening. Whilst stimulants like coffee and alcohol may keep you awake, a calming tea like Camomile or a milky drink at night can help you relax.
6. Take an assertive approach to relationship difficulties, whether personal or professional. Avoid dealing with difficulties at the height of your emotion as it’s more likely to come out in an angry or accusatory tone. Rather than focusing only on what you’re unhappy about, carefully consider what you want to gain from a conversation
7. Leave a tidy desk at the end of your working day. Lots of clutter around isn’t conducive to sleep and knowing you have to get up to chaos may play on your mind.
8. Make a plan for tomorrow at the end of each day. A mental record is not enough. Write down all the tasks you can realistically do tomorrow & put them in priority order. Place your list where you can see it when you get up. You won’t want to waste time searching for it! If you’re not working, a structure and tasks for the day is equally important.
9. Limit time spent on the difficult news: if you find yourself constantly watching the news , especially before going to bed, it’s harder to switch off. Of course there’s a need to know and to keep abreast of the news, but avoid doing so continually if you find it disturbing and late at night.
10. Take your mind off things before trying to go to sleep, read an absorbing book, listen to calming music, practise meditation or mindfulness.
11. Turn off electronic devices at night and resist the last minute temptations to check emails, social media and news before turning off the light. Ideally, switch off devices at least one hour before bed.
12. Keep a notepad and pen by the bed, in case your active mind keeps thinking of things you need to do tomorrow, so you can jot down your thoughts rather than get up or turn on your phone.
13. If you still can’t sleep, don’t simply lie there and toss and turn. It’s better to get up, read for a while or listen to some music, and then go back to bed.
14. Clean, fresh bedding is also calming and can help you feel more relaxed …. and so to sleep!

We live in uncertain times, with constant news about wars and the threat of war. Many people find it hard economically and struggle to pay bills. I hope these practical ideas will be of some help towards getting more rest at night so that you can better cope with the demands of the day.

To add to my tips on sleep management, if you are experiencing anxiety, you may find it helpful to contact Anxiety UK for advice, talking therapies and tools. For help with money worries, advice is available here. For more on assertiveness coaching, visit my assertiveness page.

If you feel it would be helpful to have coaching support to create a positive programme for yourself, and to sustain it, do get in touch via my email or website.  If you are new to coaching, you are welcome to book a free 20-minute call to find out how coaching can help you.