HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
I’ve had trouble sleeping on and off for years. If it’s something you struggle with too, you’ll know how frustrating it can be not being able to sleep, especially when you’re so tired during the day but then when you get into bed you just can’t seem to dose off. Sometimes I lie in bed anxious and worrying about things, but honestly more often than not, I’m just lying there unable to fall sleep for no apparent reason. My mind isn’t racing, I’m just very awake. It can really take a toll though, not sleeping enough, and I’ve really been trying to work on my “sleep hygiene”, as they call it. I thought I’d share some of my tips, mainly just to remind myself to do them, but also because I feel like a lot of the usual things that people suggest (reading, meditation etc.) don’t really work for me, so hopefully this post can help people in a similar boat.
ORANGE TINTED GLASSES
When you talk about not being able to sleep, one of the first things people suggest is to avoid your phone, or any screens, before bed. I have been trying to not look at a screen for a few hours before trying to sleep but sometimes I just fancy having a watch of a television show or a youtube video at the end of the day, so I bought some orange glasses, which are supposed to filter out the blue light that impacts your sleep. I still try and turn off my screens an hour or so before trying to sleep, but I’ll put on my orange glasses around 8pm or 9pm, to try and ease the impact looking at a screen is having. Who knows if it’s actually helping but I feel like they do. Mine are from Amazon but I’m sure you can get them from other places.
WEIGHTED BLANKET
Weighted blankets seem to becoming more and more popular these days. They are supposed to help with anxiety and trouble sleeping, and make you feel calm. I wasn’t sure if I liked it when I first got it, but now I love it. I sleep with it every night. Mine is from Amazon, but you can get them from a few different places. There are a couple of different weights and you’re supposed to choose one based on your own weight (it should be about 10% of your body weight). I was between two, I think I was supposed to go for the lighter one,, but I went for the heavier one so that might have been why it took me a while to get used to it, but now I love how secure it makes me feel.
AUDIO BOOKS/PODCAST
I’ve only really gotten into podcasts and audio books in the last year or so. I’m dyslexic and it’s not that I find reading difficult, I just don’t find it as relaxing as other people. I’ve always wanted to be someone who reads a lot, but it’s just not something that I end up doing. However, I’ve found audiobooks are a lot easier for me to consume. I’m still struggling to get into meditation, but the thing I find most helpful when I try to sleep is to listen to an audio book or podcast and lie on my acupressure mat (more on that below). If you’re using an iPhone, you can use the timer to “Stop Playing” after a certain time, so I usually put that on so I don’t have to look at my phone again.
For podcasts, I would mainly recommend The Blindboy Podcast, that’s my favourite. I’ve also enjoyed West Cork (only available on Audible), the Mile Higher Podcast and the Irish History Podcast. Serial and S-Town were also good. For audiobooks, I have an Audible subscription. I started off listening to the Harry Potter series, which was really enjoyable. I would also recommend Difficult Women and Why We Sleep (although the latter is probably not the best to listen to when trying to sleep as it details all the terrible things not sleeping does to the body). I’m currently listening to Period Power by Maisie Hill, as well as Natives by Akala, and I’m looking forward to listening to Don’t Touch my Hair by Emma Dabiri.
ACUPRESSURE MAT
I lie on my acupressure mat nearly every night. I honestly love it so much. If you’ve never heard of them, they’re based on the Indian bed of nails, but instead of nails it has tiny plastic rounded spikes. The pressure from these spikes help the body release endorphins, which provides a sense of joy, energy and pain relief, and oxytocin, which makes you feel calm and relaxed. If you research them, it’s claimed that they can help alleviate chronic neck and back pain, sore muscles and headaches, as well as daily stress and insomnia.
For me, using the mat doesn’t always help me fall asleep right away, but it definitely helps me relax and get to sleep faster than when I don’t use it. I put up a full post on it when I first got it, but honestly I’ve fallen more and more in love with it since then. I just really like the sensation you get lying on it. It doesn’t hurt, it just tingles. You can wear a top while using it if you feel the spikes are too intense, but I don’t find that necessary at all. There are many different brands out there now, but mine is from Bed of Nails. I’ve had it for years and it’s still holding up great!
COLOURING BOOKS
At first, I struggled quite a bit trying to figure out what to do at night if I wasn't looking at a screen since I’m not a big reader. I decided to get a colouring book and I’ve really been enjoying it. It took me a while to find one I actually like, so many of them are too detailed or just look like they would be annoying to colour. But I finally settled on this one and I like sticking on my audiobook or podcast, colouring for a bit and then lying on my acupressure mat.
Obviously exercising during the day and trying to get up at a decent hour helps too, but I find I can still struggle even when I do those things consistently. I have also tried melatonin, which I do feel helps but I’m not sure if that’s just the placebo effect. Unfortunately sleep feels like a constant battle for me, but this is what I’m doing to try and work on it. Hopefully it helped you if you’re going through a similar struggle. Let me know if you have any tips that have been working for you!