How to Get a Great Night's Sleep

Despite knowing what to do to ensure a good night’s sleep, I sometimes wake in the middle of the night.  Until a few years ago, when I woke I would start to anticipate how exhausted I would feel the following day, calculating the remaining hours in bed. Now, instead of over-thinking being awake in the middle of the night, I reassure myself that I am not going to stay awake forever, I will eventually sleep and my body and mind know what they are doing.

Over the years I have learned a few techniques which help with falling asleep and returning to sleep once woken. What works for me nowadays is busying my brain with taxing maths problems whilst paying attention to my breathing. My mind gets tired and I sleep. Sounds too simple? It works for me.

Adding the same number to itself also works well and keeps brains occupied. If numbers aren't your forte, try lists - in your mind list every car or colour or boy’s name that you know starting with the letter A and work your way through the alphabet. For example, Audi, Bentley, Cadillac / Apple, Banana, Cherry / Adam, Brian, Charlie, etc. The idea is that your mind is engaged, it gets tired and you fall sleep.  It may take a few nights before you perfect it - but it certainly works.

One of the first things to put into practice when trying to improve sleep is set and stick to a bedtime ROUTINE. Go to bed and get up at a set time and stick to those times – even on weekends or days off, only allow yourself a one hour lie-in. This might not be possible if you’re working shifts or have small children. Do the same thing every night so you are sending signals to your body that you are preparing for sleep. Have a wind-down time, put on your pyjamas, brush your teeth, read a book but avoid your mobile, computer and all forms of screens before sleep time (I’ll explain why hereunder).

Avoid CAFFEINE. Not only is it found in coffee and tea, but also in cola, chocolate and energy drinks. I love my morning coffee and if you do too, simply have a coffee but avoid caffeine after lunch. Even if you can easily fall asleep at night, caffeine affects the quality of your sleep. In fact, going without caffeine for just one day can improve your sleep quality.

It may seem like we get a great night’s sleep if we have been drinking ALCOHOL but, in reality, the quality of our sleep is impaired. We fall straight into a deeper sleep if we have alcohol but we miss out on our initial sleep phase, REM (Rapid Eye Movement). Never drink alcohol to unwind, relax or to help you sleep because alcohol disrupts dreams, diminishes sleep quality and is linked to anxiety, depression and various cancers.  

Is your BEDROOM conducive to a good night’s sleep? Is it a nice relaxed area? Try to keep bedroom temperatures cool – neither too warm nor too cold. I promote de-cluttering because a tidy bedroom feels good to spend time in.  At night, bedrooms should be free from technology and bright lights. This is important for sleep because light affects the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you get a great night’s sleep. In fact, melatonin will not be produced (by the pineal gland) unless there is only dim or no light. If you watch television in bed, your brain will associate bed with the stimulus of tv and with being awake and not with sleep therefore watching television in bed is a habit worth breaking.

BE KIND TO YOU Your bed is for adult fun and for sleeping, it is not a place for worry or stress. If you are unable to fall asleep do not panic – there is no need to increase anxiety levels. Talk to yourself calmly, reassure yourself that your body will take care of sleep when it needs to. You will not stay awake for ever. Do not start counting the hours until you have to get up (e.g. “If I sleep now I’ll only get four hours sleep I’ll be wrecked tomorrow"!). Soothe yourself with the idea (which is true by the way) that you will sleep when your body needs it and you will catch up on missed sleep tomorrow night.

LEARN RELAXATION SKILLS Calm breathing is a wonderful sleeping aid. Journaling can be a great way to relax especially keeping a daily gratitude journal wherein you write three positive things for which you are grateful – these do not have to be earth-shattering and can be as simple as ‘I took time to enjoy the drive home from work today’ or ‘I had a lovely dinner this evening’. Learn to be grateful for the little things in your day.

The jury is out on NAPPING! Some experts say avoid naps at all costs and others say absolutely yes, naps are awesome. If you have small children and they keep you awake at night then you need to sleep when you get the opportunity because your night time sleep is broken. For others, if you really want to nap then do not do so for too long (say no longer than half an hour) and not after 3.00pm because napping during the day can interfere with night time sleep.

We need different amounts of sleep depending on our age and other factors.  If your ALARM is sounding every morning and you feel like you have only just got into bed, then you may need more good quality sleep. Instead of setting the alarm to go off even earlier to allow you time to adjust to getting up, simply go to bed earlier every night until you wake with a zest for life.  .

PLAN Exercise is great for sleep but not too late in the day. The same can be said for eating late – give your body time to digest your food before heading to bed, however, do not go to bed hungry as that can also disturb sleep. Eat a snack if you are peckish before bedtime. In my experience it can be best to avoid phone calls at night time especially if they cause stress. Get out of the house/office/car and get some daylight, every day, because sunshine, even through the clouds, helps both our mood and sleep.

Keep a pen and writing pad beside your bed – if you wake in the middle of the night because of a worry or because you need to remember something WRITE it down and deal with it the following morning. Keep a note of the worries that are preventing you from falling asleep and over the following days make a plan to tackle them. Ask yourself what you can do to change your situation or seek the advice of others. I always say “start talking and keep talking.”

Keeping notes in your mobile is not the same as writing in a notebook/writing pad because accessing your mobile in bed may encourage you to stay awake reading on line or looking at social media. Don’t forget – we are attempting to keep bedrooms free of screens!

We know that sleep is vital and some need more than others. Sleep helps our immune system and to regulate our mood,  Sleep restores our bodies and brains. The results of poor sleep include increased blood pressure, higher stress, impaired memory and slower brain functioning; general forgetfulness; reduced ability to function in our day to day lives – in other words “Sleep Is Important”. 

The above are some tips to get your sleep in order, however, it may be an idea, if you have difficulty sleeping for a prolonged period of time, to speak with your doctor or medical adviser.

Caroline Crotty Health & Wellbeing Consultant / Psychotherapist & Counsellor www.carolinecrotty.ie