How many times have you woken up in the morning and wished you could have “just 5 more minutes” of sleep? If you’re anything like us, sleep is something you value, and at times wished you could have more of. Now imagine if you struggled to get to sleep or stay asleep once you were asleep?
Sleep disturbances affect 33-45% of the adult population. What happens when we don’t get enough sleep? Not getting enough sleep interferes with:
• Behaviour - aggressive. antisocial, withdrawn, hyperactive, unable to control or regulate
behaviour
• Emotions - Moody, depressed, anxious, stressed, uneasy, unconfident, irritable
• Planning - poorly organised, poor time managers, repeating grades, forgets lessons
• Concentration - inattentive, lack of concentration, falling behind in school
• Creativity - not working at full potential
• Problem solving - poor behaviour control and difficulty in social situations
• Complicated thinking - struggles with maths, sciences, languages, abstract concepts
• Motor coordination - less sporty, more accidents, clumsier
• Weight - being obese and overweight is more likely with less sleep
• Health - poorer immune system - sicker more often
• Learning - it is though that sleep, particularly dream sleep or REM sleep, is necessary
for storing certain types of memory, particularly more difficult memories such as
mathematical concepts and language.
Good sleep hygiene can promote good sleep. Below are some tips you may find helpful to get a good night’s sleep.
1. Get a routine - A bedtime routine is the best way for signalling to our body and brain that it is time to go to sleep. This involves developing a set of behaviours that you do each day before you go to sleep. This can look something like going to the toilet, changing into your pyjamas, brushing your teeth, washing your face, engaging your skin care routine (if you have one), and then climbing into bed.
2. Your bedroom is not a second lounge room - It is important to develop the association of your bedroom with sleep or intimacy only. If you treat your bedroom like a second lounge room your mind will associate your bedroom with activity, not sleep. With access to modern technology, it is tempting to lie in bed and endlessly scroll through your phone or binge watch your favourite episodes from your favourite shows. I know it’s a struggle, but it’s best to leave your devises untouched while you’re trying to get some sleep.
3. Set your body clock - Generally, our brain controls our body clock with the hormone melatonin. In the evenings our body starts to release melatonin so we can start to feel sleepy. When it starts to become light again our hormones re-adjust so we can start to wake. Melatonin is also regulated by light, so it’s important to ensure that we’re getting enough vitamin D and some sunrays during the day. Further to this, we can help our body reset the clock by going to bed and getting up at about the same time each day (including weekends!). It doesn’t take much for our body to get into a sleep wake routine once we get good habits going.
4. Adults do not need naps - While it is tempting to take a nap when you are not sleeping well at night and you feel dead tired during the day, giving in to this temptation and napping during the day will only make the problem worse. In this instance, we have to fight the tired feeling and sleep closer to bed time. Fighting the tired feeling during the day will ensure we are well and truly ready for bed when we eventually do get to bed.
5. Clock watching is unproductive - When you have trouble sleeping, it is easy to keep an eye on the time. As you are likely aware, clock watching is not helpful. It reinforces worries about not sleeping and is a sure way to keep you awake. If you find yourself watching the clock, turn it around, close your eyes and focus on your breath. Focus on the rhythm of your breath. Keep your eyes closed, focus on your breath, and allow your thoughts to be. Eventually the window of sleep will come. Don’t wait for it. Let it happen. You’ll likely be asleep before you know it.
6. Do you need a brain dump? – Do you have racing thoughts at night? Sometimes it can be helpful to journal before bed. Keep a notebook and pen next to your bed and with dim light (bright lights are too stimulating), spend 10 – 20 minutes before bed doing what we call a “brain dump”. Take out your journal, grab your pen, and get writing. It doesn’t have to make sense; it can just be any thought and/or feeling that comes to mind. Get it all down on paper. It doesn’t have to make sense or be perfect. It’s literally a dump. If it sounds like gibberish it doesn’t matter. Write it down. This can be helpful in releasing some of those thoughts which can then help you to quieten your mind. If you follow this with peaceful background music or white noise, you could be on to a winner!
7. Are you sure you’re tired enough? – sometimes, believe it or not, we might not be tired enough. Our body and mind need a certain amount of stimulation to really build a feeling of being tired and wanting rest. Are you doing enough during the day to keep your routine going?
While these suggestions will be helpful for most people, some people really struggle quite intensely with sleep. If you are continuing to struggle with sleep and need extra support give our team a call on (03) 9882 8874.
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This blog was written and prepared by Dr Celin Gelgec – Clinic Director and Clinical Psychologist at Melbourne Wellbeing Group.