sleep sweet sleep

Oh, how I love my sleep! I was pretty much born sleeping. I forced my twin sister to be born first even though I was the bigger baby and was supposed to greet the world before her. But I decided to sleep in a little longer, much to the pain of my mother, who endured both the natural delivery of my twin sister and a caesarian section for me. Oops! But in my defence, it was warm and cosy in there, and a lot more spacious without my wombmate!

Sleep is one of the elements for the sustaining of our lives as there are many restorative processes that take place when we are sleeping. Ideally, we should be aiming for around eight hours of shut eye every night. And the truth is that people who sleep for less than six hours a night have a shorter life span than those who sleep for seven to eight hours. So, even though you may be cutting back on sleep to keep up with the daily demands of your life or you may simply believe you will get more out of life this way, you are actually losing time at the other end. And most likely, the time you do have will be severely imposed upon by various health concerns induced by an unhealthy lifestyle. 

I used to burn the candle at both ends; that is, until my candle burnt out! When my ME/CFS doctor diagnosed me with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome a few years ago he sent me off to see an Exercise Physiologist who worked with me for nearly a year, helping me to make lifestyle changes, which included managing my sleep hygiene. My sleeping patterns have probably been one of the lifestyle changes that I've struggled with the most as I love to sleep, but often had trouble getting to sleep, and at the time of my diagnosis, I was highly stressed and doing shift work. I've found though, that as my life is more in balance, the ease and quality of my sleep has improved. Now, I regularly sleep for seven to nine hours every night, my body is healing, and I no longer count down the hours until I can go back to bed!

Here are some sleep hygiene tips from me that you may like to try to work towards a sweeter sleep:

• Keep your bedtime and wake-up times regular to set your body clock (sleeping between the hours of 10:00pm to 7:00am is best).
• Exercise during the day to improve your sleep but don't exercise two hours prior to bedtime or you may find yourself wide awake.
• Don't nap during the day! Napping can make it harder to get to sleep at night and decreases the quality of your sleep by interfering with your natural body rhythm (circadian rhythm), which in turn makes sleep less refreshing.
• Don't consume alcohol or any stimulants, like caffeine, up to two hours before heading off to bed.
• Create a bedtime routine and wind down with activities such as a warm bath or shower, a cup of tea, reading a book, relaxation exercises, and generally, keep the lights and the sound level low.
• Try not to worry or dwell on problems in bed. Instead, write them down before you get into bed and focus on your breathing to help you to fall asleep.
• Make your room an oasis. Remove the gadgets, control the temperature (not too hot or cold), use aromatherapy oils, be generous with blankets and cushions, and be comfortable!
• Avoid late night snacking as your body will be digesting when you should be sleeping. Try not to eat at least two to three hours before bedtime.
• Get out in the sunshine every day to help set your body clock and wake up with the sunlight streaming into your bedroom in the morning.
• No clock watching!

Like any new skill, improving your sleeping patterns will take time to learn, but your reward will not only be better quality sleep, but a better quality life. If you have any sleep hygiene tips please share them with us in the comments section below. But for now, may your sleep be sweet as you lay your head down to rest. Sweet dreams, my friends.