Are you waking up not feeling refreshed? Is your day dragged out with feelings of tiredness and exhaustion? Are you craving that replenishing, therapeutic, deep sleep that will bring you back to life again…?

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, you have arrived at the right place.

Did you know:

That sleep deprivation was an approved torture technique used by US interrogators at Guantanamo Bay. The official guidelines stated that detainees were allowed to have a maximum of four hours of consecutive sleep every 24 hours.

Forget torture techniques…..How many of us are living our lives like this every day!

Did you know:

That according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) study in 2005:

• 75% adults has a sleep problem
• 30-40% adults have occasional insomnia and 10-15% have a chronic insomnia problem
• 2-4% adults have issues with snoring
• 5-10% have restless leg syndrome

According to Wikipedia, the US population is 313million and 338 thousand people living in the United States. So…. If 75% of our population have a sleep problem (meaning, we are just NOT getting the sleep we need), that means that 235 million and 3.5 thousand people are living their lives tired!

Did you know:

As adults we need 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night

Yes, I here you, some people need more, some people need less. But as a guide… We all need to be aiming for a solid 7-8 hours of kip a night.

I’m definitely not getting that much sleep…. Are you?

Did you know:

We enter into 4-6 sleep cycles lasting from 90-110 minutes every night

Interesting…. So I’m guessing if you’re awake looking up at the ceiling, thinking about what that nasty woman said to you getting into the lift, or trailing through the hundreds of things to do the next day, that’s not a sleep cycle.

Maybe I’m getting one sleep cycle a night! Yikes…!! Not good.

The benefits of sleep are life changing (literally)…

An adequate amount of sleep gives:

• Your body engine (mind, body and spirit) the rest and recovery time it needs to recover from the day and replenish itself ready for the next day.
•  You physical health benefits which include: stronger immune system, maintaining adequate blood sugar levels, regulate the heart beat and blood flow to the vital organs in the body, muscles are repaired, hormones are rebalanced and your metabolism is regulated.
• You the mental health benefits include: Mental rest, relief from stress and anxiety, mental clarity, greater levels of alertness, sound decision making and accessing your creative genius.

Wow! It seems truly frightening that with 235,003,500 American people have sleep problems and are living their lives without the sleep they really need.

 

So let’s see, what are some of the main causes of poor sleep?

• Sleep related health issues such as: Sleep apnea, snoring, restless leg syndrome
• Other physical health issues which cause aches or pains such as a broken leg, heart burn, asthma etc.
• Mental anxiety and stress: grief, depression, fear, worry, obsessive compulsive disorders etc. or being unable to attach from an excitement.
• Work/ life not in balance: Shift work, working excessively long hours, not getting enough physical exercise/ fresh air, poor diet, long term use of medicines or too much stimulation before bedtime.

Ok, so now what can we do to get the deep, sleep our mind and body needs?

Let’s face it; we don’t know how to get a proper night’s sleep and we need to re-train our bodies and ourselves how to sleep again (using the same systematised approach that we train a dog not to pee inside the house). We need to make lifestyle changes right away, so we can enjoy that deep sleep we crave. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Have a consistent bed time and bed time routine: The way we teach a baby his/ her sleep routine is to establish a bath, story, bedtime routine. This routine puts the baby in a winding down, relaxed state, which ends the day by falling into a deep, slumber in a warm cot. We too need to establish a daily bed time routine. Have a think about a list of wind down activities you could practise as an end of day ritual, which will unwind you from the stresses of your day, calm your mind, and allow you to drift off peacefully to bed.

•  Have an sleep friendly zone to sleep in: Remove stimulating things that will make you more wired and tired, such as a TV or laptop. Close the blinds and make the room dark and regulate the temperature so you are not too cold or not too warm (just right (like Goldilocks! She slept like a log…!).

• Give your body food/ drink/ stimulation rest: Avoid going to bed feeling bloated or uncomfortable, give your body a break and avoid eating or drinking anything too heavy 1-2 hours before bed time. If you are tempted to go into the fridge, why don’t you floss/ brush your teeth 2 hours before bed time so you don’t feel tempted to have that extra piece of stimulating chocolate, wine, cake etc..