sleep

I am guessing that for most of you, sleep has been even more disturbed – I have found myself exhausted and napping at 4pm, (I think its the mental exhaustion of everything happening) and then being able to fall asleep at night, but then waking with active thoughts.  after a couple of weeks of this, I have tried to manage calmly how to deal with this without disturbing my partner who still is getting up early to go to work.

one of the first things that I suggest is always to spend half an hour before you get into bed to prepare for the next day, i.e. sort out any papers, possessions you need if you have a morning appointment or a matter to deal with – I even get my clothes out ready to save that anguish in the rush of the morning.  It seems just phoning a bank, or an airline is such a trauma these days.   I always make a list of things to do as this will hopefully  empty  the mind of your ever growing tasks.  I would suggest not to put any pressure on yourself during this time – even I have thought, ok, if I am at home, I am going to get to grips with all the tidying up, learning my Spanish grammar,  practising my piano, painting more and this I find puts even more barriers in your way – if you achieve just one of those things every  few days, think of this as a gain that you wouldn’t have done.   its important to take that daily walk, the fresh air is so important and especially now spring is bringing us so much beauty and the birds are singing and the air is fresher.

I now wake up and do a 12 minute meditation with my husband before getting out of bed and this definitely helps us keep calm – we do Clare Connolly, through Insight that I discovered through Jo Good.  I do bite size online yoga and dance cardio – ones that are 15 mins long – its just enough that my mind can concentrate at the moment.

through. sheer experience i have tried the following natural methods:   lavender oil under your pillow, put a few drops on a handkerchief or lavender bag, amethyst stone by my pillow – amethyst is meditative and calming , Bach remedies white chesnut  or rescue remedy – a few drops in water to help take away unwanted thoughts just before you go to sleep,  this works stress check  is something worth keeping by your bedside.  quiet life herbal tablets by Lanes seem to promote sleep by taking away worry and stress; Ainsworths AAA homeopathic tablets can be soothing.  a drop of selenium in water is also beneficial.  night time tea by pukka is soothing to drink , but at the moment, my favourite is sleepy time tea is by celestial seasonings.  lime blossom is also a calming sedative and can be drunk as a tea as is chamomile.  the supplement magnesium is also recommended –  it has a general calming effect on the body, and hence taking a bath in epsom salts, which are made of magnesium sulphate – apparently the bath not only rejuvenates you, but helps your body function much better.

Foods such as wholegrain bread and cereals are high in complex carbohydrates and have a mild sleep-enhancing effect because they increase serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter that promotes sleep. there are lots of other theories too, such as almonds and a banana.… i think you just need to give them all a try.

A glass of warm milk with honey is one of the oldest and best remedies for insomnia. Milk contains tryptophan which, when converted to seratonin in the body, induces sleep and prevents waking. sleeping chamomile or valerian tea is also a good alternative.  I am actually having a glass of warm oat milk with a spoonful of pukka tumeric gold latte.  Try not to take any caffeine after 2pm or doing too much exerting exercise late in the day.

Lettuce has a long-standing reputation for promoting healthy sleep. This is due to an opium-related substance combined with traces of the anticramping agent hyoscyarnin present in lettuce. the herbal remedy quiet life is based on lettuce.  in really bad times, I do resort to one Piriton anti histamine tablet, but this seems to give you that knocked out feeling and I do not want to become addicted to anything like that, but every now and again if you feel that you have had a lot of bad nights on a row, its not a bad remedy.

so if sleeping is a problem, try doing some of the above to help you – apparently what is not good for you is eating sweet things, such as a chocolate biscuit (which i am sometimes prone to do). i definitely think that the best beauty treatment is a good nights sleep!  happy sleeping.