My Top 7 Tips For When You Can’t Get To Sleep And A Guided Sleep Meditation For Tonight
In 1932 the much loved Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa wrote:
’No one likes us when we’ve slept badly. The sleep we missed carried off with it whatever it was that made us human’ (The Book Of Disquiet, 1932)
And let’s face it, he wasn’t wrong. Just as with children, tiredness can leave us feeling cranky and make it harder to act in line with our usual love and understanding.
Good quality sleep then is one of the best ways to improve your overall wellbeing, and to help kickstart your sleep routine I’ve gathered together 5 tips, a guided sleep meditation at the end of this post for bed time and my pick of the best sleep products you can try at home this month.
Sweet dreams..
My Top 7 Tips For When You Can’t Get To Sleep And A Guided Sleep Meditation For Tonight
Meditation and Mindfulness For Sleep
1. Aromatherapy
Numerous studies show that sleep quality goes up and stress goes down by inhaling lavender oil. My favourite ways to add lavender to my evening are with a lavender bath foam or a scented pillow spray.
Neom Pillow Mist and Magnesium Body Cream With Lavender
2. Screens + Light
The light from our tech gadgets can confuse our brains and lead to greater wakefulness when what we want most of all is to feel sleepy. By reducing artificial screen light an hour or before bed the retinas in your eyes will send the correct signal to your brain, and the brain will get the message that it’s time for bed. Switch to dim lighting or even better, try a candle and a good book.
Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Candle – Made with Blended Oils of Restful Vetivert, Soothing Chamomile & Comforting Sandalwood
3. Your Room
You might sleep sounder if you reserve your bedroom for sleep and relaxation, rather than computer work. That said, if you find you’ve no option but to work and sleep in the same room, why not create a little ritual for shifting your bedroom space from work to leisure mode. Sometimes a scented room spray, a gust of fresh air though the window, a special ‘end of work day’ song, a change of clothes or simply tidying away your work things in a ceremonious fashion *shuts laptop with glee* can all help you to downshift and feel as though you’re in a new, calmer space.
4. Bath
After a warm bath your body temperature drops quickly, mimicking the natural drop in temperature that happens as you drop off to sleep; making baths a lovely way to wind down before bedtime.
Neal’s Yard Remedies Beauty Sleep Foaming Bath with a calming blend of ylang ylang, patchouli and clary sage essential oils
5. Diet Habits
A few ideas to consider here are: A) Many people find it helpful to leave 2-3 hours between eating dinner and going to bed. B) Having a diet sufficient in magnesium is said to promote quality sleep by deactivating excess adrenaline. C) Caffeine and alcohol play a very interesting role in mediating sleep quality, I highly recommend reading Mathew Walkers ‘Why We Sleep’ to learn more.
6. Close the day
Something I like to do of an evening is write my jobs list for tomorrow in a little notebook before going to bed. As I close the cover I know that all my to-dos are noted, and this helps me let go and drift off to sleep more easily. Have you tried something similar?
7. Meditation
If you ever find it hard to switch off at night, especially after a hectic day and even more so if you’re under a lot of stress, meditation might just what you need.
In the first instance meditation helps you focus your attention so that your mind stops whizzing round so fast. And then it can help you relax your body and nervous system through a combination of guided visualisation and gentle breathing.
To help you get started I recorded this guided sleep meditation below for you to use at bedtime. Simply follow the guidance and drift off to sleep.
Tip/ Did you ever hear the saying, ‘It’s better to sew your parachute before you jump out for the sky dive than when you’re on the way down’? Well, that philosophy applies to using mediation as a sleep aid too. If you become a well versed, regular meditator you’ll be more familiar with what you need to do to focus your attention and relax when you need to at bed time.
My Top 7 Tips For When You Can’t Get To Sleep And A Guided Sleep Meditation For Tonight
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Notes/ I do hope you found My Top 7 Tips For When You Can’t Get To Sleep And A Guided Sleep Meditation For Tonight helpful in selecting something calming for yourself. This post may contain affiliate links which means I will receive a small commission if you purchase through my link at no extra cost to yourself. Please read the care and advice label on aromatherapy oils to ensue safe use. Check with your doctor before starting a new therapy.
