We need those zzzz’s

Someone once said “There is a time for many words and then there is a time for sleep”.

Right now with many of us being at home and having alternate schedules, we stay up late because we don’t have to get up early in the mornings and then end up waking later than usual …10am anyone? You won’t admit it, but I know you do… and if the children making noise or asking you for breakfast were not happening, you would probably sleep even later. The waking later might cause us to not feel sleepy at our usual bedtime so we go to bed late again; it then becomes a cycle.

Others of us are just having general sleep problems. We have difficulty falling asleep and sometimes have racing thoughts at night, wake up in the nights middle of the nights unable to fall asleep and often times are so buzzed with all the news and social media and general frenzy, that the quality of our rest has been severely affected.

Quality sleep is essential!  It is essential for good health and well being, for a stable mood and for our general longevity. As a mental health practitioner, I cannot stress enough how important good quality sleep is to our mental health and our productivity. Here are a few tips that we can consider to improve our sleep:

• Speak with a doctor if you think that your sleep is related to a medical condition or could be the side effect of medication that you are taking. It’s always best if you have a chronic problem, to check with the medical professionals first.

• Keep a sleep journal to document your sleep patterns. Looking at this journal after a few weeks might give you some idea of what and when the problems come.

• Be consistent. If you go to bed around the same time and wake up around the same time, your body develops a pattern that makes it easier to stick to.

• Exercise and physical activity during the day helps a person to rest better at night. If you are one of those persons who exercise leaves you highly energized, then please do it earlier.

• Create a nice cozy bedroom, conducive for sleep. I am guilty of having too many books in my bedroom and other stuff that reminds me of work. A bedroom should be a place to relax and promote good rest. Bear in mind the lighting – the darker the better when its sleep time, the temperature should be cool, the bed position is important, the quality of your sheets and even the smell.

• Get some help. Some persons drink chamomile or night time tea, others use melatonin and others magnesium. Speak with a healthcare professional before taking any pills, even if natural ones. Some persons use meditation, listen to white noise and some take a warm shower or read a paper book. Do what works for you.

• Be mindful what you consume – this could be food or things. Certain foods, like caffeine should be avoided and the recommendation is to not eat for at least 3 hours before bedtime. Be also careful what your mind consumes – violent TV shows, books with too much drama can have an adverse effect on you trying to relax.

• Banish the sleep thieves – you know what the things are that keep you up…worrying about your job, what your boyfriend is doing and with whom, mentally calculating your expenses. While they might be legitimate concerns – its unlikely that you will solve them in the middle of the night. If possible, keep a book and pen close to your bed and write them down so that you can take them out of your head and tackle them at a more appropriate time.

• Tackle concerns – if you are plagued by guilt or a specific stressor like being abused, take concrete steps to deal with it as best as you can.

One thing that helps me is putting the phone down at about 9pm. We have heard that the phone gives off a blue light that mimics the bright light of day so after staring at it, your eyes will have to make a switch to night mode. I deliberately didn’t put that as one of the tips because I do not want to get 50 emails cussing me off tomorrow…I know how attached yall are to your phones, so I am leaving that one right there.

I used to have sleep issues too because my mind was often full but things are better now. What worked for me was making a few notes before bed about things to do the next day, turning my phone off by 9:30pm, writing a note in my gratitude journal, taking a warm shower, putting a drop of lavender essential oil on my wrist and asking Alexa to play some jazz or blues for 30  minutes. It has worked so well, that I’m never awake when she stops playing. In any event my dears, everything will not work for everyone… so choose which ones work for you and tweak as needed.