Good morning, I hope September finds you well and moving forward on your journey.
One of the things that I wanted to share today is something that a number my clients have mentioned they are having problems with as a result of this year’s turbulence – sleep patterns! Either not being able to fall asleep as easily, or waking up in the night and then feeling too wakeful to return to sleep.
The lockdown and all the changes and concerns have impacted on us all in different ways. But if you’re feeling like your sleep patterns have been disturbed and have not returned to normal, some of these suggestions might be of help.
1 Daily meditation
As little as 5-10 mins a day can help. Or if you find that a little difficult, use a guided meditation through an app on your phone.
There are a lot of free mindfulness apps now which offer a range of meditations, sleep stories, breathing techniques and soothing music.
2 Have a good bedtime routine
Include half an hour wind-down each evening, which might include some reading, a warm bath with essential oils and relaxing music – lavender is particularly good for night-time.
Make sure your bedroom is comfortable, relaxing and uncluttered so it’s a bit of a sanctuary and sets the tone.
You could use a salt lamp to give soft lighting or use a diffuser with lavender for a little while before you go to sleep.
3 Crystals can be good to aid sleep
My favourite is Labradorite which is good for relieving stress and anxiety, and is a stone of transformation. I use it either under my pillow or holding it next to me.
There are many more stones that can aid sleep including Selenite that if you place on your third eye or crown chakra will calm you and empty your mind of worrying thoughts.
4 Fresh air and exercise
Getting enough fresh air and exercise will help to ensure that your body is ready for sleep.
Even a short walk or being in the garden or outdoor space for 10 minutes gives us time to breathe deeply and blow away the cobwebs.
With a beautiful autumn coming up it should soon be great for crispy leafy walks.
5 Write down your thoughts
If your mind is still going over the events of the day or planning what to do tomorrow, it can be helpful to get the thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Simply listing tomorrow’s jobs, or spending a little longer journaling, can release the feeling that it’s all got to be contained upstairs!
6 Professional help
If this year has left you feeling stressed or you have things on your mind that you’d like to change, resolve or improve, then sometimes it’s good to get some outside help.
There are many more tools that you can use and everyone has their favourites.
Wishing you many good night sleeps!
