Finding it hard to sleep

[lucy loo]

I'm a real worrier and I'm finding it hard to get a good nights sleep. I get off okay but each night I wake up at 4.30 am (ish - sometimes it's 5 am, 5.30 am) wide awake thinking about the things I have to do at work, what my mortgage payments will be soon, how my relationships with friends are going ... anything really.

This lack of sleep is really effecting my boyfriend and he's getting fed up with me waking hime when I get out of bed or lay there tossing and turning.

I'm looking for some sure fire ways to stop this happening rather than book based advice. I want to hear about methods that have helped others get to sleep and stay asleep.

[fitbird]

Hi Lucy,

Funny you mention this. I went through exactly the same thing a few years ago. I woke up each night and simply had to get out of bed because I couldn't get back to sleep for at least 2 hours.

So, I did a bit of research and read what you should and shouldn't do to get back to sleep:

Do:


Get up
Try to complete a jigsaw
Listen to light music


Don't


Read
Watch tv
Have a bath

[phillips-fit]

Lucy Loo, is your bedroom completely dark during the night? I mean so dark that you can't even see your finger in front of your face? If not, this might be preventing you from maintaining deep REM sleep. Even the light from a radio alarm clock can disrupt this. Also ensure that your curtains are thick enough not to let light in at dawn, this may also be prematurely bringing you out of deep sleep and causing you to be restless at 5am. Try and black it out for a few nights, I'd be interested to see if this helps you...

[Cheshire Cat]

Have you looked into yoga? That can be very relaxing before bed

[tommo]

Hi Lucy

I have many clients in a similar boat to you all with varying issues, however one of the most common factors is adrenal fatigue.

This can be caused by many issues which include but are not exclusive to your nutrition, your structure, your emotions and many more.

Cortisol which is a stress hormone is at its highest during the morning and should lower towards night time, DHEA or human growth hormone should be produced but as cortisol is still being produced and the adrenal glands are fired up it restricts the production of DHEA, causing fatigue and inhibiting sleep.

without wanting to knock what the last person has said, i would avoid any electromagnetic stress such as TV.
In fact ensure that all electrical products are turned off in your room. try having dimmed lights when you come home from work.

you may need to complete exercises that are energy building rather than expending. it would be worth having your adrenal/cortisol and growth hormones assessed which can be done with a simple saliva test.

Your diet has a huge influence on this as well, for example a lowfat diet could interfere with your thyroid function as well as eating food choices that are not good for you. A really good book to read is Paul CHEK, how to eat move and be healthy, which has great info on exercise, nutrition, sleep wake cycles and stress, i recommend it to all my clients.

if you need any more help you can always ask.

all the best

Tommo

[ProstectBar]

I would actually consider doing a rigorous workout so when you go to bed your body will want the rest.

[tommo]

If you are stressed and anxious, completing a rigorous workout will serve to elevate cortisol levels which further increase stress and anxiety levels paticularly if completed in the evening.

An exercise plan that serves to create energy will bemuch better for the individual. try the CHEK institue for zone exercises or modes like tai chi or chi gong for the best appraoch to this!