Over recent months, many people, clients and friends, have told me they’ve had difficulty sleeping since the start of the pandemic, that they’re overthinking, finding it hard to relax and switch off. We all need at least 7 hours sleep and disturbed nights can take their toll on your emotional well being and ability to manage the tasks and structure of your day.
Sleepy quiz
Firstly, what’s keeping you awake?
- Too much to do; remembering in the night things you need to do in the day?
- Feeling bored? Not enough to do?
- Feeling isolated? Missing family, friends, working alongside colleagues?
- Loss of work and economic pressures?
- A disagreement, dwelling on difficult relationships?
- Longing to do all you used to be able to do?
- Being in need of a holiday or at least a break?
- Inability to get comfortable, or to hot or too cold?
- Feeling worried, stressed or depressed about Covid 19 and the uncertainty in the world?
- What else?
Practical steps
Whatever the cause, there are many practical steps you can take to give yourself the chance of a better night’s sleep.
- Keep to a routine: having set times of day to eat, work, exercise and sleep help your body fall into patterns, and to expect those patterns. We all have a body clock that tells us when we concentrate best and our less focussed times of day. So if you plan to switch off for the night at a regular time, you will more likely fall into that pattern.
- Avoid cat naps and sleeping in: sleeping at odd times in the day and getting up late and going to bed late at weekends, for example, will adversely affect that pattern.
- Take exercise to suit you: as much in the fresh air as you can or replace or complement it with indoor activity. You can join Zoom sessions online to add to the patterns of the day or week and keep contact with others.
- Build social interaction into your day, with regular contact with colleagues, family and friends. Join online groups to enjoy existing interest and find new sources of interest and learning.
- Healthy intake: this is important for your digestion as heavy meals can affect your ability to sleep, especially if taken late in the evening. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and evening. Whilst stimulants like coffee and alcohol may keep you awake, a calming tea like Camomile or a milky drink at night can help you feel calm.
- Take an assertive approach to relationship difficulties, whether personal or professional. Avoid dealing with difficulties at the height of your emotion as it’s more likely to come out in an angry or accusatory tone. Rather than focusing only on what you’re unhappy about, carefully consider what you want to gain from a conversation
- Leave a tidy desk at the end of your working day, especially if homeworking, and ideally a tidy place. Lots of clutter around isn’t conducive to sleep and knowing you have to get up to chaos may play on your mind.
- Make a plan for tomorrow at the end of each day. A mental record is not enough. Write down all the tasks you can realistically do tomorrow & put them in priority order. Place your list where you can see it when you get up. You won’t want to waste time searching for it! If you’re not working, a structure and tasks for the day is equally important.
- Limit time spent on the difficult news: if you find yourself constantly watching news about the pandemic or other unpleasant items, especially before going to bed, it’s harder to switch off. Of course there’s a need to know and to keep abreast of the news, but avoid doing so continually if you find it disturbing and late at night.
- Take your mind off things before trying to go to sleep, reading an absorbing book, listening to calming music, practising meditation or mindfulness.
- Turn off electronic devices at night and resist the last minute temptations to check emails, social media and news before turning off the light. Ideally, switch off devices at least one hour before bed.
- Keep a notepad and pen by the bed, in case your active mind keeps thinking of things you need to do tomorrow, so you can jot down your thoughts rather than get up or turn on your phone.
- If you still can’t sleep, don’t simply lie there and toss and turn. It’s better to get up, read for a while or listen to some music, and then go back to bed.
- Clean, fresh bedding is also calming and can help you feel more relaxed …. and so to sleep!
We live in unusual times, where our routines and way of life is disrupted, our work practices have changed and social interactions are mostly online and from a distance. I hope these practical ideas will be of some help towards getting more rest at night so that you can better cope with the demands of these different days.
