SLEEP AID TIPS bought to your by McLaren Vale Lavender and TERESA BARTER, RN, B.Ng, Grad Dip Ed [Health], M. Public Health, Grad. Cert. Diabetes Management. 

Ensure your bedroom is comfortable, quiet and dark.

• Create a routine of bedtime habits:-
• Keep regular hours, go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
• Caffeine free milky drink e.g. Horlicks is a beneficial night time drink
• Apply Sleep Aid to soles of your feet and one drop in the palm of your hand and hold it there for one minute.
• Read by a soft light
• Warm bath or shower
• Easy stretches
• Listen to a book on tape
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine drinks & any stimulants before bedtime
• Avoid heavy meals and foods that are hard to digest
• Quit smoking, nicotine is a stimulant

• Regulate your sleep-wake cycle.

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle; it is controlled by light exposure.

• Many aspect s of modern life disrupts your body’s natural production of melatonin. Increase light exposure during the day by letting sunlight onto your face. Spend time outside as much as possible.  Take your lunch and work/study breaks in the sunlight, exercise outside, walk the dog etc.
• Conversely, boost melatonin production at night. Don’t read from a backlit device such as an iPad, avoid bright lights.  Keep a torch to go to the bathroom during the night to keep light to a minimum and avoid having computers, TV screens and the like in the room.

Learn how to manage your thoughts and if stress is keeping you awake, consider some stress management techniques.  Managing stress in a productive way will enable a calm, positive outlook, which in turn will assist you to sleep better at night.  Be Patient, changing your habits and regulating patterns of sleep will take time.  Don’t place unrealistic expectations on yourself to achieve good sleeping habits; everyone from time to time suffers from disruptive sleep patterns.

• Relaxation techniques for better sleep.

• Deep breathing.  Close your eyes-and take deep, slow breaths – making each breath deeper than the last.
• Progressive muscle relaxation.  Starting at your toes, tense all the muscles as tightly as you can, then completely relax.  Work your way up from your feet to the top of your head.
• Visualizing a peaceful, restful place.

Close your eyes and imagine a place or activity that is calming and peaceful for you.  Concentrate on how relaxed this place or activity makes you feel.

Ways to get back to sleep

1. Stop worrying that you’re awake and concentrate on the relaxation techniques above. Rest and relaxation is just as important as sleep and will help rejuvenate your body for the next day.
2. Avoid getting out of bed and checking your phone, i.pad, TV etc, these will stimulate you.
3. Keep a pencil and paper by your bed, and if you awake during the night feeling anxious about something, make a brief note of it and postpone the worry until the next day when it will be easier to resolve. Similarly, if a brainstorm or great idea is keeping you awake, take note of it and you will fall back to sleep knowing you won’t have forgotten it in the morning.