Welcome to week 7 of ‘Building Blocks for Well Being’
Covid-19 turned our lives upside- down and we all experienced a wide range of emotions which, was and is normal.
Routines where lost, there is uncertainty about what our ‘new normal’ will look like. In today’s climate and for some of us, we are experiencing some levels of anxiety due to worries around wider political and global issues which may be having an impact on our friends and/our families.
With these unprecedented changes coming so quickly, it is understandable that our sleeping routines have also been disturbed however the need to focus on sleep is vital as sleep provides us with great benefits.
As stated by the Sleep Foundation (www.sleepfoundation.org) sleep is critical to physical health and the effective functioning of the immune system. It is also a key promoter of emotional wellness and mental health, helping to beat back stress, depression, and anxiety.
To support you with your sleep, the National Youth Health Programme and The Sanctuary have come up with top tips to improve your sleep with an accompanying mediation to help you unwind and relax. The meditation came be used in the morning to help you relax and prepare for the day ahead or, it can be used at night time before you fall asleep.
Top tips to help you sleep
- Set aside a time during the day to concentrate on your worries and problems (week 6 ‘Take it one day at a time). When you get into bed at night and you are still having the same worries try having a ‘worry pad’ by your bed. This means, you can jot down your worries, park them and in the morning, try and set aside time in your day to solve them.
- Start a bedtime ritual to help you wind down. As much as possible, avoid electronic devices
- Get into a bedtime routine. Try going to bed at the same time each night and waking each morning at the same time.
- Gentle exercise before bed such as stretching or yoga can help you relax
- Avoid caffeine in the evenings
- Do not use alcohol to help you fall asleep
- Unless prescribed by your G.P, try to avoid sleeping tablets. Sleeping tablets do not provide a long-term solution to chronic sleeping problems.
- If you are finding it difficult to sleep, get out of bed and do something like reading a book (avoid electronic devices). Return to bed when you are sleepy again. This will help you associate bed with sleep and not being distressed.