Sleep

Several articles have come out in the past few weeks commenting on how many people have found their sleep routine has been heavily disrupted during lockdown. Some articles have linked sleep disruption to increased anxiety, which is totally understandable at this time.

I've found randomly my sleep has been disturbed, with no pattern over the past three months. I guess sometimes things were weighing on my mind subconsciously, or sometimes my brain has been revved up and in overdrive.

The benefit of a goodnights sleep should not be underestimated:

Your body repairs itself a when you are asleep and resting. Sleep is vital to support your immune system and is important to aid and reduce recovery time.

If you want to be in the best possible state for learning, recalling information and performing at your best in tests or other stressful situations a good quality sleep is an important ingredient.

Sleep deprivation can cause a multitude of problems. The chances of making errors and mistakes increase if you suffer from lack of sleep. People who suffer from sleep deprivation of suffer from weight gain due to altered hormone levels causing a slowing of metabolism, and the processing of carbohydrate in particular, and the storage of sugar.

How can we set ourselves up for the best night’s sleep possible?

•    Limit blue light exposure from devices before going to bed.
•    Limit Carbohydrate later in the evening.
•    Take a relaxing bath with a good quality bath oil, or salts.
•    Read a few chapters of a book.
•    Ensure you are hydrated, but not too much, so you have to get up for the bathroom.
•   Keep a pen and pad beside your bed, make a list of anything important that pops into your head as you lie down that may prevent you from going to sleep.
•   Think of all the nice interactions you had in the day.

??I love the following passage from one of my favourite go to ?? on life:

"The things you can see only when you slow down". By Haemin Sunim

?"If you would like to sleep more peacefully, as you lay your head on the pillow, think of people whom you are grateful to, or the times you helped others and felt good about yourself. It will warm your heart, giving you with a more peaceful sleep"?.

???Have you found your sleep routine disturbed over the past few months? Let me know in the comments and add your number tip for getting a great night's sleep