Is World Sleep day now doing more harm than good?

Yes. We all know sleep is the simplest way to improve our physical and mental health.??We’ve heard the message loud and clear.??But what if you can’t easily get 8 hours???Worrying about how you’re going to perform tomorrow? Weight gain? Depression? Cancer? Heart disease? Dementia??

Of course, we all feel better when we are rested. This can be easier said than done when we're feeling anxious or unhappy. But sometimes we get into bad habits that interfere with our ability to sleep well. Unless I’m really anxious, I don’t usually have a problem getting to sleep but I often find myself wide awake at 4am with my mind buzzing with thoughts about things I want to do with my day ahead.??This is fairly typical of people with ADHD, it doesn’t mean you’re stressed. But consistent early waking is pretty annoying and can become a source of worry in itself. You end up worrying about all that sleep you're not getting.

My quest to get more than 4 or 5 hours sleep has meant I’ve researched many ways to improve my sleep.??These are the best I’ve found:

Ditch the sleep-tracking apps

If you’re even slightly obsessive these are just going to make you worry more.??Listen to your body instead.??You know if you’re getting enough sleep because you feel rested.??And if you’re not, you don’t need an app nagging away reminding you of how poorly you’re sleeping.

Find some good sleep-focused podcasts

Andrew Huberman Lab podcast focuses on lots of subjects that are relevant to mental health and draw on science.??He has?this episode ?devoted to improving sleep as well as this?toolkit for sleep.

Read some good sleep-focused?books

There are also lots of great books. If you Google these authors you will find they've been on numerous podcasts and can be found on YouTube so you could listen to their main messages for free without having to shell out a penny.

·???????The?Effortless Sleep Method by Sasha Stephens ?includes lots of great practical advice including the tip not to refer to yourself as an insomniac in case you cement that into your identity. Whilst it’s not free, it might be cost-effective to complete her?on-line sleep coaching programme ?(I haven’t tried it).

·???????Why We Sleep ?by Matthew Walker.

Learn from yoga

Try wearing an eye mask and/or ear plugs if you're finding it hard to fall or stay asleep due to light or noise.

Yoga weighted eye pillows have more benefits than eye masks; the slight pressure on our eyelids triggers our oculocardiac reflex causing us to feel more relaxed.

Nasal breathing is associated with better sleep and better health overall.??Practicing this during waking hours will make it come easier at night.??It can also stop you snoring.??Snoring can wake you up as well as your partner.??If you really struggle buy some cheap mouth tape (yes it exists) to help coax your body into breathing through the nose more naturally.

Try out some neurotech

I use a range of innovative neuro-technological gadgets that can help you not only strengthen your overall resilience to stress but can also be used to reduce stress and aid sleep.??The ones below are the ones I’ve tried and have used repeatedly for at least 3 years.??They are all designed to help regulate your nervous system and create balance.??This means that not only will they aid sleep but they can facilitate a state of flow, where you’re at your peak ability to focus and be creative whilst feeling vibrant and energised. They also aid proprioception so both of the two more expensive technologies, Roshiwave and NeurOptimal, are used by elite athletes.

None of these technological aids are invasive or carry risk of side effects.??Each works to enhance the functioning of our central nervous systems so that we’re performing at our most optimum.??The benefits of using each are amplified by regular use as our body adjusts to the use of the device and, unlike most other devices on the market, they help our central nervous system be in the optimum state for?us personally?rather than trying to encourage us to be in a state that falls at optimum performance for?most people.??As well as their other uses, they can all be used at evening time to promote a good nights sleep.

Apolloneuro?

This device is worn on the ankle or wrist but can be carried in a trouser or chest pocket throughout the day or night.??Developed by neuroscientists, the Apolloneuro uses gentle vibrations to stimulate our “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous response and return our body to a state of balance.??When used regularly, the Apolloneuro helps our bodies learn to be more resilient to stress, help us focus, recover from difficult interactions, feel more sociable and get to sleep more easily (or return if we wake).??It’s controlled via a mobile app where the desired mode is selected and can be customised for intensity and duration of stimulation.??It can be used for a few minutes several times a day or used continuously for up to 2 hours.??I find this really beneficial for getting back to sleep at 4am.??

RoshiWave 2 glasses?

Developed by a leading expert in bioneurofeedback, this pair of glasses is worn for up to an hour at a time whilst seated or laying down.??Whilst wearing the RoshiWave 2 glasses, the pupils are stimulated by lights.??The blue and green option, my personal favourite, creates the experience of being laid by the sea at the coast on a sunny day.??This can be accompanied by the sound of crashing waves although the sound is not required to experience benefits.

Like bioneurofeedback, RoshiWave encourages our brain to maintain a state of balance by discouraging brainwave frequencies that are associated with anxiety and agitation or that serve to keep us feeling lethargic.???Instead, it promotes brain activity that is associated with our minds performing at their most optimum and achieving the kind of state of flow that would take years of meditation practice to achieve.??

Even though the thought of using light during the night is counterintuitive, the glasses are comfortable and they really work.??I’m the UK’s stockist so DM me if you’re interested.

NeurOptimal?

This device is the “Tesla” of neurotech.??Developed by two clinical psychologists who were also leading experts in bioneurofeedback, neuroscience and mathematics, this equipment is a sophisticated application running as pre-installed software on a supplied Microsoft tablet.??Users attach 2 sensors to their scalp with conductive paste and a further 3 to their ears then sit or lay back and listen to music for 33 minutes.??The sensors don’t do anything to the brain but provide the software package with information about the brain’s activity.??Unlike the RoshiWave, it is possible to read or scroll your phone at the same time and still derive all the benefits.??Whilst listening to the music, the user hears interruptions (a bit like the kind of scratching sound you get when listening to old vinyl) and these aid the brain in achieving peak performance by alerting it to when the brain wave frequencies are suboptimal.??As with the other devices, NeurOptimal can facilitate a state of relaxation, resilience to stress, aid sleep, enhance creativity and memory and enable focus.??Whilst NeurOptimal isn’t promoted as an intervention for any specific health conditions, users often report improvements as their bodies are better able to cope with anxiety and stress thus improving overall health and preventing brain aging.?????This can really help if used prior to bed but is impractical to use in the middle of the night.

Practice some compassion

It's easy to get caught up in worry about all the sleep you're not getting. Practice some compassion. And remember, in times gone by, sleeping in two segments was normal. Maybe you can catch up later?