Asleep on the job? Time to rethink your routine!
I think we all appreciate just how critical sleep is to our health, energy, cognitive performance and immune function, but how can we set ourselves up for sleep success during lockdown?
If you're struggling with sleep right now and are ready to make some effective changes, it’s important to identify the underlying factors that are contributing to your challenges in the first place.
Factors could include anxiety, hormone imbalances or pain, all of which disturb our mind-body equilibrium. Or, factors could be more obviously related to our environment or lifestyle choices, for example: eating times, bedroom temperature, light exposure during the day, screens/TV/news exposure and stimulation, bedtime routine, physical activity during the day, caffeine/alcohol consumption and more.
Whatever the case, the good news is that it is likely there's a lot that is within your control.
After exposure to light and dark, our eating habits, particularly when we eat, is the second most important factor in helping support the regulation of our internal body clock, known as circadian rhythm, and therefore our sleep pattern.
So this brings me onto the importance of our daily routines. Whether you've found yourself with more time on your hands, or less, as a result of lockdown, if your current routine (or lack of routine) is working for you then stick with what you're doing! But if it isn't working for you and you feel your self-care or your sleep pattern is going awry, here are a few pointers which may help you get on track:
Create a simple daily plan and build in time windows for the basic self-care activities that make you feel good
Try fixing your sleeping time, waking up time and all your meal times. This structure may also help protect you from falling in habits such as excessive snacking by way of an energy fix.
Be realistic about what you can achieve in a day and keep things flexible around the edges - a framework can be super helpful but it's not a time to put additional pressure on yourself
Your evening wind-down is particularly key when it comes to setting you up for a good night’s sleep. What are you doing during your evenings to help turn-on your relaxation response?
And here are just a few additional ideas to give sleep a helping hand naturally:
Take a long soak in an Epsom salt bath an hour before bed
Enjoy a cup of Valerian tea during the evening
Magnesium supplementation before bedtime
Cherry Night supplement from Viridian before bedtime
Next steps
I hope my tips help you on your way to a good night’s slumber during lockdown, but if you’d like more personalised guidance or would like to know where to source the natural supplements I’ve mentioned and check whether they are good choices for you, please contact me and I’d be delighted to help you.
