Are you struggling to get a good nights sleep?
Have you ever felt completely shattered, but the minute your head hits the pillow your mind becomes active and you find it a struggle to sleep?
We all know that sleep is such an essential part of every day, especially when you are pregnant, however in one poll, 78% of women report more disturbed sleep during pregnancy than at other times.
This can be for many reasons including physical ones such as feeling uncomfortable or your baby pressing on your bladder as well as emotional ones due to anxiety about childbirth, concerns over balancing motherhood and work, or their changing relationship with their partner.
My top 10 tips for getting a good nights sleep
- Become aware of what you are eating and drinking before in the evening. Avoid all caffeine from 6pm onwards. Keep drinking water as it is extremely important to stay hydrated.
- Drink a soothing bed time drink an hour before bed such as golden milk (almond milk with turmeric and cinnamon) or herbal tea – avoid hot chocolate as the sugar and caffeine will keep you buzzing.
- Avoid spicy foods or those which you know may cause heartburn
- Take a walk in the early evening – helps with circulation, getting some fresh air and having gentle exercise.
- Avoid screens – especially checking your social media before bed – the luminosity of the screen increases the hormones that keep you awake!
- Practice calm gentle breathing, visualisation and relaxation techniques. (see below)
- If you have any worries or concerns write them down in a note-book before going to sleep – that way they are out of your mind and on the paper so you are effectively letting them go.
- Create an indulgent no screens bed time routine – have a soothing bed time drink (see above) 20 minute warm bath whilst burning some lavender oils, 10 minutes writing down thoughts and ideas, 20 minutes reading a good book and finish off by listening to a relaxation track.
- If you wake in the night, go to the toilet then come back to bed and listen to a relaxation track or practice your own mediation or mindfulness.
- If you are still busy thinking about stuff then get your pen and paper out and write down any thoughts or concerns
How to improve sleep?
A great way to help you fall asleep is to practice breathing, relaxation and distraction techniques, which allow your mind to drift, become quiet and sink into sleep. Instead of trying to plan the next day or worry about what is in the freezer for tomorrow’s tea, simply focus on your breathing and practice letting the tension in your muscles go and quietening the mind.
This is all made so easy for you by listening to a hypnosis track such as my Easy to Sleep audio download.
This is a relatively short track which takes you slowly and gently into a deeply relaxed state. This helps to quieten your mind, focus on your breathing and relaxing the muscles in your body with specific suggestions about finding just the right position to be comfortable in. It then encourages you to imagine being on a beautiful beach where you are guided through an exercise to mentally let go of any worries, concerns or discomfort which may be the reason you are struggling to sleep.
The last section encourages you to become even more relaxed, even more at ease and then gently fades out leaving you in this calm relaxed, sleepy state.
Women who listen to it often do not remember hearing the last section as they have drifted off to sleep by then.
It can be used when you first go to bed or to help you get back to sleep if you wake in the night for whatever reason.
