Sleep Remedies...because we all need sleep

Imagine...it's a weeknight and you've just jumped into bed. You physically feel tired but your brain isn't on the same wavelength. As the hours go by, you're stuck listening to the clock tick wondering when will you eventually drift off?! By 2 a.m you are no closer to being in the land of nod than you were at 10 p.m when you jumped in. By the time morning comes you are shattered, moody and simply want to go back to sleep. Surely there is a way to cure this restlesness.....

Sleeping, for me, can be one of the hardest tasks of the day even when I am shattered. My different shift patterns don't help me with my sleeping routine, it gets so bad that I sometimes dread going to bed.....when I used to love it!

Here are just a few ways I found when looking up information of restless nights...

1. Unwind with Lavender.
According to various health websites the smell of lavender has a natural and relaxing effect that aids your sleep. You can buy many lavender scented products to try this method out. There are bath bubbles and body washes so yo can enjoy a lavender bubble bath befpre you go to bed and drift off into a lovely sleep or why not try rubbing a little lavender essential oil on your hands and then brushing it through your hair meaning you will smell it all night long. My personal favourite is the lavender pillow spray and temple rub that you can buy which help scent your pillow and calm your mind so you can enjoy a restful nights sleep.

2. Take a hot shower or a bath.
If you take a hot bath or shower two hours before bedtime, health websites state that it can relax your body and make it believe it is ready for sleep. However, it can have the opposite effect and awaken you and stimulate your blood flow - you need to test this one out to see which way it works for you. If it works in making you sleepy and ready for bed, add it to your bedtime ritual but if it wakes you up add it to your morning routine to set you up for your day.

3. Sip on tea to make you sleepy.
Tea without caffeine will help to calm and relax you whilst helping you to free your mind and unwind before bedtime. Along with chamomile tea, adding a little honey (contrary to popular belief!) can really help to. Health websites state that honey can have a sedative effect and help you to actually fall asleep faster too, sounds good and tastes good. When shopping, teas that help with sleep are usually labelled.

4. Read a book.
The only rule is - it can NOT be a page turner! Think about it, if the book you chose was a really great read and you go into it, you wouldn't want to put it down meaning no sleep. So, choose a bedtime book that is a slow burner with less cliffhangers that will help your eyelids to become heavy and maybe, just maybe you will be asleep before you reach the next chapter.

5. Play a relaxing sound.
A lot of people find noises like the rainforest or the beach naturally relaxing when trying to drift off. The reason behind this is our brains naturally crave sensory input, so when we are trying to fall asleep in a quiet room our minds with actually create "noise" in our heads. This noise can be our minds working overtime, stress, thinking of all we have to do, worries etc. But by actually playing some relaxing music or sounds you can help the brain to turn of the other noise and zone into the sound of the rainforest or the beach, even the sound of whales or dolphins - whatever you find that helps you to drift off. Just make sure, if you're playing it on a laptop or ipod - that you turn the brightness down so the glow doesn't keep you awake defeating the object of playing the music. This brings us on to the next point....

6. Keep your room cold and dark.
Early humans were accustomed to the cool and darkness so why not bring yourself back to your roots and try it out. To keep your room cool have the windows open or have a fan on in your room for about an hour before you go to bed and to keep it dark use a set of blackout blinds and make sure everything that lights up in your room is out of sight.

7. Wake up earlier.
By waking up earlier on a daily basis it will help you to feel more tired earlier on in the night, resetting your body clock and enabling you to get a good nights sleep. According to research, two or three good, full nights sleep a week is best for you.

8. Have a bedtime snack.
A snack just before bedtime may help you actually fall off to sleep better according to research - as long as its the right type of foods. A nice warm, milky drink has always been a popular bedtime remedy but other foods that can help (according to Health.com) are cheese, cashews, chicken and turkey. But make sure that it is just a snack and not a full meal because going to bed on a full stomach can make your body go into overdrive trying to digest it all, keeping you awake longer!

9. Write down whatever is on your mind.
Stress from daily life, issues in work or personal life and the day to day grind can lead to your mind working overtime when you go to bed. So why not put a diary next to your bed and each night before you go to sleep write down everything that is bothering you or your to-do lists so you're not thinking about it all in bed. It helps!

So why not try one of these (or more than one!), and see if you can get so good sleep.