Hello lovely followers~

I’m kicking off this self-care series with some tips for sleep. Many people with mental illnesses (and many without!) have trouble getting the right amount of sleep at the right time, which can have a big impact on your mental and physical health. These tips are designed to help you get a good night’s sleep, but bear in mind it can take some perseverance to change a “wonky” sleeping pattern.

First things first: make your sleeping space as comfy as possible:

• A comfy bed is obviously a good place to start, and while a good mattress can be expensive, it’s a worthy investment if you can afford it. Most mattresses also need to be turned regularly, every six months is good, just flip the mattress face over or turn it around so that you’re putting your head on a different part of the mattress each time.
• Clean bedclothes that feel nice against your skin and are warm enough for the season
• Make the room as dark as possible, including all those annoying little lights on electronics (tape over them or face them to the wall)
• Allow fresh air into your room, but not enough to make the room cold (if possible)
• Try to eliminate as much noise as possible, particularly ticking clocks (or any clocks really, focussing on the time will only make you panic). This may require earplugs or headphones.
• Try to use your bed only for “bed things” (sleep and sex), this will train your body and brain to know that bed=sleep.

Prepare your body and mind for sleep:

• Try to wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day, even if you don’t feel rested. This will help you to go to bed earlier.
• Many people don’t recommend taking naps during the day, however being unwell in any form takes your energy, so instead I suggest keeping naps to 1 hour or less (if possible)
• Regular exercise can burn excess energy and help promote sleep - but exercising before bed will raise your heartbeat and make it harder to sleep, so try to do it earlier in the day
• Try to avoid caffeine, nicotine and heavy meals for 3-4 hours before going to bed
• Having a bedtime routine or ritual can help you train your mind to know when it’s time to sleep
• Designate 30 mins-1 hour before bed as relaxation time. Try to avoid too much mental stimulation (no shows that give you too many feels), also be aware that screens such as TVs, computers and phones emit a blue light that is only otherwise found in sunlight. Exposure to this light outside daylight hours has been found to disturb the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.
• A warm bath or shower before bed can help relax your body and mind - try adding some nice smelling bubbles or oils if you like - lavender essential oil is said to be very relaxing, you may also like to try this fragrance in your room/on your pillow.
• Warm milk has long been believed to be a remedy for trouble sleeping - this is because milk contains tryptophans, which make you sleepy. Some other foods that contain tryptophans are turkey, bananas, peanuts and figs.
• Valerian root is a herbal treatment said to aid sleep, talk to your doctor before using this if you’re on any medication.
• It’s thought that magnesium can play a role in sleep, some foods rich in magnesium are leafy green vegetables, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds and almonds.
• If you’re prescribed sleeping medication, take that as directed. If you are prescribed medication that makes you feel awake or has other side effects that might keep you awake, try taking them at another time of day.
• Some people like to listen to soothing music as they fall asleep. Some people recommend something called ASMR. ASMR is a sensory phenomenon where some people feel tingling sensations in the head, neck and other parts of the body in response to non-touching sensory sitmuli. These feelings are said to be pleasurable and to relieve insomnia and anxiety. You need to listen to these types of sounds with stereo headphones, they use the stereo to create a “3d sound” effect that causes the ASMR reaction. Some more people recommend binaural beats, which produce a similar effect to ASMR or white noise, like that of an untuned radio or TV. All these sounds can be found on youtube.
• If you have racing thoughts when you go to bed, try writing them down, getting them out of your head may help you to relax.
• If you’ve been laying awake in bed for over 30 minutes, get up and do something, preferably something boring but necessary like the ironing. It’ll either bore you to sleep, or you’ll get something productive done. Win-win!

I hope some of this is helpful! Any feedback is greatly appreciated. :)

Love,

— Lauren