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Every night in the UK, 22% of people have trouble falling asleep. Nightmare, right?
When we struggle to sleep, the impact trickles out into the rest of our lives. It can affect our performance at work, our diet, and our relationships with others. The underhand shot is that our diet and lifestyle can also be the reason were not dropping off at night, and we can quickly find ourselves in a never-ending downward spiral.
So how can we break free? With help from a counsellor and a nutritionist, we play out some of the most common sleep problem scenarios, and look at how to address them.
The sceneYou feel fatigued and lethargic, even the small things in your daily routine feel like monstrous, energy-sucking quests. And when things feel that difficult, its easy to let them fall by the wayside. You struggle to concentrate when youre at work, and your to-do list builds up to an overwhelming level. Recalling things that happened even yesterday becomes hard, and you start to notice that youre forgetting more than you normally would. Youre irritable with your colleagues, friends, and family youre at the end of your tether. When you do finally get round to doing the things that you enjoy, you cant engage as you would do normally. You feel anxious and hopeless.
The next actThis scene is all too familiar to counsellor and psychologist Dr Vikki Powell, and to the 16 million adults in the UK who report sleep problems. On Vikkis advice, for many the first step to addressing these problems is to go back to basics. The most effective step is to start a regular routine around sleep, she explains. This involves not only having a regular bedtime and wake time that you maintain throughout the week (including weekends), but also having a regular wind-down routine too.
As Vikki sees it, this routine should involve time away from screens and tech, and you should try not to arouse the brain too much, or do any strenuous physical activity. But rather than listing the things you cant do, look at this time as an opportunity to indulge in some relaxing activities you genuinely enjoy. You could rediscover a love of reading, journaling, or crafting. Or now could be the time to practise light yoga, meditation, or another mindfulness activity sex is also on the cards. Make this time sacred and special, dedicated to winding down, and something that you can look forward to at the end of the day.
The sceneYouve had a bad day. In fact, its been a bad week scratch that, maybe even a bad month. It feels like a million different thoughts are rushing around your head, knocking into, and interlocking with, each other. The moment your head hits the pillow, you start inadvertently working your way through everything that has been worrying you throughout the day like a showreel of your lowest moments. It comes to the point where you begin to dread this time of night, and so stay up later and later, filling your evening with distractions. You wake up physically and mentally exhausted its a vicious cycle.
You take deep, slow breaths and gently let your mind ponder on the things that brought you joy that day
The next act...The reassuring thing is, youre not alone. Periods of poor sleep are very normal and will affect most of us at some point.
This is often related to a trigger event such as illness, stress, change of environment, and extra demands or responsibilities, Vikki explains. When the trigger event or period subsides, so should the insomnia. Worrying about not sleeping, and adopting unhelpful strategies for coping with poor sleep, become the problem and this perpetuates insomnia.
Its easier said than done, but the first step is to take a look at the potential triggers.
You may not be able to do anything about them instantly for example, if you are going through a stressful life change and it may be the case that counselling, or further professional support, is needed, but being able to recognise your triggers will be the first step to controlling them. Vikki also recommends keeping a worry journal, or to-do list, to throw down the things in your head before you go to sleep, meaning you can move them out of your head and on to the paper, leaving room for more positive, relaxing thoughts to send you off to sleep.
The sceneYou wake up in the morning with a headache, feeling exhausted. You force yourself into the kitchen to make the first of many coffees that day. You didnt get much sleep last night, and you feel ravenous, and crave sugary foods. Throughout the day you snack between meals, and have another coffee in the afternoon. To wind down after work, you have a couple of glasses of wine. You feel tired, but when you go to bed you find youre restless, and you wake up several times in the night.
The next actThe relationship between food and sleep is often neglected. But, according to nutritional therapist Sonal Shah, its one that we must start paying more attention to. There is a strong link between lack of sleep and more hunger, Sonal explains. The hunger hormone ghrelin is stimulated, which means you feel like you want to eat more the following day and often the foods craved are simple carbohydrates, or junk food, that provides quick energy to the body and mind.
So a good nights sleep can help us manage our hunger cycle, but how can what were eating help with getting the sleep in the first place? The first tip any nutritionist will give you is youve already guessed it cutting the caffeine. Weve all been told it before, but to really drive the point home, Sonal highlights how caffeine stays in the body for between six and 10 hours meaning you should cut yourself off from 2pm. Alcohol and sugary snacks can also lead to disturbed sleep. Of course, theres nothing wrong with treating yourself every now and then, but these tips are worth keeping in mind while youre working towards healthier routines.
Youve had a long day. Its been a busy one, but you feel proud of yourself for getting through the essentials on your to-do list. The sun has set outside, and everything has started to get quieter. You walk into your dimly lit bedroom, change into fresh pyjamas, and spend half an hour on a hobby youve been looking forward to all day. You slowly sip on a mug of warm herbal tea. Your eyes are starting to feel droopy, so you slip in between the sheets and turn off the light.
Your head sinks into the pillow followed by your neck, your shoulders, your spine, your hips, your knees, and finally your heels. You take deep, slow breaths and gently let your mind ponder on the things that brought you joy that day. Without stress or urgency, you slowly drift off into a deep, calm, rejuvenating sleep.
A good nights sleep wont come easily to all of us, but its not a pipe dream. With deliberate steps, we can find our balance, and bid tossing and turning goodnight. Now, thats what dreams are really made of.
For more exclusive sleep-related content, including co-sleeping and insight into your dreams, pick up the May issue of Happiful in our shop now, or in supermarkets from Thursday 16 April, or subscribe to read for free online.
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Illustration | Rosan Magar
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Sleep Scenarios and How to Put Them to Rest - Happiful Magazine
