Self-Care is about creating a life that you don’t need to escape from on a regular basis.
Following on from my blog ‘Why Sleep Matters’ here are some tips for improving your sleep:
1. Shut down your technology at least one hour before going to bed, or at the very least have a blue light filter. Computer screens, televisions, mobile phones emit a blue light that is more like the cool light of a new day that helps to wake us up, rather than a warming sunset to help us sleep. Ideally, turn off your router! And preferably your phone as well. If it is your alarm clock, have it outside your bedroom door. So that may be quite a culture shock – no more late night checking of your Facebook or Instagram or LinkedIn feed . . .
2. Also, a lot of modern bulbs, especially the recessed ceiling lights, are LED, which also emit this cooler blue light, so use them as little as possible in the evening, at least in the latter part of the day. For table lights or bedside lights you can buy bulbs that specify warm light, or even drape some thin red fabric over them. I have found this to be very helpful.
3.“So what am I supposed to do if I can’t check my mobile phone?” I hear you ask… you could try some of these:
- Prepare breakfast for the next morning, make sure your bag is ready to go for the next day
- In the summer months, go for a leisurely stroll in the gloaming, and talk with your Beloved.
- Read a book – a real one, made of paper!
- Meditate.
- Listen to some relaxing music or guided visualisations.
- Do some gentle stretching exercises, or maybe some yoga or Tai Chi – nothing too vigourous, we’re thinking – calming down, winding down at the end of the day.
- Some people find colouring books very soothing.
- Journalling – this can be a good time to review your day and to give thanks for the good things which have happened, however small.
- Have a relaxing herbal tea – there are many sleep and night-time blends available.
- Have a warm bath or shower before going to bed – you can see this as washing away not just the day’s dirt and grime, but also any stresses and frustrations you have experienced
- Shawn Stevenson suggests a lovely practice he calls “Earthing“ – where your bare feet make contact with Mother Earth, which in the summer is fabulous. (Less appealing in the depths of winter I have to confess…)
4. Create a sanctuary of order and calm in your bedroom – and preferably no television or computer. If you are limited for space and your bedroom is the only place to keep your computer, then definitely shut it completely down, and consider covering it with a cloth when it’s not in use, so as minimise its influence on your sleeping space. Enjoy the feel of cotton bed linen, the finer the thread count the smoother it is to touch.
5. Scent: maybe a lavender room spray, or a scented candle if that’s your thing. Tisserand do some sleep oil blends, both as a roller on your pulse points, or as a body oil, which in fact makes a lovely night-time facial moisturiser!
6. Consider going to bed a little earlier – if you are used to going to bed at say midnight, and then getting up at 6am to go to work (which is going to give you 6 hours maximum sleep, and probably less), then suddenly trying to go to bed at 10pm will probably not be helpful, unless you are completely exhausted. Instead, aim for 15 minutes earlier and get used to that, and then another 15 minutes earlier, and gradually train your brain to switch off earlier.
7. Cranial Osteopathy is wonderful for helping people to relax and to sleep better.
If this would interest you, and you are in or near Baldock in Hertfordshire, or Bromley in SE London, send me a text! You’ll reach me on 07535 350 343.
I hope this selection of tips, culled from many different places, is helpful. Look out for the next blog in my series of self-care articles.