Night and Day
My internal clock sends me to sleep around 10.30 but my husband is a night owl, and likes to work in the small hours. It takes it toll. Cracking the get to bed early routine needs discipline.
The sleep experts all recommend at least 7, but best 8 hours a night. You may have your favourite sleep expert. I recommend Dr Michael Mosely and https://fast-asleep.com and Dr Matthew Walker, “Why We Sleep”, ironically I have it on a my bedtime book on Audible. https://www.sleepdiplomat.com
Doctors recommend the sleep achieved before midnight is the best. Also, the advise is not to use laptops and phones in the hour before bed. The ‘blue light’ affects sleep.
4-7-8 Breathing
If you find settling before sleep a stretch, you could try the 4-7-8 ratio.
- Four breaths in
- Hold for 7
- Breath out for 8
Holding for 7 and out for 8 maybe a little too much. What is important is to breath out for longer than you breath in, and to hold for a time.
Relaxing your whole body.
You may have found your own relaxation technique. If not, your could try using this with the 4-7-8 breathing
- lying flat,
- with your arms beside you,
- your feet flopped open
- check your jaw, relax it (some suggest touching the upper palate with the tip of your tongue to relax the jaw)
- breath slowly
- send your focus to your toes, feet,
- relax your feet, breath.
- work your way through your body,
- if you are distracted, bring yourself back
- focus on the breath and counting
- calves, knees, thighs, hips, stomach, chest
- don’t forget to breath in, and out, at each
- and keep bringing your focus back to the breath and counting
- and onwards to your fingers, hands, arms, shoulders
- and if you are still awake, up to your neck, your jaw, your head
- keep deep breathing.
If you are still awake after you could take yourself to your fantasy garden, a beautiful beach. Sometimes you may just want to calm yourself , quieten your mind by focussing on the flame of a candle. Give yourself time out from the spin.
Here is the advice from the NHS on stress and how to deal with it..
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/stress/
I am hoping to grow this website and am keen for readers to contribute their ideas on sleep and stress. We shall be adding in the Comments in due course however, for now please send your thoughts to Contact.