5 ways to make you sleep better fast

Are you one of those people who thinks four hours of sleep is enough? For the clear majority of us that isn’t enough.

There are all sorts of scientific studies that cite the fact that less than five hours of sleep a night is not good for you, your overall health, or longevity. If part of your life plan is to get healthy and stay healthy, sleep must be part of that lifestyle routine.

How do we improve our sleep?

And for many reasons we aren’t sleeping very well or for long enough. So, what do we do? First find out if ‘not sleeping’ is a physical thing. Sleep apnea and other such breathing issues are very serious health conditions and should be treated by physicians and experts in the field.

After ruling out something physical out start thinking about a bedtime routine. To get yourself ready to sleep. Just as we enforce a bedtime routine for the children in our lives, so too should we make our own bedtime routine part of our lives.

One of my favourite moments as a parent was bedtime. Not because my children went to sleep like little angels. Or because I had some quiet time before I dropped exhausted into my own bed. Twilight time was special.

It began with bath time. When the dirty, grimy, sweaty little bodies were clean, and their hair was wet and slicked back and sweet. Dressed in their adorable little kid pyjamas. The lights were dimmed, and books were read. I would sing to them. It didn’t matter what song it was part of the ritual of bedtime.

Our order of things are wrong

As adults we don’t get tucked into bed much. We may get into bed, watch tv, use our laptops, notebooks or smart phones right there in bed with us. It’s no wonder most of us can’t sleep. Or sleep fitfully.

We have the order of things all wrong at the end of the day. We rev up in the evening not down. Trying to get one more thing done. Play one more game of words with friends. Scroll though a couple more Facebook pages. All activities that alert our bodies that it is not time to rest.

There is documented proof that the blue light emitted from phones and televisions and tablets all can keep us awake. So why do we invite them into our bedrooms? I think for many of us we have forgotten the function of the room with the bed in it. Sleeping, resting, or having sex.

There is nothing sexier than trying to get your partner’s attention when they are playing a game on their smartphone. (Tweet it!)

Here are five ways to sleep better fast:

RULE #1 Get the electronics out of your bedroom.

That means everything. Remember alarm clocks? They work great for waking you up and telling the time, and they don’t mess with your circadian rhythms that tell you when it’s time to sleep.

RULE #2 Get into a routine.

Have a bedtime that is as close to the same time every night as you can. Yes, we all have work commitments and social occasions. Deadlines and family time. Bedtime every night at the same time is a suggestion. Make your bed a haven. Keep it clear of clothes. Neaten up the room. If you don’t have energy to do this put everything in a clothes basket and put it outside the door to be dealt with another time.

RULE #3 Make your pre-bedtime as luxurious as possible.

A shower with a soothing scented soap. Some suggestions although the sense of smell is so subjective for each of us. You might try, Lavender, Chamomile, Bergamot, Jasmine, Rose and Sandalwood. Sip tea with the same calming vibe in mind.

RULE #4 Read something interesting.

(Not on your tablet or smartphone). And this needs to have nothing to do with your work. Listen to some music (not from your phone) or a podcast, comedy show, white noise set the mood. Keep lights low and let yourself unwind. If you share a bed or bedroom, try to get your partner to do this with you.

RULE #5 Make lists.

Keep a pad and pen (not your smartphone), and if you are stuck on a thought or making lists in your head of things you didn’t accomplish, write it down. Write a to do list or jot down what’s bothering you. Start bullet journaling and just get those nagging thoughts out of your head, down on paper, and then put it in a drawer or under your bed or turn the pad over on the bedside table.

We do not make good decisions when we are not well rested. Everything is harder to deal with when we are looking through bleary over strained eyes. You deserve a good night’s sleep. Tuck yourself in gently tonight and be kind to yourself. Le me know how it goes.

Now over to you: Can you relate to some of this? What is your best bedtime routine? Let me know in my Facebook community.

 

 

 

 

When did we become so afraid of pain?

In my work helping people feel better during or after a trauma, I have noticed that there are some old wounds people don’t want to reveal or revisit. They know that uncovering and exposing this old pain to the light will help give them a better overall sense of well-being. It may also allow them to live a fuller and happier life. In many instances, they want to hang on to that old pain. It’s familiar. Awful, but familiar. Deeply rooted and their fear is stronger than the relief could ever be.

I started to think about why this happens, especially with early in life trauma that we have encapsulated into ourselves. We carry this hurt around as part of us and consciously or unconsciously make decisions based on this earlier event. Sometimes we marry the same kind of people trying to puzzle out what happened to us. The deepest pain remains hidden.

Emotional pain can be every bit as painful as physical pain. (Tweet it!)

And the physical pain we pop pills to try to get rid of that as fast as possible. Is this how people get addicted to pain medication?

What happened the last time you got a headache? Did you take something? Did you think about why you might have a headache before you took a pill or two?

Were you dehydrated? Sleeping poorly? Too much time in the sun? Had you skipped a meal? Too much caffeine in your diet? Is your blood pressure too high?

When did we become afraid of pain?

Pain is most often our bodies way of telling us something is amiss. And not all pain can be deadened by a pill. There is too much information on the internet. I try not to look up symptoms as I am sure Googling it will bring up the worst-case scenarios every time.

Coaching with Tamara Mendelson

Are you struggling through an unexpected life change? I’m now taking applications for 2020 Coaching and I’d love to hear from you! Sign up below to receive my coaching application form straight to your inbox.
[magicactionbox id=1256]

And I am not a great patient I used to wait to go to the Doctor until things were bad. I had a severe sinus headache on and off for almost five years. Every time I would fly I would get a sinus infection. I would tap my forehead and under my eyes and it would hurt bad. I would bend forward, and it felt like someone had taken a bat to my head.

There were two little children at home that I was very involved with and after a couple of Tylenol, cups of coffee and followed by an Advil or two I could get on with my day. This time was no different except antibiotics for ten days to clear the infection.

Did I visit the doctor? Yes, many times. The last time I went I was given vitamin C and Eucalyptus drops. I wasn’t taken seriously. I was told I looked too good to have anything seriously wrong with me. And then a month later I was having my usual headache and my face swelled like the elephant man. I was sure it was an allergy.

I had been to the ENT. They told me my sinuses were clear. And to the eye doctor. They told me it wasn’t my eye even though by then I couldn’t see out of my right eye and the whole right side of my face was swollen. I took a Benadryl and went to bed.

A friend helped me out

A dear friend, also the OBGYN who delivered my children, called to check on me and sent us straight to the Emergency Room. I told the babysitter that we would be back in a few hours. I was in so much pain I couldn’t hold my head up. In the ER I was seen by a doctor that said it was an allergy. A nurse disagreed and booked me for a CT.

It turns out I did have an infection. But not in my sinuses. In my orbital socket. It wasn’t draining because I had a brain tumor that had been growing for years. It was benign although they didn’t tell me that for a few weeks. And a few months later I had it removed. The aftermath is another story. The moral I take from this is if you are in pain, get help and keep asking until someone listens.

Eventually, we must deal with the pain

Pain is a red flag. Emotional or physical it’s how we as human beings process. Shutting either kind of pain down with, alcohol, sex, drugs, and other self-destructive behaviors just pushes the pain off for a little while. Eventually, we must deal with the pain. It’s not like ripping off a band-aid but if you find someone you trust to share the pain with it will make the journey worthwhile.

No, it isn’t easy but it’s the journey we have. Be kind to yourselves and listen to your body.

Now over to you: Do you recognize yourself in this? Do you listen enough to your inner self?