Lost On The Way To The Land of Zzz

Insomnia affects up to half of the population over 60 at some time. There is little more frustrating that wanting to be asleep, but not being able to get there. Interestingly, unless a diagnosed medical condition or reaction to medication is causing sleeplessness, the most likely culprit is anxiety.

Sadly, anxiety-related sleep issues can be a self-fulfilling prophecy – if you lie awake and are anxious, you will find it hard to sleep, then a lack of sleep will fuel the anxiety. It is always worth discussing sleep disturbances with your GP – a lack of sleep will have an affect on many aspects of your health, including weight and blood pressure, if experienced long term.

Try the following including relaxation techniques, distraction exercises, and more ways to prepare your body for sleep to try and break the cycle. .

Force yourself to stay awake

Reverse psychology is surprisingly effective in a number of scenarios. Lie in bed but keep your eyes open. Try to stay awake an watch your body fight the urge! Failing that, get out of bed and do something quiet for ten minutes, then try again.
During this time, avoid stimulation like the television, laptop, tablet or phone. Reading is very soporific – try getting lost in a good book for a few minutes.

Remove the clock

Watching the minutes tick past that you are not asleep is seldom helpful and usually causes more anxiety. Turn the clock to face away from you, if you must have it in your room as an alarm. Instead, try visualising a relaxing place – watching the waves on a beach is rhythmic and relaxing, imagine you are sitting in a beautiful place, breathing calmly and watching water.

Cool down

You will sleep best when your body temperature is able to cool slightly. Keep your bedroom a few degrees cooler than your living room, about 18C (wear socks or pyjamas to avoid a chill) and let your body work as nature intended. Melatonin naturally cools your body and encourages sleep, so try not to work against nature.

Water therapy

Take a warm shower or bath before bedtime to get yourself in the mood for sleep. Water is therapeutic, comforting and relaxing. Make a shower part of your night time routine and your body will learn to expect sleep afterwards.

Try rhythmic breathing
The “4-7-8” breathing technique is purported to help you fall asleep in under a minute. The method is said to relax you by increasing the amount of oxygen in your blood stream, slowing your heart rate, and releasing more carbon dioxide from the lungs.

– Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise.
– Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
– Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
– Hold your breath for a count of seven.
– Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
– Repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Sleepy smells

Lavender is widely reported to encourage relaxation and sleep. Put a few drops of lavender oil on your pillow, burn it in an oil burner or use it in your bath. Not only will you smell wonderful, you should drop off to sleep more easily.

Listen to music
Classical music, or any music that has a slow rhythm, can help lull you to sleep. Music can also soothe anxiety and symptoms of depression.

Blow bubbles
Got grandkids? That means you probably have a plastic bottle of bubbles around the house. The benefits of blowing them before bed are two-fold: Bubbles are slightly hypnotic to look at and require a process of deep breathing to blow. It’s like a deep breathing exercise, which helps calm your body and mind. It’s such a simple and fun activity, it can also take your mind off of any potential sleep-thwarting thoughts.

Night night!