Sleep is a vital to our ability to function – and not because it’s a chance for your mind and body to recharge so you’re refreshed and ready for the day ahead – it plays an essential role in literally every part of our lives.  Sleep helps to keep us fit and healthy by bolstering our immune system, it can improve our problem-solving skills, help us to retain knowledge, has an impact on our cognitive development, and is crucial to keeping ourselves and others safe.[1]

So with the average adult needing around 7 hours sleep a night, what do you do if you’re not getting a good night’s sleep?  Here are my top 7 tips I’ve suggested to client’s who’ve come to my treatment room in Bury St Edmunds over the years.

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

1. Develop a good routine where you get ready for bed at the same time and aim to wake up at the same time.
2. Avoid caffeinated, sugary drinks and alcohol instead try herbal tea or milky drinks, and stick to snacks like nuts, berries – and kiwi’s!
3. Keep your bedroom dark and cool – and for sleeping and lovin’ only!
4. Dim the light on the screens of your phones and other electronic devices, and try to avoid answering messages and scrolling before bedtime
5. If you’re struggling to fall asleep after 25 minutes then get up, leave the bedroom and reset with a drink, perhaps read a book, do a jigsaw, only returning back to bed when you’re tired.
6. Try a distraction technique like writing or listening to a podcast / guided mediation.
7. Get some health and wellbeing support from a professional.

1. Develop a good routine where you go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time

Your body loves routine, especially when it comes to sleep, and this includes going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time.

A bedtime routine could also include a little bit of self-care, for example practicing some mindfulness or meditation, or even incorporating some hand reflexology.  Head on over to my YouTube channel for a video on a hand reflexology routine for sleep, and to SoundCloud for some guided meditations suitable for you and your children.

2. Avoid caffeinated, sugary drinks and alcohol instead try herbal tea or milky drinks, and stick to late snacks like nuts, berries – and kiwi’s!

It’s universally agreed you should avoid caffeinated and sugary drinks in the afternoon, so you might want to consider changing over to herbal teas like ginger or chamomile, or to naturally caffeine free drinks like Rooibos (also called Red Bush) which can be drunk black or with milk.  And although alcohol can make you feel sleepy the side effects of dehydration the need to urinate more frequently and night sweats can ultimately disrupt your sleep so avoid it if you can.

The food you eat may also help, and those in the know suggest nuts, cherries, bananas, oranges, berries, prunes, raisins and plums as great evening snacks.  There’s also been a tiny study conducted in Taiwan with 20 women and 2 men, all of whom had a self-diagnosed sleep disturbance, who were asked to eat 2 kiwis each, one hour before bedtime, each night for 4 weeks [2].  Those taking part reported falling asleep quicker, for longer, and sleeping more soundly, so who knows?  Maybe kiwi’s hold the answer!

3. Keep your bedroom dark and cool – and for sleeping and lovin’ only!

Keep your bedroom as your bedroom!  Keep the TV out and only use it for sleeping and lovin’!  It should also be cool and dark, and somewhere you want to be, so remove anything you don’t want in there.

When it gets dark our body releases a hormone called Melatonin which signals to the body it’s time to sleep, as a result we become more tired. A reduction in temperature is another sign it’s time to sleep, so consider diming lights and reducing the temperature in your bedroom to around 18ºC [3].

4. Dim the light on the screens of your phones and other electronic devices, and try to avoid answering messages and scrolling before bedtime

The research conducted into blue light ISN’T as conclusive as it’s often portrayed [4], with some studies suggesting those who have their devices on before bedtime only take 10 minutes longer to fall asleep than those who have them switched off.  What is more likely to be disrupting sleep is the constant checking of emails and messages, and aimless scrolling through social media or the internet, leaving your minds awake and buzzing with information.

So, if you can’t live without your device an hour before bedtime keep them on but apply a blue light filter, dim the brightness of your screen, AND try to set a time that you will stop looking at it!

5. If you’re still struggling to sleep after 25 minutes then get up and out of bed and re-start your bedtime routine

If you’re struggling to sleep or you wake in the night and can’t get back to sleep, experts suggest you should get up and out of bed and go to a different room after 25 minutes [5].  This makes sure you don’t start associating your bedroom with not being able to sleep, it removes anxiety by taking yourself away from the situation, and restarting your bedtime routine, perhaps by having a warm drink or reading a book, helps you reinforce it – only returning to bed once you’re feeling sleepy.

6. Try a distraction technique like writing or listening to a podcast / guided mediation

Sometimes a distraction is all you need to get yourself on track for sleep.  You could try listening to an audiobook, a guided meditation or even a podcast.

7. Get some health and wellbeing support from a professional

We all experience disturbances in our sleep from time to time and generally ‘time’ will sort it out.  But if your sleep disturbances continue and are having a detrimental impact on your health and wellbeing it’s important you to speak to your GP to determine if you a sleep disorder that requires additional specialist support.

Complementary and holistic therapists may be able to help to mitigate some of the causes of sleep disturbances, for example helping to reduce the impact of stress and anxiety and may be able to offer additional support alongside your GP’s advice for diagnosed sleep disorders like Insomnia and Restless Leg Syndrome.

The key thing with sleep disturbances is not to get too anxious about them.  Take a step back if you can and work on establishing a positive sleep routine using the tips above, seeking additional support, advice and guidance if you need to.

Contact me for more information if you’re interested in finding out how Reflexology, Bowen Therapy or Reiki may help with your sleep.

sarah@sarahwoodhousetherapy.co.uk | 07715213392 | follow me on Instagram and Facebook @sarahwoodhousetherapy

References

[1] For example, “drowsy driving kills or seriously injures twice as many people each year on Britain’s roads as drug use, and about one-third of the. Number of people killed by drunk-driving.” Lockley and Foster, 2012: SLEEP: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press p103

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21669584

[3] https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_walker_6_tips_for_better_sleep?referrer=playlist-sleeping_with_science

[4] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191216173654.htm

[5] https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_walker_6_tips_for_better_sleep?referrer=playlist-sleeping_with_science

What to do

Why it works

It works on three levels:

As a distraction

By focussing on the receptive action of the breathing technique this takes your mind away from the anxiety, tension, worry, endless thoughts, and focusses it on the task in hand – which is to touch each finger in turn to your thumb.

As a way to slow your breathing down to a more regular pattern

As an anchor

How often to use it

There’s no getting around the fact many more of us are feeling more stressed than before, and it’s not just because of C19; the kids are off school (again!), it’s raining, finances are tight, the job’s getting on top of you – or could be that life is just pants at the moment. 

When you are stressed you can go through the whole gamut of emotions, one minute you’re living off adrenaline flying high, the next your teary or angry, the next you are just totally and utterly exhausted.

You might find this little hand reflexology routine can help – it only takes about 10-15 minutes, and all the instructions along with a video, downloadable sheet are in this post. It’s suitable for all ages, and it could even be something fun to teach your kids over the holidays…..just imagine, 15 minutes of quiet time while they work on their hands! Oh! Happy Days!

Click here for the video

THE HAND REFLEXOLOGY ROUTINE EXPLAINED

HYPOTHALAMUS

The hypothalamus sits in the brain and has an important role in the body, including regulating the release of hormones. Using a firm pressure rub in small circles at the lateral edge of your thumb, adjacent to the nail for about 1 minute. Repeat on the other hand.

SPINE

The spine protects the spinal cord and back pain often goes hand in hand with stress. Using a caterpillar motion walk up and down the length of the spine – from the first joint in the thumb all the way to your wrist and back. Repeat 3 times using a medium to light pressure. Repeat on the other hand.

LUNGS

When we’re stressed we are often not getting enough air into our lungs and we shallow breath – we want to slow this breathing down and make it deeper. Cross hatch the lung area 3 times using a caterpillar walking motion, or by rubbing in large circles for 1-2 minutes. Repeat on the other hand.

ADRENAL GLAND / KIDNEY

Adrenal glands are responsible for secreting hormones like adrenaline when we are stressed, and the kidneys are involved in filtering and removing toxins from our body – we don’t want that adrenaline hanging around! Walk up and around the fatty pad of your thumb using a caterpillar motion. Roughly in line with the index finger you may find a tender spot – work into this in small circles using whatever pressure you want to…don’t be surprised if this area feels tender and bruised!  Repeat 3 times and the repeat the sequence on the other hand.

Hay fever is one of the most common allergies in the UK and depending on what pollens you are allergic to you could be experiencing hay fever symptoms from February/March with tree pollen, to as late as October if grasses and weeds are your trigger.

In this post I explore what seasonal allergies like hay fever are caused by, and what you can do if you want to try a more holistic approach.

WHY DO WE GET HAY FEVER?

The medical term for hay fever is seasonal allergic rhino conjunctivitis and it occurs when pollen enters your body (via your nose, mouth and eyes) and rather than viewing it as something harmless your body instead thinks it’s being attacked and reacts as if it were being attacked by a virus.  Your immune system kicks in by ‘attacking’ the pollen with histamine (which is why you take antihistamines to treat hay fever), and it’s the histamine that causes the itching, sneezing, runny nose and irritated eyes.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO STOP HAY FEVER?

There is no cure for hay fever but there are a lot of effective over-the-counter medications available and for serious cases your doctor can prescribe a steroid nasal spray.  But what can you do if you want to take a more holistic approach?

1 Try complementary therapies

Complementary therapies can be a great way to help alleviate your symptoms in the short-term and they may also bring about some long-term benefit.

I’ve been, touch wood, relatively symptom free for the past 4 years – and it’s all thanks to the Bowen Technique – also called Bowen Therapy.  (In fact, the impact on my symptoms was such it’s one of the reasons why I became a Bowen Therapist.) Simple, pain free and deeply relaxing, a Bowen Therapy treatment once a year seems to be all I need to keep the worst of the symptoms at bay.

Reflexology can also help, and I’ve made a quick video showing you some hand reflexology techniques that can help you work on key problem areas such as eyes, nose and throat.  The video also contains some suggestion on how you can work on the systems and organs in your body that have a role in hay fever and other seasonal allergies including your lungs, spleen, lymph, adrenals and kidneys – like the work we do in a Bowen Therapy treatment, working these areas are key to a longer-term approach to seasonal allergies – getting to the root cause.

Click here for a quick video on hand reflexology techniques to help with seasonal allergies

Alternatively, if you fancy something ever so slightly indulgent then why not try a holistic facial?  While there are the obvious aesthetic benefits of nourishing and promoting healthier looking skin, the real focus of a facial is your health and well-being.  Using a mixture of massage, acupressure and lymphatic drainage on your face, neck, and scalp, a holistic facial can help to relieve the congestion and itching associated with hay fever, as well as lifting emotional stress and anxiety, physical stress, and tension, alleviating their impact on your mind and body.

While life might well be like a box of chocolates, your health and well-being is like the layers of an onion. As a therapist my job is to peel away those layers to get to the root cause of your current problems, whether that’s your aching back in the morning, your painful knee as you walk up the stairs, your stiff shoulder that’s stopping your from reaching round to undo your bra strap, or that aching hip that’s stoping you walking the dog as far as you’d like.

The onion principle explains why, without you even realising it, your body has been compensating subtly over the years, to the point where the pain or discomfort you feel now could be located far away from the initial problem.Let’s take the example of a knee injury you experienced in your teens:

• Layer 1: Your thigh muscles have worked extra hard to support your knee
• Layer 2: Your hip and pelvis have provided additional support to those thighs
• Layer 3: Your lower back has taken on the additional strain to help those hips
• Layer 4: Your back starts to niggle
• Layer 5: Your back hurts every morning, waking you at 5.30am
• Layer 6: Now its your hips too, waking you throughout the night as you toss and turn, trying to get comfy

Your knees?

Aside from the odd creek when you walk up the stairs, they’re just fine because every other part of your body is helping them! Like an onion your body has created layers of compensation where the original issue is barely visible.

This is why the first thing we do at a treatment is talk, because I want to you to wake up at a normal time, to run up your stairs, to move your arm freely in whatever direction you want to, and to get back to walk your dog.

Click here to read more about the treatments I offer, and here to contact me about how Bowen or Reflexology might be able to help you start to peel back those layers to good health and well-being.