The brain and the body are
very busy while we rest – they
restore and rebuild cells,
and fight off infections. The
brain cleans itself, removing
the debris of the day. Sleep
also provides the brain with
time to embed memories,
so reinforcing what we are
learning.
REM sleep is also a time when
we can replay and process
stressful events in a peaceful
environment, and these can
appear to us as dreams.
So it comes as no surprise
that a good night’s sleep can do
wonders. Here are five top tips
to help you get that essential
peaceful night:
1 TAKE BREAKS FROM
WORK DURING THE DAY
Have breaks away from
your desk to help you
reduce anxiety. It is
tempting to keep going,
but you need to ease off
the pressure, relax, think
about something else, and
let your brain process your
thoughts – frequent breaks
are good for you, and help
you to find solutions and ideas.
Decide to forget about work in
the evening. Choose a cut-off
time when you stop looking
at emails and messages, and
focus on relaxing instead. You
deserve time to rest!
2 PLAN YOUR BEDTIME
Allow time for enough sleep.
It’s easy to be tempted to stay
up late, but give yourself a
reasonable chance to get eight
hours of rest.
Since the advent of electricity,
we no longer set our daily
routines to our natural
circadian rhythm, where we
would sleep when the sun went
down, and rise when it came
back up again.
In the past, people would have
had segmented sleep, a pattern
of four hours sleep, two hours
awake, and then another four
hours sleep before morning.3 TURN OFF ALL SCREENS
AT LEAST AN HOUR BEFORE
BEDTIME
The blue light from devices
can suppress the production of
the sleep-inducing hormonemelatonin. This hormone
makes us feel naturally
drowsy, so we need it to work
for us, and take us into sleep.
If you have a bedside clock
with an LED display, it might
be a good idea to change it to a
more conventional one, as the
light could interfere with your
sleep. Remove devices with
screens from the bedroom to
avoid temptation! If you read
before you go to sleep, choose
a ‘real’ book where you can.4 KEEP YOUR BEDROOM A
PEACEFUL PLACE
The bedroom should be
designed for relaxation and
rest, so remove anything that is
not necessary, such as laundry
or anything work-related.
Keep the lighting soft, choose
curtains or blinds that keep the
light out, and make sure the
room is dark when you go to
sleep. Decorate it with restful
colours, with beautiful artwork,
objects, and accessories, to
make it a room you enjoy, that
feels like a sanctuary.
Many people find the smell of
lavender helps them relax; try a
few drops of lavender essential
oil on your pillow.5 FOCUS ON THE
POSITIVES
If you suffer from anxiety,
remember to focus on
what has been good during
the day, rather than any
problems. It is too easy to
dwell on what went wrong.
Remember the things that
were good, that made you
happy, however small or
big. This is a good habit to
acquire, as we often don’t
notice the nice things. Get
used to enjoying the happy
moments!
Just before you go to sleep,
think of at least three good
things that happened that day- you may think of more.
Sleep well!
Ros Knowles is a clinical
hypnotherapist practising
solution-focused hypnotherapy,
helping people to make positive
changes in their lives. Visit
dovehousehypnotherapy.com