Sleep Gadgets

I'm not sure what you're like, but I know that in my quest for a perfect night's sleep I tied out a few gadgets and gimmicks in the hope that they worked.
Most of them did not.

It's a minefield out there, trying to distinguish the hype from the truth and the fact that, as more and more people are reporting that they are sleep deprived, it is becoming a big business sector with many brands jumping on the bandwagon.

These are a few things that I have tried over the years, the list is not exhaustive and are only my feelings, but it would be good to start a discussion. I have not included herbal or alternative medication in this post.

Mattress - There is now a plethora of mattress types out there, all proclaiming to help you get a good night's sleep. They are a huge investment so which one do you choose?
The general advice is to replace them every 10 years and I would support this. In my backpacking days I slept on many a poor quality mattress and had a poor night's sleep. Sagging springs do not support the body and therefore will decrease the quality of your sleep.
As for the style of mattress - this is more a personal choice. A good bed showroom will let you lie on the mattresses and try them out. What is comfortable for one is not for another. If you are a couple that prefer different mattresses then look into getting the style where two different types can be zipped together. I personally find the foam mattresses very hot yet others swear by them. Take your time and try different shops and styles till you find one you like, do not be rushed into buying the first you come across.
Be wary of internet bargains - you can not try them out, what may seem like a good price may result in a low quality mattress. Also be wary of second hand, not only do you not know how old they are, they will have been 'shaped' by someone else's sleeping style. Also there are reports of bed bug infestations spreading through the use of second hand beds and furniture.
I have had a good quality orthopedic mattresses for a long while, it cost more than the basic mattress but was not overly expensive.

Pillows - again this is very much an area defined by personal preferences. I have been converted to the contoured pillows that give you neck support. I started using one because of a lot of tension in my upper back, I found it a little odd at first but now find it difficult to sleep with out one and end up bunching a 'normal' pillow under my neck to recreate the feeling of support.
Fortunately pillows are not as expensive as mattresses so a little trial and error will not cost the earth. Good bed shops will also have different pillows that you can try.

Magnets - A few years ago there was some hype around using magnets in pillows and on undersheets to help improve your sleep. I invested in a small sheet to try it out. I could feel a difference in my circulation (it improved that) but it did not really improve the quality of my sleep.
Magnetic therapy is also claimed to help those with arthritic and joint pain, and of course pain can stop you sleeping well and is a well know cause of insomnia. If you were in this category and wanted to try magnetic therapy, perhaps try a wristband to see if there is any improvement before making larger investments. Also look out for money back guarantees.

Massage machines - again there are certain types of massage machines on the market that claim t help improve sleep quality. The benefits they offer can be debateable. If you are stressed then yes, having a massage can help you relax and then sleep better, so they can help in the treatment of sleep problems rather than effectively cure them.

Sleep monitors - there has often been a huge difference in the amount of sleep that people think they get and the amount of sleep they do get. Traditional methods to show this have mainly revolved around keeping a sleep diary or going to a sleep centre and being 'wired up' for the night. Recently, with the improvement in technology there are some sleep monitors that you can buy and use at home. These, however do not always give accurate results with people reporting that the monitor bands slip off during the night, or register periods of inactivity as sleep, when the users report they were awake but just not moving. Also these monitors just record the amount of sleep you get, they do not improve the quality or length of sleep.

White noise/sound machines - these play background noises and music to either block out other noises or to provide a constant noise to help you fall asleep. I have to say that sometimes I have listened to music or meditations before going to sleep as this helps switch of a racing brain, though have not needed a special machine to help me do this. If you are sharing your bed then it is possible to buy headbands with inbuilt speakers and pillows that you can plug your ipod into so that your partner is not disturbed. If listening to music helps you sleep, it maybe worth checking these out.
If you want to see if white noise could help you sleep, then try running a small electric fan in your room to see if that helps before investing in a special machine.

After many years of trying different approaches, and finding some that helped a little or not at all, the only one that worked long term was following a structured behavioural therapy approach to actually retrain my body in the art of falling asleep and staying sleep. It was an effort at first but it was only for a few weeks and the benefits have been longer lasting than anything else I have tried. 

3 things you can do today to improve your sleep tonight!

It's all well and good to 'think' about things to do that will improve your sleep, but when it comes to actually doing them... well that seems to be another story!
Here are a few simple, quick and easy things to do today to help you get a better nights sleep tonight.

Clear some clutter

Is your bedroom a sanctuary or a store cupboard? It is easy to leave things in your room as there is nowhere else to put them. It may start off with one or two objects but before you know it you have boxes of toys, tool kits, ironing boards etc in your room.
Even if your room seems tidy, what is lurking in the cupboards? Under the bed?
I have written before about clearing the clutter in your bedroom - a clear space makes it easier to sleep.
So today take 15 minutes and clear some clutter! You do not have to do the whole room, start with a cupboard or drawer, or tackle what you have stashed beneath the bed. Even just tidying and dusting will help you feel better and give you a nicer sleep environment.

Go for a walk in daylight

In this modern world it is very easy to spend very little time outside in the fresh air and more importantly in daylight. We can drive to work, to the shops, to our friends. Stay indoors at work or when shopping. Go to the gym to work out. have a sandwich at your desk instead of going out for lunch... they all add up to time spent indoors.
Today make the effort to go out for a 20 to 30 minute walk, the earlier in the day the better. Not only will the gentle exercise help you sleep better but exposing your body to daylight will help rest your body clock which re-enforces the daytime/nighttime message that it needs to have in order to sleep properly.
BTW - another benefit of regular walking is weight loss. My sister-in-law successfully dropped two dress sizes before her wedding by walking during her lunch break three times a week!


Write down tomorrow's to do list

I am not a big fan of to do lists - in fact I hate them but when it comes to distrubed sleep trying to remember everything in your head does not help! It can keep your mind racing in the night so that you do not forget them. So the simple act of writing them on a piece of paper before you go to bed can help calm your mind and enable you to sleep more easily. Even if you feel that night time waking has nothing to do with your to do list, try this for a couple of nights and see what happens. You may not be thinking about tomorrows work but subconscious may be keeping you awake anyway in an effort not to forget.
As an example - if I forget to set my alarm (and it's not a weekend) I can not sleep, I will not be thinking about waking up, or work in fact I could be thinking about anything. Eventually, as it has happened a few times now, I'll think through why I'm not sleep and check my alarm to see if I have set it. After I have set it I then find it easy to drift off to sleep. My subconscious refuses to let me sleep until it knows I will be woken in the morning!  Writing things down has worked for many of my clients, some of whom thought it would not, so do try!

There you have three simple things that you can do today to improve your sleep tonight!

Sweet dreams.

The 10 o'clock happy train

The other day I was reading Marci Shimoff's Happy For No Reason. It's a great book, and highly recommended, all about how to gain inner happiness, a happiness that is not dependent on external circumstances.

In one of the chapters Marci suggested a process called the 10 o'clock happy train and I thought it was such a lovely idea I had to share it with you. It is also a very simple idea, easy to implement and has great benefits.

Marci suggests it as a way of boosting your energy and therefore your happiness levels. It's a two step process

1 - Make the promise to yourself to get to bed by 10 pm for three days in a row

2 - Do it!

That's it. So simple.

Sleep is so low on the list of priorities in this modern world, there is so much to do that skipping half an hour or so of sleep here and there seems the easiest thing to do to enable us to fit more into our lives. It appears to have no immediate effect, we feel fine the next day and, even if a little groggy, we cope well. Over time though these things build up and we get grumpier and less able to cope. Marci's book focuses on happiness and that being tired and grumpy is not going to help your happiness levels, so committing to go to bed earlier will help by restoring some of your sleep debt. After 3 nights of restorative sleep you will have greater energy levels, feel ready to cope with anything and feel happier as well.

So, who wants to try this and see what happens to their energy and happiness levels? It may mean not checking your emails one last time, or recording that late night TV programme you want to catch but the benefits will outweigh the things you 'miss out' on!
I was on holiday last week and burnt the candle at both ends, so will be committing to the 10 o'clock happy train for the next 3 nights. Anyone else want to commit as well?

Sweet dreams.

3 surprising sleep saboteurs!

You have read all the information about 'Sleep Hygiene', you've stopped drinking caffeine after 2 pm, you've turned the computer off an hour before bedtime, but you still can not sleep properly. What is going on?

Here are three things that you may be doing that you think may help you sleep better but in fact can actually affect your sleep.

Nicotine
This is a surprising one as many people associate cigarettes with being a sedative and having a calming and relaxing affect on the body. When you are feeling uptight, then having a cigarette can help calm you. In actual fact although a cigarette can have a calming effect, nicotine is a stimulant and having a last cigarette before bed is actually putting a stimulant into your body. The more you smoke the stronger this affect is and may cause you to either have difficulties falling asleep or contribute towards a disturbed night's sleep.
Is this another reason to help you kick the habit?

Alcohol
Yes, it does seem that I am giving all the guilty pleasures a bad rap, but alcohol is another offender too! A quick 'nightcap' before going to bed, may help you drop off to sleep, however the following processes that your body goes through to metabolize and clear the alcohol from your body is a withdrawal process. It is this process that causes you to wake in the night with the sweats and possible nightmares. If you want a drink, then make sure you allow time for the alcohol to metabolize before going to bed.

Pets
A strange one - any people find that the idea of having their pets sleep with them comforting and therefor a good thing to have around when going to sleep at night - a reassuring presence. First of all their movements on the bed can wake you, or contribute towards a light sleep. I remember my childhood pet cat being able to take up the entire space of a single bed by spreading out in his sleep. Remember cats and dogs do not think about sleeping considerately and allowing you space, unlike a human partner (then again....).
There is also the issues of allergies. You can be mildly allergic to animal hairs, which may not show up in the day time, when there is more 'space' between you, but when sharing the same sleeping space these can show up as coughs, running noses etc which will disturb your sleep.
Try banning your pet from the bedroom for a week and see if this improves your sleep.

I hope these tips help improve your sleep, if you have any questions then do please get in tough via the comments box or via email.

Sweet dreams!