Monday 20 May 2013

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.

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