Did you know that difficulty in sleeping was how I ended up becoming a holistic wellbeing practitioner and coach in the first place?

I suffered with chronic insomnia for over ten years before discovering the power of understanding how our behaviours affect our natural and innate ability to sleep well.  I was blown away by the deep relaxation offered to our hyper-aroused nervous systems by Reiki and the stress-busting benefits of simple mindfulness.

Having hugely benefited from all of these to repair my own broken sleep cycle, I found myself on a mission to help as many people as possible to do the same. I understand only too well the debilitating effect that poor sleep has on every aspect of your life and, I know, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Here are my 5 top tips for getting a good night’s sleep:

1 — Spend less time in bed

The only things you should be doing in your bed are sleeping and sex. If you are lying awake for more than 15 minutes unable to fall asleep or back to sleep – get up and go and sit quietly somewhere else until you feel sleepy again.

Keep to a regular bedtime and wake time and don’t lie in at a weekend – this won’t help you in the long term.

2 — A good night’s sleep starts as soon as you wake up

I know it is hard but if you’ve not had as much sleep as you would have like, try not to think that your day will be an exhausted struggle and that tonight will probably be another sleepless night – your brain will believe you and it will become a self-fulfilling prophesy. Elevated levels of stress hormone in the blood stop the production of sleep hormones later in the day so try and manage your stress throughout the day to reduce your levels. I love to use mindfulness for this as it can be done anytime, anywhere and no one needs to know you are doing it!

3 — Wind Up Your Wind Down

Build yourself an enjoyable evening wind down routine to let your brain know it is time to rest. Avoid blue light emitting devices for at least an hour before bed, take a hot bath or shower to relax tense muscles and lower body temperature. Your sense of smell is incredibly important for helping your brain associate your wind down routine with preparing for sleep.

4 — Get out of your head and into your body

So often when we can’t sleep it is because we have too many thoughts racing around our heads; going over past events or worrying about future ones. You can’t stop thoughts all together but by doing something physical with your body you give your mind something else to occupy it and help it settle down – go for a gentle walk, fold laundry, do some simple crafting – anything that uses your hands and/or feet until you feel sleepy.

5 — Get yourself a sleep prescription

I am definitely not talking about sleeping tablets or expensive sleep aids here. Prolonged periods of poor sleep can lead to an increased risk of other health conditions such as heart disease and dementia. So, you need to take it seriously and treat it like any other risk to your health. Prioritise sleep rather than just hoping it will sort itself out. Plan and commit to it. If you need help to do this, then consult a qualified sleep professional. It is also very important to get checked out by your GP if you suspect you may have a sleep disorder such as sleep apnoea or narcolepsy.

Everyone’s habits, beliefs and stress triggers are different, which is why a ‘one size fits all’ sleep programme might not work for you. The game changer for me was learning how to implement simple but highly effective Cognitive Behavioural Therapy strategies around my sleep and combining this with repairing my exhausted and over-stimulated nervous system through Reiki relaxation sessions and daily mindfulness practice.

This is why I have created a ‘Bespoke Sleep Better Package’, so you can work with me on a 1-2-1 basis to assess your individual circumstances to start getting a better night’s sleep.

Contact me directly if you would like to book a free discovery call to explore how I can help you.