We are all going through ground hog day and even my little 7 year old said that the “days are repeating themselves”. I’m pretty sure nobody is having fun at the moment, please let me know if you are! I know a few people are having trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. They are finding themselves wide awake at silly o’clock and not drifting off again for a couple of hours. People are feeling really really tired, fed up and have a lack of energy.
There is a couple of things that can help.
Television.
We are overlooking a major stimulus, we need to switch off the TV and turn off our phones long before bed. Unfortunately we are finding ourselves being entertained by the TV. The story lines in the programmes that we are watching are penetrating more deeply. They are becoming more and more violent, addictive and threatening. They are effecting our own mental thought patterns and processes. Negativity is breeding negatively and making us feel vulnerable, defenceless and angry. Turning the TV off will change your outlook on things. The story lines in the soaps are negative. The body language that the actors display to each other is aggressively and we learn with our eyes -we see this. We hear with their voices negative comments, put downs, disrespectful language and speaking to each other unacceptably which effects our moods. We take it all in consciously and subconsciously. The best thing is to switch the TV off, put it in the garage or loft with the Christmas decorations! Substitute that time for something else, a bath, a walk, an amazing exploration with foods, clearing out wardrobes, getting junk out of the house or garage, a book, a magazine, taking up painting, a cuddle with the kids, reconnect with family members, feed the plants, do some gardening, phone on old school friend that you’ve been meaning to do for years, on line course to better a career, a different choice in career…. the list goes on and on.
Routine
It is important to establish a bedtime and morning time routine. Our body like a schedule and by going to bed at the same time every night our body gets used to it. Equally as important is waking up at the same time every morning, even if you’ve had a terrible night’s sleep. By having a routine our body gets used to it and likes it. Its hard not to have a nap through the day and if you feel you need this, set an alarm for 20 minutes. A power nap should be enough to see you though until bedtime. The NHS are running an ‘Every Mind Matters’ campaingn to raise awareness of mental health and they have a section on sleeping. If you want to have a read thought there might be other pointers to try. Sleep and tiredness – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Exercise.
We all know that we should be doing more exercise. Getting outside is essential to our mental well being, making vitamin D and burning some calories.
Supplements.
Some people have had good results with magnesium. Shop bought magnesium spray can have benefits to use just before bedtime, however they can feel sticky on your skin. Magnesium flakes can be added to a bath and the body absorbs it though the skin.
Vitamin D also effects our moods, by having plenty in the system it helps combat depression, weight issues and dry skin amongst other issues. Blood tests at the doctors can raise awareness of the lack of it in the system and taking regular supplements will help with joint pain and digestive issues. Eat a balanced diet high in vitamin D including oily fish, eggs, mushrooms and cod liver oil.
Essential oils.
Essential oils can be a great way of calming the mind. Putting a few drops of essential oil onto a radiator can be really soothing. The heat of the radiator evaporates the oils and releases it into the atmosphere. You then breathe in the oils and receive their benefits. Just a little advice if you have dogs or cats, tea tree oil is poisonous to your pets they will need to get away from the smell, better still avoid using it. For whatever reason you feel you need to use tea tree try to look up another alternative, or get in touch we can advice on different oils.
Nightly baths are also very effective in pacifying the brain. The heat of the bath water relaxes the muscles and it’s a bit of time out and self love. If you decide to put essential oils into the bath water, please be really careful and I do not recommend for children, they can easily burn the skin. If you do want to add to the water, dilute the oil (only 4 drops and please don’t use peppermint!) with full fat milk, use an egg cup of milk. The fat in the milk makes it water soluble. Then add to the running hot water and it will disperse around your bath. Enjoy the soak!
Choosing the correct essential oils.
As an aromatherapist and qualified many years ago in this skill there has been many lessons learnt. People believe that lavender helps you drift off to sleep, it actually works the opposite. Lavender is an oil to be careful with. It can be a stimulant if too many drops are used. It was one of the first essential oils to be discovered and used in modern healing. It is just a great all rounder. It’s benefits include anti -septic, anti -bacterial and anti -fungus qualities. This possibly is how it got its reputation for being the best oil to use for sleep. It most defiantly isn’t. There are better oils for you to try.
A very good subduing oil is Vetiver, it is known for it’s calming, grounding qualities and helps to switch off the brain. It has a very strong smell and might not be liked by a few people, but its fantastic for sleep. Also Basil is a great soother and helps to switch off the brain, as does Clary Sage. You could try and mix vetiver with basil and put a few drops on your bedroom radiator or on a tissue by your pillow at night. If putting on to the skin, you must dilute it with a carrier oil as they are very strong by themselves and can burn the skin. Mix only a few drops (3 or 4) with 10 mls of carrier oil.
Be careful where you buy your essential oils from. There are many synthetic ones on the market and they are not worth buying as the properties are not the same and you won’t get any benefits from them.
How acupressure can be help
On the wrists there are some excellent acupressure points that you can try for free. A great trio is known to acupuncturists as the ‘Buddha Triangle’. The photo provided shows an inner wrist. The first point on the thumb side is located on the crease of the wrist in between the 2 tendons. the second point in located on the opposite side, the little finger side, on the crease. The third point is located 2 thumb widths up from the crease in the middle of the wrist. A massage and stimulation of these 3 points on both left and right hands will help a great deal.
Another great point to try which is really nice for getting little ones to sleep is the Yintang point. It is a point located right between the eyebrows on the forehead, see the image. This point is also great for anxiety, headaches and ADHA. A slow, soothing and gentle massage here when you are trying to sleep is amazing. Great for babies and kids as a parent to do. Also great to teach to your kids if they are having trouble waking up in the middle of the night.
Acupuncture alternatives
Of course not everybody is wanting to have acupuncture or wanting to have needles inserted into them and there is another alternative. Magnets. They come in different strengths and it’s just like wearing a plaster. They are placed over acupuncture points and have a magnetic pull or push which changes the flow of the meridian. It is not as good as the needles themselves, but they are still quite effective and great for children. They can be worn at night time and taken off in the morning or can be worn for a few days at a time. Of course they never lose their magnetisms and therefore can be reused time and time again. Brilliant for children.
Try some of these methods above and if you need any advice and want to talk about what has been mentioned in this blog then please get in touch, Magnets are available for you to purchase should you want to try them out.