Sleep Like a Baby
We all want a Good Night’s Sleep don’t we?
We want to wake in the morning well rested, calm, focused, clear thinking and ready to embrace the day and all it has to offer.
Sleep is something we take for granted until it eludes us. Then we worry about it, stress about it and grumble to others about it. In fact it may become a real drama consuming our precious sleep time and impacting on our day to day activities. When sleep eludes us we are more likely to be stressed, anxious, irritable and running on a short fuse. We may find our mind is a bit foggy, we forget things and we struggle with decision making.
What Stops Us Sleeping Well?
We do! Yes, we stop ourselves sleeping well. We head to bed later than we hoped, with no bedtime routine to prepare our minds and bodies for sleep. We lie there restless, running over events of the day and fretting about all the things we have to do tomorrow. Eventually we fall asleep exhausted only to wake after only a few hours sleep with our minds buzzing with all the things we have to do.
You Always have a Choice
You can choose to make your sleep a priority. Awareness of the importance of sleep for our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and accepting sleep as a priority is the first step.
Sleep like a Baby
When babies are asleep it’s a joy to see. You can almost sense the peace, the serenity and the goodness of their sleep. Parents know it’s so important for their child to sleep well. When they don’t sleep their immune system is impaired, they are fractious and irritable and they cry and grizzle. No parent wants to have an overtired toddler who becomes a frenzied ball of energy, or gets overwrought easily so instead they make sleep for that child a priority and create a bedtime routine to prepare them for a good night’s sleep.
This bedtime routine when toys are put away, warm bath, PJs popped on, warm milk, a cuddle and a bedtime story. The comfort of a routine that gently removes stimulation and signals to their mind and their body that it’s time to rest, time to sleep. If it works for the youngest humans on the planet, it’ll probably work for older humans too!
10 Tips to for Sleeping like a Baby
• Choose a regular bedtime and put it in your diary and create a routine
• Stop Playing Hard a couple of hours before bedtime. Evening meals, exercise and lists of things to do, emails etc are playing hard
• Start the Wind Down – by doing things that make you calmly happy
• Put all the Toys away. No screens – phone, PC, TV for an hour before bedtime and of course ensure no toys and within reach in the bedroom over-stimulating your senses and upsetting the production of melatonin
• Optimum Temperature for your bedroom so you can sleep and stay asleep
• Reduce Light Levels whether it’s real or artificial light. Dim the lights, use lamps, pull the curtains
• Take a Relaxing Bath it’ll calm you and help you feel cosseted
• Sleepwear signals that sleep is your next activity. Pop on your sleep wear and take comfort in that fluffy dressing gown and cosy slippers
• A Warm Drink so we are nicely hydrated and feeling nurtured
• Time for that Bedtime Story using an actual book or literally listen to a bedtime story by using an audio book.
Some really good advice Clare that I am going to try and take!! I’m guilty of being my own worst enemy when it comes to not sleeping I think
HI Joy, thanks for reading. You are not alone. We are all our own worst enemies about sleep at times. Decide which couple of things you are going to do from the tips and then commit to doing them rather than try all the advice. That way your subconscious mind is clear about your intention. Sweet dreams x
Thank you Clare, really good advice. I feel so much better after a good nights sleep and far more productive too. I will be trying out some of your tips.
Thanks Karen. A good nights sleep makes a big difference. Do let me know how you get on with my tips.
Thank you Clare. Lovely article with some great practical tips. I often find myself fretting about the things I need to do the following day! I going to give a couple of these tips a go
Thank you Gareth. I am so glad you enjoyed it. Fretting about things to be done the following day is never ideal for ensuring a good night’s sleep. We want to be calm and relaxed as we turn the lights off so we can just drift to sleep. Write the list of things you choose to do the following day late afternoon or early evening and make it a choice rather than have to, must, should, need to. The night time list can be all the good things so you are happy as you go to sleep. Sleep Well!