A couple of easy sleep hacks to try
Sleep quality is important for both short-term wellbeing and long term health.
There are a whole range of practices and environmental hacks you can use to increase the quality of your sleep. Here are two that I’ve recently tested:
- A simple “doona hack” used by one of my patients.
- A guided meditation by Dr Nerina Ramlakhan.
If you have other “hacks” that help you sleep better, drop me a message about them on Facebook – or through my Contact Page.
A Doona Hack to play with
One cause of sleep disturbance can be surprisingly simple – just being “a bit too warm” with more blankets than your body needs.
Women quite often (especially post menopausal) have a different “good sleep temperature” than men – which means that often we need less external warmth from blankets and doonas.
One of my patients has a “hack” that works for her – she puts a single-bed doona inside a queen-size doona cover. The doona side covers her partner, while she can move in and out of the cloth-only unfilled side as necessary or throw it on and off fairly easily.
I’ve tried it and like it (at least in our Hervey Bay springtime) – it could be worth giving it a trial at your place.
Inner Safety and Sleep Meditation
One hour of important – and accessible – conversation that will help focus you on the importance of quality sleep and rest for your well-being.
It’s all about creating a safe and secure environment so you can calmly drift off for your nightly recharge. Considering our thousands of years of programming for survival, it makes sense that when you are on ‘alert’ mode, your nervous system will remain a little on edge, ready to act.
So deliberately creating whole body/mind relaxation before sleep (and during the day) gives you a better opportunity for sleep satisfaction. This extends to when and how you eat, exercise, manage your screen time.
Add in Nerina’s other suggestions for self soothing and calm using easy techniques like ‘havening’ (stroking your own arms and hands in a specific way) and ‘tapping’ (emotional freedom technique – tap on various points on your face and upper body) and lo and behold, your nervous system will be more at ease and ready to respond well to nighttime cues for sleep.
Come and discuss options that may suit you to restore your sleep and well-being.
Contact me for a Naturopathic Consultation
