Hints and tips for a good nights sleep.....

Hi Girls,

I wonder if any of you have any wonder cures for a good nights sleeping (meaning more than 5 hours straight sleep!). I know it is hard with a little one but honestly I can say I have not had a good nights sleep for approx 2 weeks now and nothing to do with Emily, bless her as she sleeps from 7pm through too at least 5am!

My trouble is that I am sooo tired I am often in bed by 9.30pm and normally I can spend from half hour up to 2 hours plus trying to get to sleep. Unless I have a glass or 2 of red wine then normally alot quicker

I then wake up in the early hours and my head is spinning, normally thinking about stupid things or work or things that are not necessarily bothering me but I cannot switch off and get back to sleep. I would not say that I am stressed out that much but there are alot of things going on in my life which has been full on, i.e. Mark's illness and me going back to work.

Often then awake for a good couple of hours then Emily may wake about 4 ish - nothing bad but she makes enough noise to wake me up.

Now I think about not sleeping all the time and probably now physcological (sp). I cannot afford treatment and at the moment I am taking nytol....

Any helpful hints, a bath is hard as I dont want to wake Emily running and draining the bath in the evening............

All magic (cheap) cures would be appreciated!

Natalie & Emily xxx

Hi hun

here goes...

have a pen and diary/paper by your bed
drink of water
make sure you are not hungry - in fact have some arbs (just a bowl of cereal or something) about half an hour before
make sure lights are not intrusive - put a book in front of your alarm clock or something if you have lights on that
write everything that is on your mind down - including what you plan to do for tomorrow, then you are not fretting about remembering everything!
get yourself comfy
start by breathing - really deep and slow breaths
in for the count of 4 or 5 and out for the count of 7 or 8
breathe down into your tummy
with every breath feel your body relax a litle bit more
just letting any tension just drift and drain away
the muscles around your ears, eyes and scalp just start to let go
look upwards - as though you are looking through your eyebrows, even when your eyes start to get tired, keep looking, don't let them reset... then when you can't keep them open any longer just let them close and feel the relief as your eyes enjoy the welcome darkness
then allow the relaxation to keep flowing down through your body
go through each part of your bdy and just let it relax
waves of relaxation moving down
tension just drifting away
picture yourself at the top of ten steps
start walking dwn the steps
each step you take down you feel yourself relax further
when you get to the bottom u look around you
in front of you is your perfect place - only those you want there can be there, it can be just you
maybe there is some water around- a lake, or the sea or a river
some trees with a gentle breeze blowing through
just wander around and enjoy the peace and quiet...
maybe find somewhere to sit back and relax
just enjoy being there
and you realise you are totally relaxed

www.emofree.com - download the free manual and learn and use the acupressure technique to deal with any stresses

hope this helps

hugs
Elizabeth, Siri and unknown Bean!
xxx

Zzzzzzzzz

Thanks for the tips - I will try this out.

Last night was not too bad, went to bed at 9.30pm but I did take 2 herbal nytols. Fell asleep quite quickly, woke up a few times in the night due to cough and cold but I did go back to sleep quite quickly so much better and I feel human again today - its amazing how good you feel when you have sleep well.

Also feel on top of the housework too - don't feel overwhelmed by everything I have to do - maybe this was part of the problem.

Just been to the Docs for Emily - she has a gooey eye - its not too bad but we have some eye drops to clear it up - that should be fun!

Have a good day all!!!

Natalie & Emily xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi natalie

When I have trouble sleeping I try to avoid drinking tea or coffee for at least an hour before I go to bed. I sometimes take a book and read for a little while, it helps me focus elsewhere and unwind before I try to sleep.

If I wake in the night and can't get back to sleep I sometimes use relaxation techniques to help switch off. I use the one where you focus on each part of your body and visualise any tension leaving with each breath or I visualise being in a calm place (by the sea works for me).

Try googling relaxation techniques. They're free and if they don't work you've lost nothing

Hope you get a good nights sleep soon, it will make you feel sooooo much better.

Sarah & Luke

Hi

thats funny, there are two places I imagine to be when I am trying to get to sleep which is either on a beach in cuba sunbathing or sitting on a log overlooking the scenary at Glendalough in Wicklow in Ireland - magical place!

Trouble is my brain takes over and starts thinking about things again - Ggggrrrrrrrr.................. .............

Natalie

Hi hun,

only got a minute so sorry if this is rushed but just wanted to say I think it would be a wonder if you weren't stressed with everything that's been happening lately and I wouldn't be surprised if stress has a lot more to do with you not sleeping than you realise. Know Elizabeth has some really effective stress relief techniques and although I was quite sceptical at first cos couldn't understand how it could work I have tried some of the stuff she's mentioned and found it really effective. Am sure she'd be able to advise if you ask her, give it a go hun cos it definitley sounds like a stress/anxiety type thing to me if you can't switch off.

Love and hugs,
Clare xxx

My hint

Sorry you are not getting any good sleep! This might sound like a bit of a cliche but I always find that a glass of hot milk with some honey does the trick. And then when I go to bed I might read something nice so when you try to fall asleep you are thinking of nice things rather than things that keep you awake.

Sleep well!
Katy and Ashira 5 months who still keeps me up at night! Otherwise I wouldnt have a problem sleeping!