Sleep is as essential to us as food, air and water. Sometime in your life you may have difficulty sleeping – many people do – and sleep problems, or insomnia can be very common among young people. While it is not an illness and is in no way life-threatening, sleep problems (insomnia) can be very distressing, frustrating and exhausting, at worst it can make you feel like you’re going crazy. Sleep disruption can happen when you feel emotionally overwhelmed, when we are worried, or if we replaying difficult events over in our mind. Any heightened emotions, or stress may significantly interfere with our sleep. Lack of sleep robs you of needed rest, making concentration and enjoyment more difficult. The most common cause of insomnia is a change in your daily routine or stress. E.g., travelling, exams, work stress, changes in your normal hours, disruption caused by eating, exercise, or leisure, relationship conflicts etc It is important to get your sleep patterns under control. We all need to rest. However, it often takes some time to get problematic sleep under control and rarely can this be done overnight! Avoid screens before bed Electronic devices emit ‘blue light’ and this stops the production of our natural sleep hormone. Try to avoid screens two hours before bed. Or switch your device to night mode and reduce the screen brightness.
Environment Ensure your bedroom is a place you would like to fall asleep in. A quick tidy up, some clean sheets and a cosy bed is a good place to start Make your bedroom a place you just associate with sleeping Try to make sure your room is dark and quiet. Maybe think about using an eye mask and earplugs if needed If you’re struggling to sleep in your room, perhaps try another one if you can Write down your worries Try giving yourself a five minute ‘worry time before you start your bedtime routine. Write down all the things on your mind and leave them on the paper. Establish a bedtime routine A routine may help you wind down your mind before sleep. A warm bath or shower with some relaxing music, a milky drink or camomile tea, with an easy to read book before bed is a good idea. Before you try to sleep, try a relaxation mediation www.headspace.com
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