Dealing with insomnia...

Whilst this isn't beauty related at all, insomnia and other sleeping disorders can have a massive impact on general well being, including the state of your face.

I've struggled with insomnia for the last six months and thought I'd let you in a few ways to make it more manageable and also I thought it would help some of you that aren't in the know understand what insomnia really is.

There is a common misconception that if someone is an insomniac they never sleep. Last time I checked, I wasn't a zombie. Insomnia, affects the amount of sleep you get, it doesn't completely deprive you of sleep, you just don't get anywhere near the right and healthy amount a normal person should have (which can be anywhere between 6-9 hours). Whilst insomnia is one of the most common sleeping issues, it's not one single disorder in itself, it's usually linked to one of a number of different things, Anything from drinking too much caffeine throughout the day, being stressed about work or it could be linked to something more complex like an underlying medical condition.

Here are a few symptoms to look out for that could point to possible insomnia....

Difficulty falling asleep despite being tired

Relying on sleeping pills to get to sleep

Waking up too early in the morning

Fatigue or irritability during the day

Difficulty concentrating

Waking up frequently throughout the night

Trouble getting back to sleep

Useless sleep (Waking up without feeling refreshed in any way)

On average, I get around 4 hours of sleep a night. This is very rarely a solid 4 hours...I usually get to sleep at a reasonable time (around 11-ish) but I then continually wake up throughout the night. When insomnia first strikes it's an absolute pain in the bum. It used to take me HOURS of tossing and turn to finally get a few, very unsatisfying, hours of sleep. However, along the road I've learnt a few tips and tricks that help me relax into the bizarre sleeping pattern that I now have.

My first piece of advice would be to avoid the lure of sleeping pills. Even though the immediate promise of guaranteed, uninterrupted sleep sounds great, when you find yourself hooked and not being able to sleep without popping a pill, then you're in real trouble..You've just made the problem worse for yourself. This probably won't sound nearly as effective, but try something far more natural such as chamomile or peppermint tea..Both are soothing and the warmth really helps to calm you- just make sure you avoid caffeine in your pre-bedtime drink!

Try and get into a routine. Your body is a diva and it reacts to change. Where possible, try to do the same acticvities every night before bed. If you like to watch TV or a bit of Netflix before bed make sure you turn of around half and hour or an hour before you plan to sleep. Television and surfing the web keeps your mind extremely active. Before sleep a calm and inactive mind is pretty essential. Try reading (an actual book, not an iPad or Kindle etc...keep away from technology..avoid texting too) or listening to some chilled music to get you ready for sleep. 

Make sure your bedroom is an environment that you associate with sleep. This can be difficult, especially if you're a student (such as myself)..our bedrooms tend to become our caves where we do everything, but this is seriously bad for sleep. Work in another room if you can, or go to the library. Don't eat in your room and where possible avoid watching TV in bed too. Your bedroom is for sleeping, remember that. Make sure your bedroom is the optimum place for sleep too. What works for you differs from person to person, but avoid light either with heavy curtains or an eye mask and try sleeping with your window open. A constant supply of fresh air is good for the body and it makes you sleepy. If noise is an issue, invest in some ear plugs- they work wonders.

Along with the point I mentioned earlier about having a routine, try and keep your rise and sleep time roughly the same, including weekends, even if you're too tired. Everybody hates Monday's because after a weekend of not getting up till 10, you suddenly have to rise at the crack of dawn. Avoid this feeling by keeping your biological clock balanced. Your body WILL thank you for it, eventually. 

And last but certainly not least, please avoid naps during the day. It's terrible for your sleeping pattern as your body gets confused about when you should sleep AND you feel worse when you wake up from a nap. Power naps can work for some lucky people, but in the long run they're trouble! If you're really desperate for a bit of kip limit yourself to a max of 30 minutes before 3p.m. and set an alarm so you don't go over the time.

Just quickly, even though you're supposed to stay away from technology, I thought I'd mention two apps that don't require contact and that have genuinely helped me. The first is Sleep Time. This is free on the App Store and logs your sleep. It also has a built in alarm which wakes you up at the optimum time i.e only during Light Sleep rather than Deep or REM. Knowing your sleep is extremely important for your body, the more REM the better, it's the seriously good stuff.

The next one is Calm. Again this is free on the App Store. Calm is essentially for pre-sleep meditation, it's also great if you struggle with anxiety. You can set your time- anything from 2 minutes to 30 minutes and the soothing voice will take you through the stages of totally relaxing your body (I usually fall asleep even before my session is finished, that's how good it is!)

Hopefully I've covered everything here!

Sleep tight!

xoxo