Better Sleep For Anxiety & Stress
Sleep problems can affect everyone from time to time, not just those experiencing anxiety and stress issues.
Here are some powerful tips and techniques that help people achieve better sleep for anxiety & stress.
Go to sleep at the same time each evening.
Our bodies and mind love routine.
Once we go to bed at the same time each evening our sleep patterns change allowing us to sleep easier as our system expects us to go to sleep.
Get up at the same time each day.
Again our bodies and minds love a good routine. Getting up at the same time each day may be difficult at first however, after just a week or two we will wake up naturally, full of energy and ready to take on the day.
Keep your bedroom for sleep only.
Other than sex, our bedrooms should be the perfect place to sleep.
Remove the TV, switch off those mobile phones and make your bedroom the most relaxing room in your home.
Keep your bedroom cool.
Research shows that we sleep better in a cooler room, especially when we snuggle into a warm, cosy duvet.
Bedrooms that are too warm are known to disrupt sleep. Snuggling into blankets or a duvet helps us to sleep better.
Develop a bedtime routine.
A regular bedtime routine tells the mind we are ready to sleep.
1 hour is a great time frame, where we switch off the tv, tablets, phones and anything else that can overstimulate our mind.
Instead, we need to start with a good book, listen to relaxing music, enjoy a relaxing cup of herbal tea.
Warm (not hot) baths or showers are also a good part of a healthy bedtime routine. Relaxing essential oils can also be a great part of your bedtime routine.
Foods for better sleep.
Food is a major factor for good sleep. The right foods can really help with a great nights sleep where the wrong foods can cause many issues.
Bananas, mashed and baked potatoes are known to release “feel good” serotonin to help us to drift off to sleep. Try easting them about 3 hours before you good to bed.
Pistachios are very high in melatonin and research shows they work just as good as some medications, without the side effects.
Eating a good amount of varied fruits such as berries, kiwis, cherries and pineapple during the day are known to help us fall asleep faster with the side effect of helping us have more energy through the day.
Beans and other legumes can really help to regulate sleep cycles as they are packed with B vitamins and serotonin. Aim for 3 cups of beans & lentils per day in your diet as they will nicely boost your energy levels, provide you with amazing protein and help with natural weight loss.
Relaxing teas found in your health food store can really help to aid amazing sleep. There are so many to choose from and I recommend the range from Yogi Teas.
Food to avoid for better sleep for anxiety & stress issues.
Some foods can heavily disrupt our sleep patterns and should be avoid if we wish to attain good sleep patterns.
Processed foods.
Processed foods are usually high in bad fats, salt, sugars, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavours and preservatives.
These can all over stimulate the brain and body, disrupting sleep patterns and messing with your energy levels.
Dairy products.
Warm milk is thought to help people drift off easily to sleep but is also known to disrupt sleep patterns and result in strange dreams.
The culprit is Casomorphin which is found in cows and other animal milk.
Casomorphin is naturally found in human breast milk and is thought to help babies drift off to sleep after a feed. Sadly in cows milk, it is much stronger and stronger again as dehydrated dairy products such as cheese.
A simple alternative is oat milk which is known to help us relax and fall asleep easier.
Alcohol
A small glass of wine can be helpful for some people to drift off to sleep and any more than that can easily disrupt sleep patterners.
Drinking larger amounts of alcohol is incorrectly thought by many to help them easily drift off to sleep. The reality is that we usually pass out and then experience disrupted sleep patterns. The body then works hard to detox our system, removing the alcohol and resulting in us feeling tired the following day. Alcohol is also a diuretic resulting in more frequent trips to the bathroom.
Caffiene.
Caffine found in coffee, cola and energy drinks is well known to make us feel energised and give us a boost.
The reality is that our body moves into detox overdrive to remove the caffine and we feel as though we have more energy. Like alcohol, we then feel tired the next day and then have more to increase energy levels
Caffine has a half life of about 12 hours, meaning half the caffine you consume is still there 12 hours later.
Some studies do show that a cup or two of coffee a day can be beneficial for health and can help liver function. For those suffering with sleep issues it may be best to limit coffee to two cups in the morning or cutting it out altogether.
Techniques For Better Sleep.
Here are some powerful NLP & Hypnosis techniques that help clients to get off to sleep. They are demonstrated in the video above.
The Relaxation Spot.
Just above your nose is a sweet spot that when massaged gently, naturally helps us to relax and then sleep. You may have found you rub this with your children or pets when they are unwell or as a way to calm them down.
Simply use your finger to rub gently above the bridge of your nose. Rub in a circular motion until you find the spot that feels wonderful.
Spend a couple of minutes massaging this spot with your eyes gently closed and beware of the gentle relaxation it brings.
Breathing through your eyes.
As demonstrated in the video above, keeping your eyes open breathe in for the count of 4. Then close your eyes and breathe out for a count of 4.
Simply repeat this several times until you fall asleep.
To make this even more powerfull, breathe out for 2 more counts than you breathe in. This helps the body to relax faster and naturally reduces your anxiety and stress levels.
Better Sleep For Anxiety & Stress
Poor sleep patterns, just like anxiety and stress issues, are simply symptoms that something is wrong.
The information above often helps those with sleep issues. If they persist it is a sign that action may be needed to resolve the anxiety and stress for good.
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