Daily activities can be a welcome distraction from stress and anxieties but as soon as your head hits the pillow? Your head enters a vortex of thought that triggers our natural stress response and sleep is a long way off.Together with Blooms The Chemist, we’re tucking you in for a good night’s sleep. We’ll run through the most important elements to factor into a healthy sleep routine. Take a step back from the chaos of life to put a stop to the tossing and turning.
Follow these steps to tap into your natural circadian rhythm and develop a healthy routine that’ll set you up for the day and night.Try practising mindfulness.
Daily practice is a wonderful way to return yourself to the present, especially when you’re in the midst of a mental vortex — both during the day and when you’re trying to sleep. Try these simple steps day as a way to reconnect your mind and body.
• Take three deep breaths every time you begin a new task.
• Mentally acknowledge the task you are performing. This will help you stay in the present moment.
• Meditate for three minutes. Sit still and repeat the words, “I am calm. I am restful”.
• Separate your work and rest space.
• If you work from home – good for you – make sure you keep your laptop away from your bed.
• Make the effort to stick to your usual work routine and keep the bedroom as a space reserved for sleep and luuurrve.
• Or could the struggles with sleep go a little deeper?
• Even if you’ve managed to fall asleep, getting good quality shut-eye is another story.
Do you often wake up feeling exhausted after a solid 8 hours of kip and spend your waking moments tired, grouchy and sluggish? Is the idea of waking up feeling refreshed the stuff of dreams?
You may have an undiagnosed sleep disorder, like sleep apnoea, a common sleep condition that affects over one million Australians (that’s 5% of adults). When the walls of the throat come together during sleep, the upper airway repeatedly becomes blocked, leading to a halt in breathing and a panicked signal from the brain to wake the person up.
Loud gasping snores can be a common indicator you may have sleep apnoea. If you regularly share a bed with someone notorious for night time noises, give their snores a closer listen — many people living with sleep apnoea have no idea!
If you’re concerned you or your partner may be suffering from sleep apnoea, speak to a Blooms The Chemist Pharmacist. They’ll run you through an easy, home sleep test called a ‘polysomnogram’ or ‘sleep study’. With the appropriate equipment, you can monitor your blood oxygen levels, brain activity, heart rate and breathing. The results will be emailed to your doctor, so it’s easy to follow up!
For more information on developing healthy habits, including a solid sleep routine, drop into your local Blooms The Chemist.