reasons you can't sleep
Posted on 30/06/2020
Often it’s the simplest things that bring the greatest reward. This may sound like a cliché, but it’s true of sleep.
A good night’s sleep is the ultimate life-affirming tonic. But as we all know, an undisturbed night isn’t always easy to come by - especially in today’s modern world, where we’re expected to be ‘switched on’ 24rs a day. Over the last decade, we have taken calls and emails from thousands of customers suffering with disrupted sleep patterns. We want to discuss the most commonly reported sleep concerns we hear about; their symptoms, health and well-being implications and our recommendations for helping to reset your sleep. It is important for us to point out that these concerns and recommendations relate specifically to temporary periods of sleeplessness - the kind of nights of racing minds or tossing and turning we all experience from time to time. If you have a longstanding sleep problem or experience disrupted sleep at least three nights a week over three months (ruling out a life crisis...) we would urge you to speak with your doctor, to ensure there is no underlying problem. For more information on chronic sleep disorders - or to assess your own sleep - visit NHS Choices.
trouble falling asleep?
Symptoms include not being able to switch off: you might go to bed feeling exhausted, but your mind is racing. Normally sleep should come within 30 minutes, but in this case, sleep can be delayed for several hours. This leads to a lack of sleep, which affects daytime wakefulness.
Tip: make your bedroom a TV, laptop and mobile device free place. Any distractions that make sounds or flash in the night will disturb your sleep.
Try: deep sleep pillow spray
Clinically proven to help you fall asleep faster and wake feeling more refreshed.
89% of users fell asleep faster*
*Independent study of 200 subjects (age 18+) including 100 ex-prescription users, compared to no product.
disturbed sleep?
Being woken by outside disturbance from neighbours, young children, traffic or a snoring partner causes its own problems. Disturbed sleep is similar to restless sleep - but outside your control. It disrupts sleep’s natural rhythm, which runs through several phases and is vital for a full, restorative night’s sleep. It also feeds anxiety around sleep - if you’re constantly worrying about being woken up, you become sensitive to the slightest sound.
Tip: make your bedroom a TV, laptop and mobile device free-place. Any distractions that make sounds or flash in the night will disturb your sleep. Aerate the room and maintain a relatively low temperature.
Try: sleep plus pillow spray
Clinically proven to provide a better night’s sleep.
96% of users had a less disturbed night's sleep*
*Independently tested on 200 participants with sleep problems, aged 18+ over a 14-day period, compared to a placebo.
trouble staying asleep?
Sleep may come, but is interspersed with waking up and difficulty getting back to sleep. Tossing and turning - and being unable to relax both physically and mentally - can leave you tired and irritable in the morning. Although similar to disturbed sleep, here you are in control. A restless night with poor quality sleep can leave you feeling bleary-eyed and affect energy during the day.
Tip: keep in mind that a new 'sleep gate' will occur within 40-60 minutes and try to deactivate your brain by entering into a monotonous activity - the classical 'counting sheep' attitude, focusing on a specific point of a virtual picture (often difficult to maintain!). Best, if your mind is racing, feed it with interesting information without any emotional content (e.g. replay in your mind part of a film or documentary you’ve recently seen or a book you’ve recently read).
Try: sleep plus pillow spray
Spray directly onto bed linen before you go to bed. Thanks to motion-activated technology, its fragrance is released continuously through the night to support a longer, less interrupted sleep.
sleep anxiety?
This can build up over time if you have suffered from sleep concerns for a prolonged period. Whether it’s falling asleep or waking up and being unable to get back to sleep, you become anxious about sleeping. Tension as bedtime approaches and worry during the day both feed the anxiety. Keep deep sleep breathe in close to hand and gently apply the roll-on to pulse points such as temples, wrists and forehead - and inhale as the fragrance diffuses into the air.
Tip: give yourself the best chance of falling asleep quickly by avoiding stimulants such as alcohol and nicotine before bed. To help calm a racing mind, try one of the breathing exercises recommended by fitness expert Rachel Hubbard.
Try: deep sleep bath soak
A relaxing bathtime ritual to ease away end-of-day anxieties. Use deep sleep pillow spray in addition, to help dispel the anxieties that surround getting to sleep.
waking early?
Typically, this would see you waking around 3am and then being unable to fall back to sleep.
Tip: for some of us - and on some nights - it’s simply not possible to have an 8hr sleep. If this rings a bell, try to aim for one long phase of continuous sleep (4-5 hrs) to cover your need for deep sleep - and then build short naps into your day to complete your sleep needs. Remember also that some people are genetically programmed to be 'short' or 'long' sleepers.
Try: deep sleep breathe in
A natural roll-on sleep aid and tension-reliever: keep close at night and during the day to induce a calm mind and encourage sleep.
daytime wakefulness?
Your wakefulness (how awake and full of energy you feel during the day) is a measure of how well you can cope with daily tasks after sleep. We often attribute morning grogginess to experiencing insufficient sleep at night but it can also be symptomatic of insufficient or fragmented sleep during the first part of your night - when you’d normally be in a deep sleep.
Tip:
Boost your chances of getting to sleep quickly by avoiding stimulants, as well as late and heavy meals that may cause bloating or increase your body temperature. Try to establish a bedtime routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time at everyday, noting how you feel when you when you wake up and how long you have slept for will help you learn how much sleep you need for your chronotype.
Try: sleep plus dream body
Use this intelligent moisturiser before sleep to target dehydrated and dry areas of skin in need of attention.