Expert insomnia hacks

Insomnia? insom-no more

Tired of counting sheep? It’s time to get to the bottom of your sleepless nights and start catching those ZZZs with these expert-approved tips

Mindfulness

When we are awake, our brain produces beta waves. Simply put, beta is our ‘analytical mind’, and when we are suffering conditions like insomnia, our brain wave patterns may go into what is called high beta, leaving you feeling anxious or like you can’t stop replaying something. We’ve all been there. Overthinking? You’re probably in for a long night.

Yoga and meditation expert, Clare Connolly, advises that mindfulness practices (which are ever-increasing in popularity) could be the untapped solution to lack of sleep. “When we meditate, our brain wave patterns drop down to alpha and theta, the waves where our brains recover and where we find calm and creativity,” she says.

“It’s also where our brain waves go when we start drifting off into a deep sleep. Therefore, when you’re meditating, your brain feels like it’s asleep when you’re actually awake.”

CLARE SUGGESTS THAT YOU GIVE THIS NIGHTTIME ROUTINE A TRY WHEN COUNTING SHEEP ISN’T DOING THE TRICK:

1. Get excited about going to bed, make it feel like an event. Peel back the covers and feel the softness of the duvet on your hands and skin. As you climb into bed, begin to feel your muscles relax into the mattress. 2. Take a few deep breaths, and see if you can think of a couple events in your day that you are grateful for. Try not to focus upon conversations and events from the day here, just keep your focus on things that went right, and things that made you smile.

3. Set an intention to have a good sleep – it’s a great way to pre-pave how your night is going to go.

4. Put on a guided meditation to help you relax through all of your body parts and begin sleep training.

Put your best foot forward (and out of the sheets)

Your feet contain blood vessels that can rapidly decrease your body’s temperature. You guessed it, a lot of the time when we can’t sleep, is because we’re too hot. Brave the monsters under the bed and keep your feet out of the sheets to cool down.

Eat intuitively

We’re constantly told not to eat large meals before bed for better sleep, and while that’s true, there are certain foods out there that actually help to promote a good night’s kip. Snacks such as cherries, olives, and grapes all contain a natural form of melatonin which helps regulate your body’s circadian rhythm, or in other words, aids getting you into a regular sleep routine.