Top tips for sleep - from a part-time insomniac...Day 2!!!

That horrible realisation when it dawns on you that you may very well be in for another sleepless night! You would think after 4 hours of sleep the night before, sleep would kindly grace you with their presence. But oh no! Alas, that would be too easy...

SO, what do I do about it? I blog! I'm not the only one who is impacted by what I call part-time insomnia! And I just googled it! It's a real thing and making total sense now why my mind is not switching off, despite all my usual sleep tricks!

Insomnia is lying awake at night. For no reason (none that stand out anyway), you just can't switch off and fall asleep. Just 101 random thoughts pointlessly popping up into your mind. It's that tired feeling after you have just awoken because your sleep was broken anyway!

On average adults need like 7-9 hours sleep. Ha! And the youth they need about 9 - 13 hours. Now I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure a lot of my family, friends, colleagues and clients are not clocking in the regular hours needed to function!

SO, what have I tried to do to help improve this current bout of sleep deprivation.

Tip 1: Acceptance - there's nothing worst than lying in bed thinking about how much you can't fall asleep. I mean it's so frustrating. If you're Neurodivergent, now is the time to accept that sleep difficulties is common. One of my favourite phrases is: What we resist, persists! - loosely translated the more we fight it, the more it will continue to be a challenge. So let's accept that some nights may result in minimal sleep to function the next day!

I accept that this is my second night without sleeping the desired amount of hours. However, I know it won't be like this all week!

Tip 2: Understand yourself - how does sleep deprivation impact you? It's so important to know this for tip 3. There are the typical known associates with sleep deprivation such as irritability, lack of concentration and general lethargy. But how else does not sleeping well impact you? As a therapist, I save my social stores for my clients I'm seeing that day and unfortunately for everyone else, you have to wait! Some may say social shut down is not the way, but I'm protecting my energy...and it's stores! We only have so much we can give and it's better for me to re-prioritise the energy I do have in the most effective way.

Tip 3: Communicate - We all know what it's like to be tired. So tell people when you've not slept well. I've found it encourages more compassion and understanding from others. They suddenly get why you may forget your native language, and offer support to find that word lost from memory! People naturally ease off and that takes the pressure off of you, that you need to relax your mind.

Tip 4: Stick to routines - I know how hard it can be to stick to routines (despite my longing and craving for them). As my own boss, and a contractor, I've had to learn how to adapt to change, despite my intolerance for it. But despite this I still try to stick to a few bed time acts to help my mind recognise it's bedtime. We are all different so one size does not fit all and sometimes we have to play around to find what works. For me, I have to play clash of clans, my loyalty to this game is nearly a decade long! I check the house, doors locked, electrics off, candles off. I check the pets, water and food topped up (can't have the fur babies dehydrating or starving over night). I then offload my mind, write, talk, sing, exercise, dance. Whatever my mind and body is feeling that night. I always listen to mindful music, soft pianos or strings; nature wood crackling or rain. Music for mood and all that. This is what works for me, but as aforementioned we are all different.

I'm going to try to sleep now that I have thought dumped! I hope this post helps!