The Midnight Worrier
Every now and then, I lie awake through the night and don't get to sleep until the early hours of the morning. Having had experience as a midnight worrier, I would would like to share what I have learnt from my own experience in hope that it may help people get a better good night's sleep.
Here are a few things that I have found that contribute to sleepless nights.
1) Stress/Anxiety
You may slip under your comfy duvet and may still be thinking about something that happened at work, you may be worried about the health of a loved one, words you may have had with someone or if you just sat there and listened while someone steam-rolled over you and you're obsessing over five different greetings you're going to say next time you see them.
(Only two out of five are polite.)
What Worked For Me: I have found that lying awake and obsessing over things does not change the outcome of what is meant to happen. I find that writing about my day in a journal before bed helps me in two ways. It helps me get clear about what happened, what I can do to avoid that stressful situation or someone in future. It can also help you come up with ways to solve the problem, it's like having a one-on-one conversation with yourself in written form. I have been known to mutter stuff under my breath and sometimes I come up with an answer that way too!
Scented candles and essential oils are also really good for calming the mind.
Bubble baths are lovely but a foot-spa with a few drops of Peppermint Essence or Rosewater Essence (available from the baking aisle at Coles and Woolworths) and a cup of Chamomile or Peppermint tea can help you get into a space where you feel calmer.
What Worked For Me: I have found that lying awake and obsessing over things does not change the outcome of what is meant to happen. I find that writing about my day in a journal before bed helps me in two ways. It helps me get clear about what happened, what I can do to avoid that stressful situation or someone in future. It can also help you come up with ways to solve the problem, it's like having a one-on-one conversation with yourself in written form. I have been known to mutter stuff under my breath and sometimes I come up with an answer that way too!
Scented candles and essential oils are also really good for calming the mind.
Bubble baths are lovely but a foot-spa with a few drops of Peppermint Essence or Rosewater Essence (available from the baking aisle at Coles and Woolworths) and a cup of Chamomile or Peppermint tea can help you get into a space where you feel calmer.
2) Your Mind Won't Turn Off.
Your body is so tired but your mind wants to remind you of every memory (good and bad) that you have and when its done it wants to give you prequels and sequels to your worst fears. By the time your mind has finished its inner monologue its 1AM and you have to wake up in four hours.
(Three if you have small children...)
What Worked For Me: Read something really, really boring. Like a how-to guide for something that holds absolutely no interest for you. Or if you sometimes have amazing ideas that have the gears in your head turning, you'll be too inspired to sleep! In this case, you might as well get everything off your mind in a note-book so that your inner-self knows that you are listening!
(Because you won't sleep a wink until you acknowledge what it is telling you.)
3) Eating Habits.
I have found that if I eat too much junk food during the day (this includes soft-drinks) then I am more likely to stay awake while my body decides what is worth keeping. Too much sugar and caffeine and little exercise can make you restless so you toss and turn.
What Worked For Me: Vegetables, Protein, Fruit and less refined sugar. Mind you, I am still on my journey when it comes to mind-set around food but I know when I eat well and when I eat badly because I get a better sleep when I eat healthy.
4) Being Unchallenged.
I am a self-confessed Netflix binge-addict. If I absolutely love a television program then I will binge the hell out of it. Last year it got to a point where I felt self-disgust because I was just wasting time that I could have spent on achieving my goals and dreams. I have become better over time and have set myself a limit of two hours maximum of television watching a day. I find that if my mind is not stimulated to problem-solve or not think about anything that may have a progressive outcome, chances are I will be thinking about it when I should be getting beauty sleep!
What Worked For Me: I began this change in mind-set with two rules. One, I would make a list of things to do on the days that I was at home from work so I wouldn't just kill time on the couch.
Example: Things to do
-Laundry - wash, fold and pack away
-Clean bathroom and kitchen
-Write blog or latest book
- Go for a walk
- Groceries?
-Art project
- Cook dinner
I also wrote in my day-planner things that I needed to do, people to call and from that it was easier to change a habit that had taken up a lot of valuable time. In the months since I have become a lot more productive in my day-to-day routine and now television is a favourite past-time, not an all-the-time in my life. I sleep better knowing that I have been productive in doing something that will help enrich my future with Alan and any kids we may have.
5) Not Getting Enough Exercise.
Like our brains, our legs need to stretch.
I found that on days when I was not active it made for a restless night because my body has energy to burn!
What Worked For Me: As neither myself or Alan drives, we rely on our legs and public transport to get us from A to B. As a childcare relief float I am constantly on the move. In the afternoons I say to the kids. "Hey everybody! It's time for exercise class!" and most of the time I end up with a group of 5-10 kids who are more than happy to run on the spot, do ten squats and star-jumps and arm wind-mills. I have been able to incorporate a mini-work out during the day like that.
A few more tips...
↣ Disconnect from social media an hour before bed. Do a quiet activity that doesn't require a lot of thinking and something that will help you to relax.
↣ Spending time in nature can calm the mind, soothe the soul and bring sweet dreams.
↣ If you have toxic people in your life, choose to do one or two things. Limit the amount of time you spend with them or avoid associating with them when possible.
Do not engage in anything that may upset your peace of mind.
↣ Do your best every day to bring happiness to yourself and those you love.
In conclusion, I hope that my experience and what worked for me may work for those who need a better night's sleep.
- Sarah x
Your body is so tired but your mind wants to remind you of every memory (good and bad) that you have and when its done it wants to give you prequels and sequels to your worst fears. By the time your mind has finished its inner monologue its 1AM and you have to wake up in four hours.
(Three if you have small children...)
What Worked For Me: Read something really, really boring. Like a how-to guide for something that holds absolutely no interest for you. Or if you sometimes have amazing ideas that have the gears in your head turning, you'll be too inspired to sleep! In this case, you might as well get everything off your mind in a note-book so that your inner-self knows that you are listening!
(Because you won't sleep a wink until you acknowledge what it is telling you.)
3) Eating Habits.
I have found that if I eat too much junk food during the day (this includes soft-drinks) then I am more likely to stay awake while my body decides what is worth keeping. Too much sugar and caffeine and little exercise can make you restless so you toss and turn.
What Worked For Me: Vegetables, Protein, Fruit and less refined sugar. Mind you, I am still on my journey when it comes to mind-set around food but I know when I eat well and when I eat badly because I get a better sleep when I eat healthy.
4) Being Unchallenged.
I am a self-confessed Netflix binge-addict. If I absolutely love a television program then I will binge the hell out of it. Last year it got to a point where I felt self-disgust because I was just wasting time that I could have spent on achieving my goals and dreams. I have become better over time and have set myself a limit of two hours maximum of television watching a day. I find that if my mind is not stimulated to problem-solve or not think about anything that may have a progressive outcome, chances are I will be thinking about it when I should be getting beauty sleep!
What Worked For Me: I began this change in mind-set with two rules. One, I would make a list of things to do on the days that I was at home from work so I wouldn't just kill time on the couch.
Example: Things to do
-Laundry - wash, fold and pack away
-Clean bathroom and kitchen
-Write blog or latest book
- Go for a walk
- Groceries?
-Art project
- Cook dinner
I also wrote in my day-planner things that I needed to do, people to call and from that it was easier to change a habit that had taken up a lot of valuable time. In the months since I have become a lot more productive in my day-to-day routine and now television is a favourite past-time, not an all-the-time in my life. I sleep better knowing that I have been productive in doing something that will help enrich my future with Alan and any kids we may have.
5) Not Getting Enough Exercise.
Like our brains, our legs need to stretch.
I found that on days when I was not active it made for a restless night because my body has energy to burn!
What Worked For Me: As neither myself or Alan drives, we rely on our legs and public transport to get us from A to B. As a childcare relief float I am constantly on the move. In the afternoons I say to the kids. "Hey everybody! It's time for exercise class!" and most of the time I end up with a group of 5-10 kids who are more than happy to run on the spot, do ten squats and star-jumps and arm wind-mills. I have been able to incorporate a mini-work out during the day like that.
A few more tips...
↣ Disconnect from social media an hour before bed. Do a quiet activity that doesn't require a lot of thinking and something that will help you to relax.
↣ Spending time in nature can calm the mind, soothe the soul and bring sweet dreams.
↣ If you have toxic people in your life, choose to do one or two things. Limit the amount of time you spend with them or avoid associating with them when possible.
Do not engage in anything that may upset your peace of mind.
↣ Do your best every day to bring happiness to yourself and those you love.
In conclusion, I hope that my experience and what worked for me may work for those who need a better night's sleep.
- Sarah x
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