If you’ve been struggling to sleep lately, you’re not alone. According to Google Keyword Planner, us Brits search ‘why can’t I sleep?’ and ‘how to sleep’ over 22,900 times every month.
But what are some of the biggest mistakes we make when trying to get to sleep and how can we overcome them to get the rest we need? Sleep Coach, Nicky Blakeman from Yumi reveals all below.
Sleep Mistake 1: Not Managing Your Thoughts Before Bed
The problem many people have is they don’t deal with their anxious thoughts during the day so they’re left to deal with them at bedtime when our minds are at their least rational.
A good way to get your anxious thoughts out of your system before bed is journaling. Start to write down how you feel. This will help you to get all your thoughts onto the paper and you can then begin to rationalise them.
You’re much better at problem solving in the daytime than when you’re lying in bed at night so come up with a plan during the day. Consider the worst case scenario and come up with a list of options you can refer back to when you start worrying at night – tackle your negative thoughts in the daytime and they will be much easier to manage at night.
Sleep Mistake 2: Setting Goals
Another mistake people make is goal setting around sleep. When they first start to struggle, they increase their focus on sleep and the more you try to sleep, the harder it is, creating a vicious cycle.
Try not to focus too much on the number of hours of sleep you get – it’s more productive to focus on your pattern of sleep. If you have a bad night’s sleep or a really late night, it can be tempting to try and ‘catch up’ on the hours you missed by lying in or having a nap during the day. However, this only disrupts your sleeping pattern making it harder to get to sleep the next night.
Sleep Mistake 3: Focusing Only on Sleep Hygiene
One of the biggest mistakes people make when they are struggling to get to sleep is focussing only on sleep hygiene or ‘standard’ sleep advice.
If you can’t sleep, most of the advice is to cut out blue light, create a restful environment, have a bath before bed etc. – whilst these sorts of tips can help, they won’t always cut it if you’ve got a sleep problem.
There are other areas you need to consider which can keep you awake at night, such as medical issues, a lack of minerals or not knowing how to manage your thoughts.
If you need a helping hand getting the sleep you need, Yumi’s 5-HTP Bedtime gummies can help you to naturally drift off at night.
