Are you finding your anxiety worsens when you jump into bed and are left with thoughts and overthinking while trying to fall asleep? Don’t worry you aren’t the only one. Too little sleep can affect your mood contributing to irritability and sometimes can lead to depression. Our bodies go through three sleep stages, allowing us to wake up feeling more rested and energised to help us learn and forge memories. We have listed a couple of helpful tips to help you get some well-deserved sleep.

CREATE A NIGHT TIME ROUTINE:

Start by setting yourself up for success, make sure your room is dark as Light, sound and temperature can influence how fast you can fall asleep. Creating a sleep-friendly bedroom is important to help calm your mind. If you are finding yourself still awake after 20 minutes of trying to fall asleep it is time to get up and make yourself a cuppa or read a book, once you start to feel tired again go back to bed. It is also important to try and wake up at the same time every day even on weekends to get your body into a routine. 

MEDITATION TECHNIQUES:

Another useful technique is practising meditation before bed as this can help accumulate sleep pressure and overcome the alerting signal and calms our brain and body enough to fall asleep. We have listed some useful meditation exercises to try before bed:

• Breathing: try belly breathing which uses muscles from your diaphragm or using the 4-7-8 technique. Focusing on your breathing can help lull you to sleep.
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Anxiety can cause muscle tension, during progressive muscle relaxation, you tense and then release individual muscle groups, like your neck, shoulders, and legs one at a time.
• Meditation: meditating before bed allows you to quiet your thoughts and settle your body, bringing on sleep gradually and naturally.
• Yoga: Yoga can be beneficial for both your mental and physical health.

Source:

https://www.healthpartners.com/blog/sleeping-through-anxiety/