Zzzzzing for real.

Sleep is either your best friend or your worst enemy. I know for sure that I have a love-hate relationship with sleep, whether it is the cause of me missing classes or I am simply not getting enough of it because life is getting in the way. For some people, the easy route would be to get sleeping tablets: you won't have trouble falling asleep, and you are likely to sleep right until the moment your alarm goes off. Simple, why not?

Sleeping tablets are legitimate cures to issues such as insomnia, but improper use can be very harmful to your physical and mental well-being. Many people develop a dependency on them, meaning they will not be able to sleep in situations where they may be without them, and your body is likely to become resistant to them, requiring higher doses to be effective. Everyday Health outlines some other dangers of taking sleeping tablets, but I know that when I was prescribed them to aid me in coping with my anxiety and depression I noticed that, sure, they helped me get back into a regular sleeping routine, but I noticed the side-effects becoming too overwhelming: I was oversleeping, and every morning I woke up feeling groggy. It wasn't long before I decided to manage my sleep in more natural ways. Here are some of the things that myself and the Interwebs would recommend to get a really good night's sleep:

1. Sleepy Foods

Believe it or not, there's food out there that can help you sleep (I do NOT mean a food coma, though). There are a few things to consider when it comes to your food-sleep relationship:

- Be conscious of WHAT you eat and WHEN. This is part of healthy living in general, but consider a bowl of carbs for dinner as a poor decision. If you are gluten-intolerant like I am, bloating and stomach aches will obviously get in the way of you getting a good night's sleep. It will also leave you feeling pretty disgusting come wakey-wakey time.

- Pick foods that will help you sleep better. Chamomile tea is a well-known option, but lesser known ones include edamame beans, miso soup, and hard-boiled eggs. I personally have chosen not to eat past eight in the evening so my body can digest my food properly, but if you are puckish before you go to sleep then perhaps check out this Woman's Day article for more information on the foods you can eat before bed time.

2. Meditation

I find that listening to relaxing music through my earphones really helps when I'm struggling to fall asleep. You might wake up to uncomfortable earholes because of your earphones but at least you will be relaxed, and you will often find it quite easy to fall back asleep. Otherwise, there are apps to help, too - yay for technology! I use an app on my iPhone called Sleep Cycle which not only monitors your sleep but also has sleep aids of soothing sounds to help lull you to sleep. There is also an abundance of playlists on YouTube and 8tracks that do the same thing. Also, if you enjoy being read to, then the iPad has a feature that will read audiobooks to you and has helped some people fall asleep. You can read more about that here.

3. Switch off your phone

Trolling the Internet and scrolling through your Facebook feed watching videos of cute pandas when you can't sleep is literally the last thing you should be doing. Stop being a Gen-Y kid and read a book or something! But seriously, it has been scientifically proven that the blue light produced by your phone or laptop screen will inhibit your chances of falling asleep peacefully. Scientists have said that the blue light is basically telling your body that now is the time to be awake and that your brain should be busy - literally the opposite of what you want to achieve when trying to sleep. What I do is I switch my iPhone onto 'Do Not Disturb' (the little moon icon) at least half an hour before I turn off my lights, which prevents me from being distracted by any incoming messages and notifications and therefore not being on my phone right before I shut my eyes. Highly recommend this. Check out this short but informative video for more info.

4. Figure out what it is that is keeping you awake/waking you up at night

I often wake up several times during the night or have trouble falling asleep and get extremely frustrated like "what the hell Gabi you went spinning today and did work. WHY WON'T YOU FALL ASLEEP?!" Then I remember that I had an afternoon nap that often lasts longer than an hour and is most certainly the reason for all my pent-up energy when I want to sleep. I am quite an authoritative voice on naps since I make the effort to have one a day to keep me sane, so I know now all of the complications that come with them such as the best amount of time to spend napping each day. You should probably also make sure your caffeine intake throughout the day isn't too high. Also, on a more serious note, reflect on all aspects of your health - mental, physical, emotional, and even spiritual. When I did a few months of therapy and I brought up my issues with sleep, my therapist explained to me that difficulty falling asleep is most commonly associated with depression, and disruptive sleep is most commonly associated with anxiety. If you suffer from either of these conditions, I would recommend a calming ritual before bed - stop any work you're doing, and get off your phone, like I said earlier. Try something like lighting a candle and listening to some music, or read a book in ambient light. I have also found recently that taking a beta-blocker right before sleep helps to get me through the night (I know this is supposed to be a drug-free guide but sometimes this is what you need).

And there we go. Happy sleeping.

#sleep #mentalhealth #advice #therapy #rest #bedtime