Reflexology
A Reflexology treatment is profoundly relaxing and calming. It is perfect for reducing anxiety and helping to manage stress, thereby contributing towards a healthy sleep pattern. Reflexology may help to reduce cortisol which is the stress hormone in the body. During an insomnia Reflexology treatment, I use a combination of targeted acupressure and reflex points to relax and calm the mind and body whilst helping to help promote a more restful sleep. I also teach my clients a Reflexology hand routine and provide a supporting handout so that they may enhance the effects of Reflexology outside of the treatment room.
Aromatherapy
A warm bath with essential oils at night time can also help to promote sleep.
My favourite insomnia blend is:
4 drops of Bergamot
4 drops of Frankincense
2 drops of Lavender
Mix the essential oils together, undiluted and then add them to 5 ml of grapeseed oil .
Tips for a great night’s sleep
- Keep regular hours.
- Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time each day will program your body to sleep better.
- Create a restful sleeping environment. A bedroom should be kept for rest and sleep, it should be neither too hot nor too cold and kept as dark as possible during sleep.
- Get a comfortable bed; it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep on a bed that is too hard, too soft, too small or too old.
- Take more exercise. Regular exercise such as sleeping or walking can help to relieve the day’s stresses and strains – but not too close to bedtime!
- Cut down on stimulants such as caffeine. Found in tea and coffee, they interfere with falling asleep and deep sleep. Drink herbal teas instead.
- Don’t overindulge. Too much food or alcohol just before bedtime can play havoc with sleep patterns. Alcohol will help you fall asleep initially but it will interrupt your sleep later in the night.
- Don’t smoke. Smokers take longer to fall asleep, wake up more often and experience more sleep disruption.
- Try to relax before going to bed. Play some relaxing music or a relaxation CD, take an aromatherapy bath and try some yoga or stretching.
- Make lists of tasks that need to be tackled the next day or week if you have a heavy workload, reduce the need to think about things at bedtime. Just thinking about what you need to do can release stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol.
- If you can’t sleep, get up and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy again. Don’t lie in bed worrying about not being able to sleep.
Sleepcouncil.org.uk
The Sleep Council have an excellent website (www.sleepcouncil.org.uk). You can access lots of free resources; for example, sleep plans, mattress guides, leaflets and free podcasts with relaxing nature sounds such as birdsong and waves.