Navigating Insomnia

One of my clients who is struggling with sleep issues recently asked me for some advice.

He has no problems falling asleep, but he wakes up between 2-4am wide awake – then his mind starts working like a hamster on a wheel, and he can’t fall back asleep.

He’s very typical of the clients I work with – hardworking, driven and in sales – and when he can’t get a full night of restful sleep he’s tired and less motivated the next day, which ultimately interferes with his success. I’m pretty sure we all know what it feels like after having an interrupted night. Getting a good night’s sleep is very important for your overall health and well being.

“A good laugh and a good nights sleep are two of the best cures for anything”.

Irish Proverb

Here are some interesting stats on sleep issues…

Statistics Canada found about 40 percent of men and 48 per cent of women do not  consistently have a refreshing night’s sleep.

New research from the American College of Cardiology suggests poor sleep patterns cause up to 8% of deaths. And the American Heart Association recently added ‘sleep duration’ to its list of important components for optimizing brain and heart health, as they share:

Getting little or poor sleep doesn’t just make people feel tired the next day – it places them at higher risk for heart attacks and early death, along with cognitive decline, dementia, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, and other chronic health conditions.

I also have had my own challenges with insomnia throughout my life, and it’s usually between 2-4am as well, and when I’m not responding or adapting well to stress. We also have two large dogs who like to announce if they hear raccoon noises outside in the middle of the night. Once I’m awake, whether it’s of my own volition or the dogs,  that’s it. My brain is up and ready to run a marathon at 2am.

Over the years of dealing with my insomnia and recognizing my patterns, I’ve discovered a number of things that have helped – hopefully some of these may be of help to you.

“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together”.

Thomas Dekker

Let’s start with a short exercise. Grab a pen and paper and answer these questions as honestly as you can:

• Do you like what you’re doing for work or with your time? Do you feel fulfilled?

• Are you in a loving supported relationship? 

• Do you have any addictions that you turn to when you’re stressed, such as smoking, grabbing a glass of wine, or diving into the cookie jar? Many of the substances that we think calm us down actually stimulate our minds and bodies after the initial calming effect has been felt, having the exact opposite result.

• Are you harboring or holding onto any emotions such as anger? If we’re tense and angry (even subconsciously), our minds and bodies will not be calm and this will affect our sleep. Forgiveness is one of the best ways to let go of any old anger or resentments.

• What is causing you stress during the day and what can you do to eliminate some of these things?  If our bodies are in constant fight-and-flight during the day, it will be difficult for the nervous system to calm down and have a good night’s rest. 

These are important questions to ask, as your mind won’t be peaceful and your body won’t feel calm if you’re not being true to yourself.

Here’s a list of other sleep hacks that have worked for me over the years. You don’t have to do them all, but each one has a specific response in the body, and when added together with the others in this list can have a pretty profound effect.

• Learn how to meditate. Meditating twice per day at least for 20 minutes each time will help to bring your mind back to a calmer starting point over time.

• Do 5 minutes of breathwork twice a day (right before you meditate).

• Get lots of fresh air. My mom used to tell me if I didn’t get a good night’s sleep I didn’t get enough fresh air. (Moms always know best!).

• Give up caffeine and sugar. If you can’t do this 100%, then at least after 4pm and especially late at night. 

• Avoid other stimulants like drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

• Turn off all iPads, phones, laptops – anything with a blue screen – by 8:00pm.

• Avoid TV that has violence or disturbing content. 

• If you have to watch TV, then watch something funny. This is one of my new favorite things that really seems to work. Stand-up comedians or comedy shows that really make you laugh, help to increase your level of happiness before you go to sleep! 

• If you’re really busy, write a to-do list the night before so it’s not running around in your head during the night.

• My mom also had a good saying, “empty your pockets at night”, meaning whatever’s on your mind, let it go. Write it down so the words are on a page, not in your head.

• Journal. Keep a journal by your bed and before you turn the light off, think about how your day went, if anything was bothering you, anything remarkable you want to remember etc. A beautiful addition is to write out 3 things that you are grateful for – this could be something small, like finding the glasses you’ve been looking for, or getting a parking spot right by the doorway at work.

• Try to eat dinner by 6:00pm, finishing before 7pm, and eat a lighter meal.

• Go for a walk or do some light exercise – outside in nature is always best if it’s possible.

• I have a few go-to natural remedies that have helped me…chamomile tea is a great calmer after dinner, but not so late that your bladder will wake you up later! I also love melatonin, and this product from AOR – Ortho Sleep has also really helped when nothing else has and I really need a decent uninterrupted sleep. To note, I don’t use these products regularly – only if I’ve had a couple of nights of poor sleep in a row. As always, check with your health care provider before introducing a new supplement.

• Set your bedroom up so it’s completely dark at night. Eliminate bedside digital clocks, make sure your phone is off (or at least on airplane mode if you use it as an alarm clock) and face down so any automatic notifications don’t wake you up. 

• Also, are your sheets comfortable and keeping you cool? Our body temperature fluctuates during sleep cycles and I find bamboo sheets are the most comfortable and cooling. 

• Do you have good air circulation and air flow? I find I have to have some fresh air coming into the bedroom through an open window and have a ceiling fan on.

• Try to make your bedroom a place where you only sleep and have sex.  You shouldn’t be watching TV or working in bed – anything that is stimulating is counterproductive. If you are going to read, keep it light-hearted and make sure it’s something that relaxes you. 

• Consider investing in a good sound machine. We use this one and it’s made a huge difference as it drowns out a lot of the little city noises, like traffic. 

A couple of previous blogs ago I wrote about how important a morning routine and an evening routine are. These are both worth a read/listen if you haven’t already checked them out, as they are great foundations to getting a good night’s sleep.

And above all, if you still wake up and find yourself wide awake – just do some gentle, slower belly breaths, imagining your breath starting at the soles of your feet and moving up to the top of your head and back down. Getting frustrated only exacerbates the situation. If you can’t stop thinking, try repeating a simple phrase like “I am relaxed, I am calm”. By laying in bed, completely relaxed and following your breath you may even fall back asleep a lot sooner than you think.