Sleep, Rest and Recharge

Good evening, or morning, dear friends, and welcome to the latest post to the blog ‘The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Scotsman’ as I, Ally Farquhar continue on my journey from trauma and a diagnosis of anxiety and associated panic attacks, back to better mental health once more, with the help of professionals, self-help, a positive attitude and a hell of a lot of hard work.
 
I was inspired to write about today’s subject by a podcast I listened to over the weekend by the excellent Mindset coach, Paul Sheppard. Paul’s work is a first-class resource for someone like me on a journey of self-discovery and growth, His coaching sessions very much provide a foundation for self-reflection and moving forwards positively, and as I meditate daily his guided mediations are an essential part of my routine. I can’t recommend Paul highly enough. His podcast is called “Mindset Change” and is on all the major platforms. Check him out. It’s worth doing. 
 
Anyway, I’m currently going through a period of very low energy levels. Sleep has been a problem for much of the last year, treated with prescribed melatonin to boost the body’s natural sleep chemistry and at times also by an antihistamine from the chemist, which most recently had the spectacular impact of not working at all during the darkness hours immediately after I’d taken it, but left me sitting at my desk at work the next day feeling like I wanted to pop onto the floor underneath for a snooze! 
 
The episode of Paul’s podcast which I listened to was an interesting twenty minutes on this very subject, talking about getting yourself into a good healthy personalised routine around bedtime to combat low energy and poor sleep (routines are good in times of chaos, trust me).
 
This led me to do a bit of research and I came up with some useful advice (mainly from the Sleep Foundation).
 
With regard to self-care creating good sleeping habits for yourself is a biggie in terms of personal growth and working on the best version of yourself that you can. A healthy bedtime routine is an essential part of this, and goes a long way to cementing a process where your actions are telling your body and brain that it is time to calm, relax and get some seriously good regenerating and recharging zzzzzz’s going. Here’s some ideas.
 
First of all, decide on a set time for going to bed 
We’ve all got our own individually set body clocks as part of our natural sleep -wake cycle. Decide on a bedtime and a wake-up time which is most conducive to your daily schedule and try to stick to them every day. Even including the weekends where you can. Following a consistent routine of bedtimes helps train your mind to naturally feel tired and ready for sleep at the right time. 
 
Our brains are hardwired to begin winding down for a few hours before bedtime, so this is the period of time each day where we need to put things in place to give us the best chance of a restful night, particularly during the 30 to 60 minutes before going to bed. 
 
Next, get shot of the electronic devices as you start to wind down
We’re all pretty much addicted to this stuff these days. We spend hours and hours every day attached to phones, tablets and laptops, scrolling through social media like our lives depend on it. On the approach runway to bedtime don’t do it! at least an hour before bed (and I admit this will be a challenge for me) switch them off. In fact, switch them off and don’t even have them in the bedroom during the night. All of these devices emit a strong blue light which buggers up and suppresses the body’s natural creation of melatonin, the sleep hormone, tricking the brain into thinking it’s still daytime, which then starts working to stay awake. So, scrolling through TikTok in the lead up to trying to sleep is working against yourself. Equally, for the same reason, and I’ve done this many times, when you wake up in the night, and are trying to turn over and get back to sleep, resist the temptation to check your phone. All you are doing is wakening yourself up.
 
Try and shut this stuff down as early in the night as you can. If you are watching telly for an hour before starting your nighttime routine, or scrolling though your phone, do that, don’t do both, or add something like watching the highlights of a YouTube TED talk to the mix. Yes, some of us might be multi-taskers, but doing so within shouting distance of bedtime is just keeping your mind working at a level which is not conducive to relaxed sleep. 
 
Don’t make your final meal of the day too heavy, or too late
Eating a heavy meal, especially if its spicy or greasy, shortly before going to bed can lead to indigestion, acid reflux, windy bloating with associated farting, and if you are sinking a few glasses of wine, beer or whatever else is your tipple, can also result in middle -of-the night bathroom visits, disrupting your slumber. However, going to bed hungry can also upset your stomach and make sleep difficult, so aim at a light dinner of easily digestible food. A balance.
 
Listening to Paul Sheppard’s podcast, mentioned earlier, Paul makes the point that alcohol itself, even two glasses of wine at night, which many of us use to wind down, actually has the opposite impact on the body’s chemistry, and leads to less quality sleep, defeating the purpose that we think we’re using it for, to relax.
 
Consider having a warm bath or shower in the last hour before bed. 
As part of our normal sleep-wake cycle, our bodies experience various changes throughout the day. One of these is melatonin production, mentioned earlier. This begins in the early evening and prepares us for sleep. We also start to experience a drop in our core body temperature. Research has found that mimicking a nighttime drop in body temperature by having a warm bath or shower can trigger a sleepy reaction in us. When we have a warm bath or shower our body heats up from the water, and then cools down quickly as the water evaporates, creating a sensation which makes us feel tired and relaxed.  If you are having trouble sleeping, it’s worth a try. 
 
Stretch it, breathe and relax
Yes, you’ve guessed it if you are a regular reader of these posts. As in many things good for the mind, soul and body, practice a bit of Mindfulness in that winding down period towards sleep. Learn some relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, of which there are many and some gentle progressive muscle relaxation. The online world is a veritable treasure trove of all of this stuff, which is easily accessed. Once more, personally, I want to give Paul Sheppard a plug here again. His coaching, his guided meditations and breathwork teaching has been an absolute bonus for me. One of the real plusses of a year where there have been many minuses.
Regular meditation practice can improve your sleep quality. It can take some determined work, particularly when you are going through a period of poor sleep (like now for me) but Mindfulness meditation teaches people to accept their thoughts and manage their emotions, enabling sleep onset, rather than stressing out, going over and over often negative thoughts that are only thoughts, not facts, and not falling asleep.

You can practice mindfulness meditation by simply closing your eyes and allowing yourself to focus on your thoughts and feelings. Observe your thoughts, but do not judge them. Deep breathing and visualization are other forms of meditation. One of the professionals counselling me, a very good friend also, introduced me to a particularly effective meditation for sleep aid, called body scanning. If sleep regularly eludes you, I’d strongly recommend it to you. Look it up and learn about it. It can help you. It really can. 

Chuck a good book onto the settee, close to a soft lamp light
Reading, for generations up to now, I’m not sure about the future, is a common bedtime routine that often begins, and invokes happy memories of childhood. It does for me anyway. Reading at bedtime can promote healthy sleep. However, keeping the subject matter light, cheery and perhaps with a bit of good humour in content would be my recommendation. Reading Stephen King at bedtime would have me scurrying under the bed!
 
So, yes, a book with a plot that is simple or uneventful can be best. Also, best case scenario is to switch off the goggle box, or turn it on to a YouTube relaxing repetitive scenery shot (a log fire burning, snow coming down outside a window, there’s loads of these types of clips, and they can go on for hours, that sort of stuff) and read outside of the bedroom in a comfy chair, or on your favourite settee under a soft lamp light. When your body then feels tired, it’s a signal that it’s time to get up and go to bed and go to sleep.
 
Prepare Your Bedroom. Make it a wee haven of rest
Turn your bedroom into an oasis of relaxation. Go for making the atmosphere in there as cool, dark and quiet as you can, oh and comfortable. Make sure the room temperature is not too warm, volley any noisy gadgets into another part of the house, dim the lights and close the blinds or shutters to dilute the impact of streetlights and passing cars. Don’t have clutter in there, you don’t want to be standing on stuff or tripping over in the night on the way to the loo, involving switching lights on. Keep the room simple. Maybe acquire an aroma diffuser and chuck in a smell that you like that relaxes you. 

But don’t go overboard. I did, a few months ago, buying online one of those projector-y planetarium type things to project various star systems onto the ceiling during the night, like the Chad Valley children’s projector of Tom and Jerry cartoon stills I had 50 odd years ago, only this is for adults! I thought it would trick my trying to rest mind into triggering something primeval, when our ancestors used to sleep under the stars once they’d managed to outrun the sabre-toothed tigers for the day, making me sleep. No, a bad move. Too much light. It was like being on the set of a remake of Kubrick’s 2001: a Space Odyssey! It had to go. But you get the picture, make your bed and the room it’s in your own wee comfortable space. After all you try to be in there for seven or eight hours in every twenty-four. 

Music too can be a powerful relaxation tool in your little sleep haven. The type is not important, so long as the music is something that calms you. For it to work you should be able to shut your eyes, listen to the music, and let it lead your attention away from any worries and anxiety that you’re experiencing.

Other types of audio can be good for sleep too, like ambient sounds and white or pink noise. Pink noise is like rain or waves, and has been shown to improve sleep quality, whilst white noise may help you fall asleep faster by masking other sounds. A number of streaming platforms offer curated playlists of white and pink noise. I have used various YouTube sites sounds of a thunderstorm or a crackling log fire on a windy night playing quietly, just loud enough to be heard, during the night quite effectively. Try not to go for running waterfall or streams though or you’ll be up half the night visiting the bathroom! 

Last but not least, two things
If low energy and sleeplessness are becoming troublesome and a bit of a habit, go and see your doctor to check that there is nothing underlying causing this (like hormonal changes or ageing, or goodness forbid, something nasty). If there is nothing then underlying as a reason the doc can often come up with some great suggestions about helping alleviate the problem. I’m very lucky to have a great GP. I hope you do too. 
 
Secondly, consider pressing the reset button. If you’ve been stuck in a bubble for a long time. Not moving forwards or back, looking at the same four walls, stuck in a cycle of worry and anxiety, have a break. Grab a holiday. Go somewhere new or somewhere you are fond of, swim in the sea or your favourite loch. Eat well, come out of your comfort zone, have a go at different types of exercise than you normally do. Challenge yourself. Go and walk on the sea bottom with a goldfish bowl full of oxygen on your head, alternatively try some meditation with some actual monks  in a mystical temple. Recharge your batteries. Fixing the problem may be as simple as that. But don’t exist powered only on a low battery, feeling exhausted, with little sleep. That’s not living, that’s surviving. Work on fixing the problem. I am, and I will, and so will you.
 
I leave you with today’s thought “Finish each day before you begin the next and interpose a solid wall of sleep between the two.’ (Ralph Waldo Emerson)