Finding it difficult to fall asleep? Waking up early and can't sleep again?
well here are my top tips to get a better night's sleep without the use of medication
did you hear that Anne, without the use of medication "I did, sounds good"
so the majority of causes of insomnia are due to life events rather than physical illness
like stress, anxiety, smoking and drinking too much, watching TV and playing on our phones
before we go to bed
and these are all the kinds of things that can trick our bodies into wanting to stay active
rather than going to sleep
I see so many patients who have insomnia and most of them want these, sleeping tablets
but actually most pharmacists, GPs and nurse practitioners tend not to recommend these & here's why
firstly they can be addictive, secondly they don't promote restful sleep
and thirdly they're not fixing the root of the problem
so here are my top tips let's begin with daytime habits
first set a specific time to wake up and go to sleep everyday I wake up at 6 a.m. every day
and I mean I don't really like it and I feel tired when I wake up but because of this
when it's nighttime I fall asleep almost straight away and it's because your body it loves a cycle
exercise in the day so you're tired before you go to bed
and I was planning on filming this whilst I was jogging but it's really really rainy outside
don't work in your bedroom so keep it just for sleeping and don't take naps throughout the day
now let's move on to bedtime habits
try not to watch TV or play on your phones whilst in bed or before going to bed
because what it does is it reduces the melatonin we produce
which is the hormone which makes us feel more sleepy
avoid big meals before going to bed
avoid alcohol, caffeinated drinks and smoking especially in the evening
as these are going to stimulate you so you won't fall asleep
it's also worth mentioning that some prescribed medicines can also interfere with your sleep
so if these symptoms have suddenly come about and you've been prescribed something new
then speak to your pharmacist and they can check this for you
and if you have a lot going on in your life which a lot of people do then try these calming techniques which
I've left a link in the description below I think they're really useful and it should help you sleep better
and lastly let's move on to the bedroom environment which I find is often overlooked
have your bedroom at the right temperature
and the best temperature has been found to be between 15.5 to 20 degrees
use thick curtains to block out any morning sun or any light coming from street lights
and this is the bit where I need some curtains to draw but we don't have any here
and lastly use the right bedding for the time of the year
if you're still having trouble sleeping after using all these tips then have a word with your
GP, pharmacist or nurse practitioner
and that's it for this week's video thank you for watching I hope you found this information useful
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who will find this information useful
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so the majority of causes of, so the majority of, majority of causes of insomnia
it's insomnia, insomnia is a difficult word to say
isn't promoting restful sleep and thirdly I can't remember what thirdly was
beep, well it's a shame that this doesn't work