Wide Awake at Three o’clock in the Morning…

I wonder how many students were concerned and worried about their exam results today.

Have you ever lost sleep due to anxiety or a feeling of uneasiness?

We have all spent a restless night or two; however we do not want to make it a habit.

Perhaps six times a year, I have less sleep that than I normally do. I have found that trying to get to sleep seldom helps. However, I am not a natural worrier so this situation does not concern me. I accept that on these occasions I am maybe only going to have four hours sleep. I get up – I do not want to disturb my husband. I make a cup of tea or milk drink and sit quietly. Occasionally, I read other times I type an email and often I sit quietly and write. Sometimes, after a while I feel sleepy and return to bed; at other times I stay up all night knowing that I can take a power snooze of twenty minutes in the middle of the day.

Coaching clients from time to time report that they have sleeping problems.

And so here are Eilidh’s Six Sleep Tips for You:

1. Think happy thoughts. Read a positive page before you sleep. Avoid late night news and violent TV programmes. I was talking to a client recently, who had had a horrid nightmare. It had involved a young child and a bus. The news that day had been full of the tragic death of a little girl, whose parents had beaten her so badly that the coroner’s report stated that her injuries were similar to a child that had been run over. It was no coincidence that her dream reflected her uppermost thoughts before she went to sleep.
2. Look at the big picture and do not worry about incidentals over which you have no control.
3. Talk over any worries that you have and clear your mind. Ask yourself: "What are the odds against this thing's happening at all?" Use the law of averages to counteract your problem.
4. Use visualisation – imagine the worry as something that you can put in a box…do just that…close the lid ...and bury it!
5. Write down all your issues and troubles until you clear your mind.
6. Set a time limit. If you are determined to worry about something, then agree a time in your mind. Say, ok I will worry about this for three minutes. Then refuse to give it any more time and then bury the thought.

Goodnight and sweet dreams!