Sleep . . . my biggest struggle with my depression and anti-depressants.
I don’t know if it was my body getting used to the anti-depressants or what, but I went from being a relatively good sleeper (remembering I had two boys under five) to experiencing insomnia pretty much overnight.
Now I don’t know about you but I’m an eight-hours-of-sleep-a-night kind of gal. If I don’t get enough sleep, I turn into Mumzilla. I’m scratchy, impatient, grumpy and have a really short fuse.
So I had to come up with some sleep solutions fast or my family would be disowning me pretty quickly.
Here’s three things that helped me to get better sleep:
1. Magnesium
I’m all for natural alternatives and I remember taking magnesium when I was pregnant with both my boys. My midwife suggested magnesium because I was having trouble falling asleep.
Magnesium helps with muscle cramps, tension, stress and worry; and helping to relax your body and mind.
You can get magnesium at your local chemist and online.
2. Calm App
I’m definitely no sleep expert but Dr Orma is. I highly recommend you download the Calm app and listen to his sleep story titled Dr. Orma’s Sleep Science. There are SO many sleep myths that he debunks and he’s got some great ideas on how to improve your sleep.
I was introduced to the Calm App by some lady friends while attending an essential oils workshop. They both raved about how well it worked for them so I downloaded the app that very same night.
This app (iPhone and Android) has breathe, meditation and sleep stories.
Note: This is probably a controversial solution as it’s recommended that you don’t have devices in your room while you sleep. But if it works, use it right?!
I use the sleep stories on night’s when I can’t get my internal chatter to slow down. I find it really helpful listening and focusing on the story, as it drowns out my mind.
Not all the time, but most of the time I fall asleep before the story ends. BOOM . . . Success!
PS. My boy loves to listen to the kids sleep stories too!
Here’s 6 Tips To Better Sleep from Dina, the Breathing Coach
1. Avoid eating meals within 2 hours of bedtime.
Digestion naturally raises our breathing, since our body is doing some work.
2. Avoid activities like physical exercise or watching intense movies at night.
These cause our bodies to release stress hormones which increases your breathing.
3. Avoid overheating the room.
Warm air increases your breathing.
4. Avoid too many dust collecting surfaces in the bedroom.
Dust and other allergens increase your breathing rate.
5. Engage in relaxing activity before bed.
Pleasant conversation with a loved one, reading a book (not on a device!), meditation, relaxation exercises or prayer can all help your breathing to naturally become gentler and slower.
6. Sleep on your left side.
Dr. Konstantin Buteyko, founder of the Buteyko Method, discovered that the breathing rate reduces when sleeping on your left side.
Breathe Clinic offers courses and consultations to help everyone to breathe easier, alleviating problems including insomnia, snoring, sleep apnea and hay fever. For a free introductory discussion, contact Dina on 021 288 3956.
3. Essential Oils
Straight up . . . in the beginning when I really struggled with sleep, I used sleeping pills!
I desperately wanted sleep but the problem with them, apart from being HIGHLY addictive, is I felt like shit the next day.
I would wake up feeling groggy and it would take a few hours for the drowsiness to wear off. So even though I was getting more sleep, I wasn’t actually feeling any better during the day.
So ‘HELLO Serenity!’ when I came across it!
Serenity is an essential oil blend that supports restful sleep. This oil blend can be diffused, applied topically to the soles of your feet and taken internally with the softgels.
The fact that this is a ‘natural’ solution is awesome enough but the fact I woke up feeling fresh and rested, was definitely the icing on the cake. And it’s not going to be as harmful getting addicted to essential oils than it is to chemical sleeping pills.
If you want support for a restful sleep, email me to get wholesale access to this incredible product. Or you can shop online here.
I would LOVE to know what tools you use for supporting your sleep. Comment below and let’s share it with the other F.A.B Mumma’s reading this!
