With money worries looming over many of us due to the cost of living crisis, political uncertainty in the air, and unrest around the world, it can be hard to catch a break at the moment and many of us are finding ourselves tossing and turning once our head hits the pillow.
Good sleep is vital to us all. It’s as important for our growth, development and wellbeing as exercise and even food. Bad sleep can cause lower brain function, inability to concentrate, overeating and stress.
For this reason, it’s more important than ever to have a nightly routine that relaxes both your mind and body. However, many of us find ourselves reading from our phones and watching television late into the evening, leaving us with a mind that’s buzzing full of information.
How can we introduce a healthy bedtime routine as adults that results in better sleep overall? Experts in the world of sleep are suggesting that the best way might be to write our thoughts down in a journal, meditate and practice mindfulness as well as gratitude. TEMPUR®, the popular sleep brand, is encouraging you to ‘Be Kind To Your Mind’ this winter and so we have taken a closer look at these options and their possible benefits below.
Meditation
According to the Sleep Foundation, researchers are increasingly interested in the potential of meditation as a treatment for Insomnia. Given that sleep meditation is relatively affordable, low-risk, and easy to implement, it is an attractive option for some people.
Meditation includes a variety of mind and body techniques used to promote a state of relaxation. Mindfulness and meditation used together can be a powerful way of helping us introduce a relaxed state of mind that helps us to more easily fall asleep. This reaction is often described as the relaxation response, or the opposite of the stress response.
When we are stressed, depressed, or anxious about something, our brain stays “wired” and we find it more difficult to fall asleep as although we’re tired, our body is still buzzing. Long term, this can become an issue as we can start to associate bedtime with worries about not being able to fall asleep.
But the state of acceptance and awareness that can be brought about by meditation can help reduce psychological distress and improve rumination and emotion regulation which in turn can make us feel more relaxed. Researchers have theorized that mindfulness may improve sleep quality by supplying patients with the mental resources to calm down the nervous system in preparation for sleep.
On a biological level, meditation often slows the heart rate and breathing as well as lowers levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Long term, the relaxation response can reduce stress-related inflammation and oxidative stress as well as improve insulin resistance.
The exact connection between meditation and sleep is still being investigated, but it appears that meditation could leave lasting changes in the brain that may affect sleep. Studies on people experienced in meditation have found that they often display improvements in slow-wave sleep and REM sleep, as well as fewer awakenings during the night.
To prepare for your meditation session, start by preparing a calm environment and finding a comfortable position. When meditating before bedtime, this may include changing into loose pajamas, turning off the lights, and getting into bed.
If you are using your phone or another device to listen to a guided meditation session, you can reduce distractions by turning off your notifications, turning down the brightness on your screen, and setting the volume to a lower level.
Journaling
You may think that the act of writing down your daily thoughts should be left to children as ‘dear diary’ entries but there can be real benefits to journaling as an adult. But what are some of the potential short- and long-term positives of putting pen to paper?
Journaling has been found to reduce stress in many cases which, in turn, can result in better sleep. A lot of stress can be damaging to your physical, mental, and emotional health. Journaling can be an incredible stress management tool and a good habit that lessens the impact of physical stressors on your health. A study showed that expressive writing (like journaling) for only 15 to 20 minutes a day three to five times over the course of a four-month period was enough to lower blood pressure and improve liver functionality.
Plus, writing about stressful experiences can help you manage them in a healthy way. Try putting journaling in place as a pre-bedtime meditation habit to help you unwind and de-stress after a long day. And the benefits don’t just stop there – journaling can not only boost memory and comprehension, but can also increase working memory capacity, which may reflect improved cognitive processing.
It goes without saying that writing down your thoughts and feelings and not just dealing with them internally can also boost your mood. Writing down everything that you are grateful for is also a positive note to end your evening on before getting your head down. A unique social and behaviour outcome of journaling is often that it can give you a greater sense of overall emotional well-being and happiness.
As journaling habits are developed, benefits can become long-term, meaning that people often become more in tune with their health by connecting with their inner needs and desires. Journaling gives rise to mindfulness and helps writers remain present while also keeping perspective. It can help the brain regulate emotions and is also thought to provide a greater sense of confidence and self-identity. Plus, journaling is said to help in the management of change so if you’re going through a time of flux, this could mean that you will find the process easier, resulting in less stress and less late-night dwelling.
Mindfulness
According to Mindful.org, Mindfulness can “quiet the brain and allow for deeper sleep”. One of the biggest problems for those with issues sleeping can be dreading the night as it comes and growing anxious about trying to make themselves get sleepy. They often worry that they “won’t be able to do X, Y, Z the next day” if they don’t sleep. This, in turn, can make you stressed and full of worry—often unnecessarily—about the next day’s effects and this cycle then tends to worsen sleep.
Mindfulness can prepare you for sleep by allowing you to be more aware of your thoughts and to be able to let go of those anxieties instead of getting stuck on them. “Strengthening your ‘mind muscle’ through daily practice helps you better recognize the negative insomnia-inducing thoughts and let them pass”, says Mindful.org. Mindfulness meditation can prepare your mind for drifting off to sleep and it can also improve sleep quality.
TEMPUR®products that can help you get a good night’s sleep
Of course, nothing will work if you’ve not got a comfortable environment to rest in. Purchasing the right pillow and mattress is essential and the sleep experts at TEMPUR® can help with that.
Pillow – Finding the perfect pillow for you is essential to have a dreamy night’s sleep. Whether you’re a back sleeper, a side sleeper, or prefer firm to soft support, there is something for you at TEMPUR®. The pillows come in a variety of feels, shapes and sizes to support your individual sleep needs. And the best part is, you have a 30-day trial to see if the pillow suits you.
Mattress – Don’t forget your mattress when you’re putting together your perfect sleeping environment. TEMPUR® was first created by NASA in the 1970s to cushion pilots against the rigors of a test flight so it’s certainly up to the job. TEMPUR® Material responds to your body’s temperature, weight and shape, ensuring you have a deep and restorative sleep.
The material’s proven pressure relief gives your body total comfort and support, helping you to drift off faster. It has been clinically proven to reduce tossing and turning. It absorbs motion from your partner so you are less likely to disturb one another. You also have 100 days to try the mattress and can return it if it’s not meeting your needs. Take a look at the full range of mattresses here.
For more information about TEMPUR® products visit the website here.
