Tag: sleep

Something that has finally helped me with my insomnia and my SAD too!

Featured by Charlie-Jane, posted in lifestyle, Mental health

For a few years I’ve seen the lumie lights advertised and I thought with the fact I’ve basically not had more that 4 hours sleep a night at maximum for a year that I was willing to try everything. If you’ve followed my blog for a while you’ll of seen I used sleep masks, ear plugs, white noise, oils, pills, sedatives, sprays, scents and lots more. Basically you name it I have tried it and it hasn’t worked. In December I had enough with the house move stress that has caused me immense stress and I just couldn’t sleep so I asked for the lumie light alarm clock for my birthday. It’s pretty expensive for a alarm clock but at the end of the day I would pay anything to sleep again. So James brought it for my birthday and I was so excited to try it. I’ve now been using it a few weeks so can give true review now.

So basically the light/ alarm clock is used to create the lighting of a sunset and then a sunrise in the morning with your alarm. You can use the light as a calming light or a bright light in your bedroom too. It goes from white to yellow, orange and red. Or you can turn the light off and have the time only on it. You can personalise the wake up and sunset to you with the brightness you’d like, how long you want it to take to come on or turn down and you can choose your sounds. There is 5 sounds for waking up I choose birds, there is also 5 sounds for sleeping I choose white noise, crickets or thunderstorms. My favourite is crickets.

So I’ve got myself into a routine with it. I always go to bed about ten thirty or I am too awake to try. I set my sunset for half hour and have it go from a bright white to red. The sunrise as it happens makes me feel sleepy and I yawn the crickets sound help send me to sleep too. I normally fall asleep with it or just a few minutes after the sunset is finished and the room is lit a dark warm red. once you’ve set your sunset for the first time all you do then is press a button and it does it every night for you! The same with the alarm. I set it for half an hour so half hour before it slowly fills the room with a sunrise and then at 7:30 plays the sound of birds I wake up with that and the room feels warm and lovely and lit when the room used to be pitch black and dark.

I’ve personally found it has helped me to calm down and although not every night do I fall asleep at the same time as the sunset I am never up as late. The best thing is the sunrise setting has allowed me to wake up in the morning and feel more energised. I start the day on a positive instead of in a dark miserable day. For once I don’t mind a alarm. I also try to set my alarm for ten minutes before Elijahs awake just so I can wake up slowly. My mood has significantly improved since I received this and would recommend to anyone to try. Obviously some things work for others and don’t just like oils work for some people and not me but I can say even if it doesn’t help you sleep the wake up in the morning is so nice and calming and if you wake up in a good mood it’s better then miserable you haven’t slept much and woke to the darkness!

If anyone’s interested this is the clock I have:

Torchnights – Chillow

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Home Stuff, Uncategorized

This is a paid advertisement:

Chillow Pillow

Say Goodbye to back pains and sleepless nights in hot weather!

Trying to get to bed when you’re hot and sweaty can ruin a perfect night sleep. These cooling gel pillows help you get comfortable and the sleep you need.

This lovely pillow is perfect for those of us who suffer back pain due to a uncomfortable nights sleep. When it is hot outside we are extra hot in bed due to the heat released from our heads which makes us extra uncomfortable.

The chillow pillow is made from a gel memory foam which not only helps mould to you but also cools you down!

The cooling gel helps to stop sweating and discomfort of moving around to get comfortable all night.

The orthopaedic design helps correct your posture while supporting you. Giving you a more comfortable nights sleep.

The pillow absorbs heat and keeps you cool at night to prevent you from sweating allowing you a refreshing nights sleep on the hottest of nights whilst protecting your neck and spine. The pillow improves your overall sleep quality and is perfect if you have sleep issues. If you have neck/back pains the design of the pillow cradles your head for optimal support relieving most pains.

So if this sounds like you head over to https://instagram.com/torchnights?igshid=mk0qwb2ueoq or alternatively check their website at http://www.torchnights.com

Keeping your bedroom a relaxing place

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Home Stuff, lifestyle, Mental health

Daily distractions can get in the way of sleep so it’s best to keep your room a calm and relaxing space. It’s quite easy to keep your bedroom your zen zone and somewhere you enjoy crawling into after a long day.

First of all you want to decorate it how you like. You don’t want it over cluttered with art work and colours but a little bit here and there to make it your safe space is what you need. Black out curtains really help to keep the room both warm and dark so that streetlights and sunlight doesn’t disturb your slumber. Do you have a white noise box? No need plug in a Alexa or a google home and request sleep sounds and you’ll be golden for a calming ambience. Pillow sprays are a great way to uplift your mood and calm you down. The same way as essential oils in a diffuser can help calm the room. Mood lighting is great so a few led candles and fairy lights can make the world of difference from a bright light. Is your pillow comfortable? Do you need to change it for something more comfy and is your duvet warm enough or do you need a thicker/lighter one. Is your bedding soft or is it scratchy? The way you wash and dry your sheets can have a big effect on your comfort. I find the best way is to dry my bedding on a door frame overnight so the smell stays, it doesn’t go stiff from the outside and feels soft.

What are you doing when you go to sleep? Are you scrolling through Facebook looking at memes in bed for hours? Are you listening to pop music before getting your zees? You need to keep your bedroom your calm room. Somewhere for sleep. If you’re in bed the only reading you should do should be a book. And the only music should be calming if anything atall. You want to calm yourself for bed not hype yourself up. Are you watching tv in bed every night and then struggling to sleep, turn your tv and try to keep it to downstairs. The odd film in bed here or there doesn’t hurt but getting into a habit of technology in the bedroom before bed can really make your brain go into overdrive before bed.

Are you relaxed? Have you had a night time routine of self care? Be it a bath or washing your face and taking your time to carry out your skin care routine before bed. Are you taking your time going to bed and going at a similar time each night? Going to bed at the same night I very night can really help your brain to know when it’s time to nod of and routine is key. Try to make a list of things causing you anxiety before bed and act on it in the morning so you don’t go to bed with a big todo list and stress for the next day.

Your room should be your zen palace and somewhere you only sleep or sometimes chill in. Remember sometimes if you suffer insomnia these things work but not always from one insomniac to another anything is worth the try right? Enjoy your room, enjoy your sleep and enjoy your life!

The constant battle of nap times

by Charlie-Jane, posted in parenting, Uncategorized

The one thing that is always hit and miss with our little guys routine is naps. He goes through periods where he will nap daily then he’ll refuse a nap for sometimes weeks. Obviously tired kids are not fun kids. Elijah for one becomes more emotional and prone to tantrums when he’s tired so we try anyway to get him to nap.

We try and keep to routine as much as we can. We try and serve meals and snacks the same time everyday and we try to teach Elijah that bedtime is no later then 7pm no matter the time of the year. Only on very special occasions is he aloud to stay up later such as family visits but even then he still goes to bed no later then 8. I think keeping routines have allowed him to decide whether he needs a nap or not and the length he sleeps at night somewhat allows him to be rested regardless.

Sometimes I find that Elijah sleeps better when I notice signs he’s tired. He gets cuddly, he wants to cuddle his teddies and he goes quiet. I’ll ask him if he wants a nap and of course he’ll always say no but I say let’s try. I take him to his room and tuck him in as I always do and leave him to it. He’ll normally sing to himself for a while and give up and sleep but if he doesn’t he’ll just cry and I’ll give up and we try again later. I find he naps better in late morning about 10:30 instead of the afternoon I think he gets too much energy from playing all morning and doesn’t want to stop when I try in afternoon. He also ends up napping to long in afternoons and then is more awake at bedtimes. I try not to force him to nap as I myself don’t like to nap so why would he. I find he’ll go in his buggy sometimes to sleep but I try to avoid naps in buggy when I can if he happens to fall asleep while I’m mooching round town then that’s great I get to drink my coffee in peace!

I find that Gina fords parenting books have been very good with helping me learn schedules for little ones. It has helped when he was littler to get routines which in turn I think helped him sleep through the night. We’ve had routines basically since he went in his room at 6 months old. Some may say it was too early but Elijah didn’t mind and also slept better. I think we woke him up more and he’s always been quite a independent kid in that sense. One day the naps will stop altogether but we look forward to each and every developmental stage as it comes. We know sleep is important now so try our best to keep Elijah in a routine and let him guide us. So long as he’s healthy and happy and sleeping okay we’re more than happy when he doesn’t want to nap even if it requires us parents having a few extra caffeinated drinks a day!

Things I’ve used to try and sleep.

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

First of all let’s get it straight I’m not condoning having to use medication to sleep. If you get to a state you rely on medication it’s time to speak to your g.p or local practitioner for advice.

One thing I struggle with badly is the need to sleep. Here I’m going to outline some of the things I’ve used to try and aid sleep and here are some of my essentials. Although sometimes they don’t always work they do help.

Sleep masks first of all. It’s important when choosing one it is one soft and not scratchy, I buy silk, so it’s soft against eyes and doesn’t cause wrinkles. The ban should be adjustable as the elastic only ones ping back and can be quite tight and uncomfortable which can inturn irritate you and disrupt sleep. I don’t the pressure light on my eyes helps and the darkness. If you have dyslexia or light sensitivity this really helps if you can’t sleep in a room with slightest light in. I need pitch black so this is a light saver.

This works. The pillow spray and roll on have been life savers for me. The smells from the pillow spray relax me and stay with me all night. The oil on my pulse points on my whist not only smell great when you breath it in but when absorbed in you feel instantly relaxed. It’s gray for teaching you relax and breath deeply also. I’ve tried other sleep sprays with no success. This may be expensive but it’s worth it!

Sleepy by lush. Sleepy cream and body wash both really help me relax the aroma therapy side and lightness of both really help me relax and my body feel ready for bed.

Sometimes/ many times I rely on sleep pills to help me sleep. Kalms do a natural range which can help which aren’t Medicated and can be brought on shop floor. I use what I’ve been told by doctors and sometimes have to use stronger prescriptions they’ve given me. They believe it’s caused by my anxiety so there’s not much I can really do. You should always go to speak to a g.p if your having long term sleep disruption or if s big life event has caused sleeplessness.

Let’s talk Insomnia.

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

For years now I’ve struggled to sleep when I have a bout of anxiety. I sit watching the clock tick by and wonder how what it feels like to sleep. Ten minutes will last I’ll think and look at the clock and it will be two hours.

I’ve tried not drinking all night so I don’t need the toilet, no cafffiene, no late night snacks. I’ve read to relax. I’ve left my phone down stairs. I’ve made my room both cold and hot. I’ve sprayed so much sleep spray I smell like it till I shower. I’ve tried over the counter tablets and I’m exhausted.

Going to sleep at 4 am every night just can’t do. I’m basically living of three hours of sleep every night before my toddler wakes up. I then have to give him my undivided attention. I have to look after him and clean the house. I have to push him in his buggy around and chase him when he runs off. I have to drink copious amounts of coffee now to try wake myself up which never works. In reality I have no idea why I can’t sleep. Maybe it’s because I worry I’ll die in my sleep or something else I’ve buried deep in my self consciousness. I suppose it’s easier now I don’t work as I didn’t sleep atall some nights and had to do a ten hour shift and two hours travelling absolutely exhausted. Some times I’d nod of on the bus to work and have to use everything in me to wake myself up and get tot work on time.

Does anyone have any recommendations to help this sleepy anxious mess out? It would be much appreciated and I’m ready to try anything. I can’t go on much longer not sleeping and there’s so many negative side effects to it and i would like to wake up refreshed in the morning. I imagine some spots would go, I’d have more energy, feel better in myself and may be able to loose weight easier. Any suggestions atall please comment or hit my mail box! Thanks guys!