I’ve always struggled with getting a good night’s sleep. you know those mattress adverts that tell you much sleep you should be getting? I dream of getting that amount of sleep. I mean I’m in bed for around 8 hours but I’m definitely not sleeping for all of it. Either it’s insomnia and I can’t get to sleep or I’m awake at what feels like every hour on the hour. It’s then a real struggle not to nap in the afternoon and that really doesn’t help me at night time.
These are all the things that help me get enough sleep that I at least wake up feeling vaguely rested the following day. I’ve been struggling recently as hayfever is making my asthma act up and there’s been a lot of wheezing going on.
Eyemask
My eyemask has been an essential purchase and I’m not ashamed to admit that I have a variety of them. They help block out the light to help me get to sleep and stay asleep during the night – especially during the summer when it gets light really early.
iPod
To quote Hayley from One Tree Hill sometimes what you need is an “iPod and a glass of wine”. I don’t drink so I can’t tell you if the wine will help but an iPod with an audiobook playing can help send you to sleep. I tend to pick things I’ve read before as I know what the story is and I’m not missing out on anything if I fall asleep during the book. Equally if I’m not asleep it’s something I can pay attention to without waking my husband up.
A Good Book
It sounds backward but reading a book really helps send me to sleep. It’s something to do with being relaxed that I drop off to sleep and on turn drop my book on the floor.
My tip is if you feel yourself getting sleepy put your book down so you don’t lose your place.
Sleep Spray
For me a sleep spray is an essential for getting to sleep these days. I spray it on the outside of my eye mask and the scent helps calm me down and relax me enough to get to sleep. My favourite is Nyx by Bright Spell Candles as it doesn’t contain any lavender or citrus which is fab for avoiding an allergic reaction.
Painkillers
Now I don’t do this a lot but sometimes the reason I can’t sleep is I’m in too much pain to get to sleep or move once I’m asleep. I’ve been taking the long lasting Ibuprofen and it’s not only been helping me to doze off but also if I move in my sleep I’m not then waking myself up (or my husband when I cry out in pain). I do reserve this for when I’m in a lot of pain and don’t recommend it for long term sleep issues.
Hot Water Bottle
A hot water bottle or an electric blanket work wonders for sleep. Or in my case both as I feel the cold really badly. I even sleep with a hot water bottle in summer but I’m convinced that it’s because I’m so used to having one that I now can’t sleep without one.
Our latest purchase was an electric mattress topper and my god it’s amazing. It’s dual control so I can have my side hotter and for longer when I can’t get to sleep.
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