The Devon Clinic

Tag: Cant sleep

  • Struggles to stay asleep can be draining in more than one way

    asleep

    If you struggle to stay asleep for the entire night you know how that can drain you both physically and mentally.

    Insomnia is not uncommon these days with many struggling to fall asleep -but there are ways you can get a restful night’s sleep. Some find that their issue is remaining asleep rather than going to sleep. If this sounds like you, we have some suggestions to combat those early hour awakenings.

    There are three recognised stages of sleep; deep, REM and light. Depending on when we experience each of these stages that result in us waking during those early hours.

    Deep sleep tends to be the first 1-3 hours of sleep, following this we enter REM or rapid eye movement, in which we enter a lighter sleep. Typically, REM sleep comes in 90-minute cycles, this means that you are more likely to wake up at the end of a cycle.

    Dr Neil, a sleep expert, says that natural sleep rhythms are to blame and that during REM stages we often find ourselves a lot more easily disturbed by our surroundings.

    It is also during this stage that the likes of birds chirping, a partner snoring, a phone vibrating or the bin men will launch us into consciousness-thus making the return to slumber the most difficult. Laying in bed feeling frustrated will not aid you back into the land of nod, and it is advised that you get up to distance yourself from your bed.

     

    “If you are still awake after 20 minutes, get up and do something like reading. When you are tired enough to sleep again, you will.” Dr Stanley

     

    It has been revealed that sharing a bed is the biggest disruption to sleep, followed closely by the light coming through the windows in summer.

    Using your screens in bed before sleep is a no-no due to the emitted blue light which affects the brain’s ability to switch off for the night.

    asleepIt is not advisable to check your phone if you wake during the night.

     

    Another key suggestion that has been proven to work is reducing the time spent in your bedroom, reserving this only for dressing and sleeping. This does also mean avoiding long lay-ins, watching television or reading the paper in bed.

    The more you associate your bedroom with sleep, the more your brain will recognise that when you are in there it is time to switch off for the night.

     

    If you or someone you know would like to discuss stress and sleeping problems please do get in touch with us.

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  • Can’t sleep? Don’t sleep? Want help to sleep?

    Are you having problems with sleep?stress

    You are not alone. It is estimated that 1 in 3 people will have problems either getting to sleep or staying asleep at some point in their lives. Wouldn’t it be great to know what to do if you were having problems with your insomnia? Could there be some effective techniques that you can learn to help you sleep better? Well there are.
    Susan Young, co- director of the Devon clinic has spent years researching insomnia and has designed a unique and innovative 2 day workshop that will help you teach yourself to become a better sleeper.

    Here’s what Susan has to say about sleep and the workshop:
    Good quality sleep is essential if we are to function at our best and look our best. We all know the term ‘beauty sleep’ and how we look and feel great following a good nights sleep. But getting a good nights sleep can sometimes be a bit hit and miss for some people.Sleep Trackers
    Just like you, I once was a poor sleeper. I knew I had to do something about it. I spent several years researching sleep and how to sleep better. This workshop is the result. I have tried and tested several different approaches to sleeping better on friends, family and clients. I now want to pass on my knowledge to you so that you can find which of the approaches work best for you.
    You may need more than one technique to help you improve your sleep, it sometimes depends on circumstances. I have therefore designed the workshop to include several different techniques, all of which you will practice under my instruction.