Sleep, are you getting enough?

I read a report recently that said that vast majority of people in the Western world are sleep deprived. I'm not sure if that is correct but I do know that many people have problems with lack of sleep from time to time.

I spoke to one person recently whose quality of sleep had become much worse recently; the reason? Money. They had invested in a holiday home in the sun, they paid a deposit and then took on a mortgage in Euros. Whilst £1 bought about 1.5Euro things were ok, but as Sterling fell in value the mortgage payments went up and up. Soon the holiday home payments became more expensive than their main home mortgage. Result? Worry, fear, anxiety and lack of sleep.

In this particular case nothing but direct and positive action will change the situation but for many people a few simple techniques can help.

Struggling to get to sleep?
Write your worries down on a piece of paper before going to bed. It's like letting someone else do the worrying for you whilst you get to sleep.

Grandma had it right, a warm drink as you go to bed will sooth you to sleep. Make sure that it is not tea or coffee though, the caffeine will stop you dropping off.

Some gentle exercise before going to bed, taking the dog for a walk for example will both reduce the stress chemicals adrenaline and cortisol as well as relaxing the muscles.

Waking up in the night with worries?
Staying in bed whilst worrying about your situation is almost always counterproductive. Get up and do something useful for 30 minutes or so. An element of physical work will help you to relax and then go back to bed; you'll be much more likely to drop off.

Using the technique of listing your concerns on a piece of paper can help stop the endless mental chatter that keeps you awake. Make your list and then give yourself permission to go back to sleep.

Listen to some music with a relatively slow beat, Mozart is often cited as ideal to help you get to sleep.

Still a struggle?
If none of these techniques delivers what you need you may find that a recording designed to help you get to sleep is helpful. Try the Sleep Easy recording that I created specifically for those struggling to get to sleep. I've had some great feedback on this MP3, people love the way it allows you to let go of your present problems.