Do you engage in revenge 鈥榖edtime procrastination鈥�? Staying up too late just to get some time to yourself. Or do you feel tired all day and as soon as your head hits the pillow you鈥檙e wide awake?

Increase in sleep problems

We know that getting the right amount of sleep is vital to good mental health but for so many people it鈥檚 elusive, frustrating, and having a negative impact on all areas of their lives.

Our public perceptions survey found that 24% of people going to counselling for the first time said it was due to sleep issues.

Our member and integrated therapist Abby Rawlinson said: 鈥淢any of my clients say they鈥檝e difficulty falling and staying asleep. They also say they wake up feeling tired and feeling fatigued all day.鈥�

For World Sleep Day, on March 15, our members share advice, tips and their own experiences with sleep problems and solutions.

Bedtime is not a punishment

It鈥檚 important to not see bedtime as a punishment, says our member聽, author of聽365 Ways to Feel Better: Self-care Ideas for Embodied Wellbeing, and preaching about 鈥榮leep hygiene鈥� can put people off a sensible sleep routine.

鈥淲hatever self-care practices you use to support your sleep, remind yourself that you deserve good (or even slightly better) sleep. If you have any resistance to even the term 'sleep hygiene', making your routine as cosy and enjoyable as possible will help you sustain them.鈥澛�

鈥淏ut recognising the direct impact of sleep, in terms of potentially improving quality of life for people with a range of mental health conditions (as well as different seasons of life including menopause and perimenopause), can also help motivate people to take those steps.鈥�

Eve suggests taking a gentler tone, 鈥淚 tell myself, instead of a bossy go to bed, (even at the age of 48, even when it's me telling myself, it brings out a toddler response of 鈥楴o! I don't wanna!) now I say; are you ready to go to bed now?鈥欌��

Try to keep regular bedtimes / mornings

鈥淪et up a bedtime routine and start this routine at least 30 minutes before you want to go to bed鈥�, suggests our member, Amanda Macdonald.

鈥淓ven if sleep has been elusive the night before, get up in the morning when the alarm goes off. This helps your body clock learn the routine.鈥�

Abby adds: 鈥淏e mindful of what you eat and drink. Heavy meals, alcohol, caffeine and excessive fluids close to bedtime can cause discomfort and disruptions during the night鈥�.

Eve recommends, 鈥淓ating earlier where possible to allow your body to take advantage of 鈥榬est and digest鈥� (when our nervous system feels safe and relaxed).

鈥淚鈥檝e a 鈥楽top Work鈥欌�� reminder on my phone for 9pm each night and then a bedtime reminder set for 11pm.

鈥淚 aim to be done with everything and ready to turn my light off by midnight but ... I鈥檓 human, I don鈥檛 always take the best advice! It鈥檚 important to give yourself a break as it鈥檚 not always possible to follow the rules.鈥�

Wind down your way

鈥淓ven if it feels impossible, ask yourself what kind of wind down routine you'd enjoy in an ideal world?鈥� says Eve.

鈥淭rying to incorporate all the sleep hygiene recommendations at once is as futile and disheartening as trying to run long distance when you haven't even jogged a short distance for years.鈥�

Eve uses lower lighting and scent (currently a lavender balm) for a few hours in her bedroom in advance, some Sleep Yoga (a short sequence designed to support better sleep).

Abby recommends creating a relaxing bedtime routine, 鈥淒evelop a calming bedtime routine to signal to your body that it鈥檚 time to wind down. This may include activities like reading, taking a warm bath, or practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation or progressive muscle relaxation.鈥�

鈥淒on鈥檛 use devices once your bedtime routine has started, instead, use this time to wind down鈥�, adds Amanda, 鈥淭he routine of getting ready tells our body and our mind that the day is done, and we are preparing for sleep.

Make a sleep nest

Abby suggests optimising your sleep environment, 鈥淜eep it nice and cool. Invest in a supportive mattress and pillows for ultimate comfort.

鈥淵ou should also manage the light exposure in your bedroom. Our natural sleep patterns evolved with exposure to bright light during the day and darkness at night, guided by moonlight and fire. Today鈥檚 environment disrupts this rhythm: we鈥檙e often confined to windowless spaces by day and glued to bright screens at night.

鈥淭o reclaim restful sleep, prioritise natural light exposure early in the day. Open blinds upon waking and walk outdoors during the day. Create a dark sleep environment with eye masks or blackout blinds.鈥�

Amanda says the bedroom, where possible, should be a place associated with bedtime:

鈥淭ry not to use the bed as somewhere to work during the day.鈥�

Keep a note pad nearby

Eve likes to write her thoughts down to clear her mind, 鈥淚 keep index cards by the bed for me to jot down late-night thoughts without feeling as compelled to act on them immediately鈥�.

Amanda agrees, 鈥淥nce you鈥檙e in bed, if your mind is whizzing away, then write down anything that feels like it is hanging over from the day, filing it away to be revisited in the morning.

鈥淭ry relaxation techniques such as mindfulness, breathing exercises or meditation if you find yourself lying in bed, but unable to sleep.鈥�

Don鈥檛 blame yourself

Eve says she knows all the rules but when she doesn鈥檛 manage to follow them, she doesn鈥檛 blame herself and accepts you can鈥檛 always get it right.

鈥淪top blaming yourself for not getting to bed at an earlier hour and recognise that getting to bed on time isn't a personal failing when we all live in a world in which overwork and 'go go go' is valued鈥�, says Eve.

鈥淲e need to consciously bring our nervous system back down with rest and breaks through the day to support winding down enough at bedtime to sleep.鈥�

Amanda agrees that our actions through the day will impact on how we sleep, 鈥淪o eat well, get fresh air and exercise, and avoid caffeine towards the end of the day. Work out what helps you to relax and sleep and prioritise keeping that routine going as much as you can.鈥�