Why I can’t sleep at night
How is your bedtime routine going? Are you getting enough sleep?
We differ in terms of how much sleep we need but for most people it is between 7-9 hours. However, we wake up in the night and lose sleeping time around this so even if we think we are in bed for 7 hours we might only be getting 6 hours actual sleep! Many of us are therefore more sleep deprived than we think.
Why is sleep so important?
Sleep is very important for our physical and mental health. It allows our body to rest, repair and regenerate. Sleep deprived people have also been found to weigh more and eat more calories. This is because if you have not slept enough, you will have higher levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates appetite, and reduced levels of leptin, the hormone that suppresses appetite.
Why you can’t sleep
Common causes of being unable to sleep at night are: poor sleep habits, stress, diet and a lack of exercise. If you find it hard to get to sleep at night then I really recommend creating a bed time routine and sticking to it starting tonight.
Here are some tips to help with this:
1. Establish a regular bedtime and wake-up time
2. Power down and decrease the use of electronics before bed
3. Stop eating a few hours before bed
4. Create a bedtime ritual with meditation, journaling, or a relaxing bath
5. Engage in regular exercise
6. Avoid caffeine throughout the day
7. Decrease your consumption of news and social media
How to get these steps to become habits
If you are still reading... great, as here comes the real golden nuggets, the coaching questions (you probably already know all those steps above but the problem is you aren’t doing them!)
Answer this: What would you gain from getting more sleep? Make a big list of all the things that getting more sleep would help you to have.
In order to convince your brain 🧠 that the switch is worthwhile.... answer these questions: What will you lose from having a bedtime routine? Is getting more sleep (and the list of benefits you made) worth making this change?
Email me at hello@merylcoopercoaching.com for some extra accountability with these action steps. As an athlete, I know how important sleep is and I want to help as many people as possible to feel the benefits too. Check out my 6 month coaching programme here if you are ready to make changes in your health and lifestyle and to finally get back to sleeping well.