Sleep Disorders Counselling Melbourne
Improve your life quality by improving your sleep
The quality of our sleep has a powerful and direct impact on our sense of aliveness, physical and mental vitality, and productivity in our waking lives. While often neglected, improving our sleep quality is one of the most important ways we can improve our overall health and reduce the impact that other issues outside of our control may have on us.
How we sleep is also a reflection of how we live our lives. Stresses we carry during the day do not leave us during our sleeping hours, but inevitably influence the depth, duration, and quality of our sleep. If you are experiencing poor sleep, it is often an indicator that something in your waking life is out of balance.
The average person spends about one third of their life sleeping. We know it is essential for repair and restoration of the brain and body. Poor sleep has both short-term and long-term consequences on our lives. Unfortunately insomnia and sleep issues are very common in modern life. In fact, the modern Western lifestyle in rarely conducive to deep sleep.
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As we spend nearly one third of our lives sleeping, improving our sleep is one of the most direct and effective ways to improve our quality of life. Here are a few strategies you can implement to improve the quality of your sleep.
1. Reduce Stimulants
Avoid stimulant drinks a couple hours before you go to bed. This includes coffee, pop drinks, and alcohol.
2. Reduce your exposure to blue light in the evening
Computers, phones and other electronic devices emit light that is strong in blue wavelengths.
3. Turn off your phone and store it outside of the bedroom
4. Keep your bed as a sanctuary for sleep and love
5. Exercise during the day, and avoid exercise in the late evening
As mammals, our bodies are wired to be highly physical beings. However the sedentary lifestyle that modern humans live is far removed from the lifestyle of even our recent ancestors. Lack of exercise can have a significant impact on sleep quality.
6. Avoid watching the news at night
The news is designed to arouse us and has a strong negative bias. The images and stories we consume while watching the news can impact us unconsciously and negatively impact our sleep quality.
7. Read something uplifting before going to bed. Ideally under candle light.
Reading can help relax the mind and assist in letting go of daily worries before falling asleep.
8. Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Body-centred, mindfulness meditation can help us to relax and create an internal state conducive to sleep. Meditation can help us to reduce our heart rate, slow our breathing and activate the parasympathetic nervous system to ensure a quality night sleep.
If you are still experiencing difficulty sleeping after making some basic lifestyle modifications, counselling can help you to uncover the roots of your sleeping issue. Unresolved stress, worry and anxiety can have detrimental impacts on our ability to fall asleep or to have a quality, restful sleep.
Feel free to contact us if you'd like to discuss further, or book an initial counselling session directly online.