Ah, the elusive 8 hours, the coveted 6 hours, and the reality of a broken 4.
We all know how important a good night’s sleep is, yet it remains just a dream for some.
I haven’t slept for 8 hours since my son was born almost 10 years ago. That’s ok, I will happily swap 8 straight hours for the plethora of joys my son brings me. I’m not so sold on missing out on sleep as a result of declining estrogen (hello peri-menopause), a weak bladder or remembering something that I didn’t do that day though.
It’s World Sleep Day today, which got me thinking about the changes I’ve made and am yet to make to help me sleep better.
Dr. Maisa Ziadni is a Clinical Psychologist in our team who specialises in sleep. She provides CBT-I, which is an evidenced-based psychological treatment for insomnia. I can certainly see how our thinking changes when we haven’t slept. We don’t feel like doing as much, our mood drops, anxiety can increase and we can find ourselves having far too many unhelpful thoughts about sleep (e.g. I better sleep tonight or I’ll be a mess tomorrow).
I asked Dr. Maisa what her tips are for a good night’s sleep. I’ve included them below, together with my road testing of them.
1. Ensure a cool, quiet and dark room. I resisted this at first – I prefer to be cosy wrapped up in bed, my husband insists on the white noise of the AC, and the lights of Dubai can be seen through our supposedly blackout curtains. I’d say the most helpful adjustment was the dark room (achievable when the person next to me turns off his iPad).
2. Avoid large meals or caffeine before bedtime. I can’t drink coffee after 12 or else it affects my sleep so that’s something that’s been in place for a while. I love dinner though, and while it’s “large” it is pretty early as we eat with our son at around 6.30. I guess those late night chocolates in front of the TV don’t help since they contain caffeine and sugar. Cutting them out definitely made a difference.
3. Avoid rigorous exercise before bedtime. My goodess, this is absolutely right. I played paddle tennis in the evening once and I was up for hours! Usually I exercise in the morning, and I definitely wouldn’t join the evening paddle class again, so I can certainly attest to this one.
4. Avoid screen time before bed. But Dr. Maisa, when am I supposed to catch up on messaging my friends and scrolling aimlessly for relaxation?! You’re right though. When I listen to a podcast instead of also looking at the screen I notice I do fall asleep more quickly.
5. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. Again, Dr. Maisa, when am I supposed to lay horizontal and let my poor body recover from the week? I make it a rule / strong aim / passionate wish that I remain in bed until 8am on a weekend. It doesn’t always happen as my son might have a football related burning question that can’t wait till I’m up, but when I can stay flat I do feel better. I am up at 6am every day in the week, and often stirring from 5am thanks to the early rising of others in the house. I wouldn’t change any of it, but I’m not willing to give up on my weekend day without an alarm. I say day because on Sundays we’re up and out watching my son play a football match, so sorry Dr. Maisa, I’m keeping my one day a week without an alarm.
To those of you who know what to do to sleep better but don’t do it, I hear you. The advice also needs to fit in with your life. Sometimes though, we need to take stock and make some serious changes to make sure our way of life is sustainable.
For those people who suffer from chronic sleep problems, Dr. Maisa is your person. As a clinical psychologist with a specialization in health psychology, this is very much her domain. She provides sessions in Arabic and English.
You can contact us by email on hello@vivamus.me, give us a call on 04 4403844, or WhatsApp us on 058 506 4243.
Dr. Marie Thompson, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Director