One of the things we talk about the most in the workshops I run in schools is sleep. Sleep is often a big problem in perimenopause and as we get older. Specifically people talk about waking up in the night and not being able to get back to sleep again.
There's lots we can do to help sleep in general - sleep hygiene, screen-off times, getting some sunlight (if we can!) or exercise - but this article is specifically about the waking up the night problem.
The first big news is, you probably always woke up in the night. You know sleep has cycles and at one point in each cycle we come right to the surface of sleep. Sometimes we break through. Chances are when you were younger, this happened and you didn't even notice because you went back to sleep again.
And honestly I have nothing that will stop you waking up in the night. I still do - at least twice! But I've got really good at getting back to sleep again and that's the thing that really matters. So I'm going to share the 4 step process by which that happens.
1. Deal with any pain or discomfort - whether that's going for a wee, cooling down after a night-sweat, getting some ibuprofen gel on a achy muscle, or as is often the case with me, taking slow release peppermint oil to help digestion. If it's your worries that are keeping you awake write them down, or dictate a to-do list to your phone.
2. Sit up in bed and do some deliberate breathing. Let the air fill as many corners of your body as it can and imagine it nourishing all your tissues. I recommend breathing out for longer than you breathe in as this tends to slow your heart rate. If you can, breathe in through your nose - it makes nitric oxide which opens up your blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. Do this for a couple of minutes.
3. Lie down on your back - corpse position for those who do yoga. Relax your body from your toes upward. Start by wiggling your toes. Stretch your calves if you need to. If it's more comfortable bend your knees. Watch for tension around your bum and shoulders. When you get to your face, pay special attention. Imagine your face had no muscles and it could just melt down into the pillow.
4. Get into your preferred sleeping position and do everything you usually do when you get comfortable for sleep. I like a snoozeband and a cat! Go back to your breathing. Count 5 breaths in and 7 breaths out. And keep doing it. Even when it gets boring. Even when the urge to check your phone comes. Even when you start thinking about other things. Return your thoughts back to your breathing and keep at it.
Like anything else it can take practice but it's a good habit to build, and to work on gradually making those breaks in our sleep shorter and shorter.
Good luck!
