Let's talk sleep! Ask, share, learn - £200 voucher to be won

[EllieSmumsnet]

Do you struggle with insomnia at night? Or perhaps you've nailed getting a good nights sleep? We'd like to hear tips and tricks for a good night's sleep. And if you have questions on anything, share them on the thread as an expert from Aromatherapy Associates will also be getting involved in the discussion from next week.

• Post your stories/items/challenges/tips in the thread below to be entered into a prize draw
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Here is what Aromatherapy Associates expert, Christina Salcedas, Global Director of Education & Wellbeing and trained Holistic Therapist has to say:

“Being a mum myself there are times when a little help is needed to send me off to sleep and that is where aromatherapy in my bedtime routine is really helpful.

The use of essential oils for relaxation purposes has been around for centuries and today we have research to back up this ancient trend. Essential oils like camomile and sandalwood are great relaxants, making them great options to pop in an Atomiser, or in a bath to aid with sleep after a busy day.”

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

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Sleeping with the windows cracked open - even in winter - the fresh air always helps me get a better night of sleep.
DH complains it’s too cold though

I tried all the usual tips, but in the end the only thing that eased the insomnia was getting my hormone levels sorted out with HRT.

Honestly think I need to see my GP. Chronic autoimmune condition (Lupus) is leaving me fatigued every day, but pain is keeping me awake most nights.

Bought melatonin in the States this summer to help with jet lag. Used up the rest of the bottle over the next few months when feeling anxious at night. They really helped. It's a shame it's not available here.

I have the same reoccurring worry that wakes me up about one hour after I’ve gone to sleep about once every fortnight. I have an overwhelming need to text it e mail myself to remind myself I need to sort it out. The worry is a made up worry, the problem does not exist in real life but in my dream it’s so vivid I feel it’s real and it’s important I do something about it. I then fall into a deep sleep. When I read the text or e mail in the morning it makes no sense. It’s very frustrating as I normally am a deep sleeper. This has been happening for about a year and it’s the same worry. It’s very unsettling.

Look up the 4,7,8 breathing technique. Game changer. But you also have to hand over the critical thinking on things like meditation and breath work that some people still have.
Practising mindfulness and breath work OUT of sleep time too. So you build up those mechanisms that kick in automatically.
Work on how to get yourself down from flight or fight mode.
Don't fear not sleeping. Stop the what ifs. You almost need to say to yourself " OK. It's bedtime, and I'm OK. And I'm not going to panick. I may or may not sleep bit I'm still going to lie here and at least rest." With no pressure on yourself.
Don't let yourself get I that spiral of " I need sleep, what if I dknt, ill be so tired tomorrow. What if the kids wake me. Need me. Or I don't get enogub sleep and I can't parent right. Or work right!" STOP. You need to get that nervous system right back down. And how you do that is individual to all, but it might be self talk. A book. Writing down your thoughts and putting them aside. Listening to a favourite soundtrack.
There's also thinking of ypur favorite place. And then imagine yourself there. And then think of : what ypu see there, smell there,where you sat and how it feels. Whst do you hear there?
Body scans.
Try to fall back in love with your bedroom or sleep time.

Do you have anything else in your life right now thats a worry, and hasnt been sorted through yet. It could feel unrelated to the topic of the dream?

Some nights I can read my book in bed for 15 minutes, have heavy eyes and nod of straight away but on others I have so much going on in my head that I just can't switch off and it can take up to 3 hours before I fall asleep.

It is so frustrating, recently I been getting up up, going to my home office and putting the laptop on and browsing the internet. I am not sure if the screen then wakes me but I don't want to stay in bed and putting on a light bright enough to and read in another room feels like that would be worse.

What do the experts think please?

Carrier oils are simply used to mix essential oils into to apply and leave on the skin, we use a variety of carrier oils depending on the product. Commonly we use Jojoba oil, peach kernel and coconut oil.

If its muscular aches and pains, you could try one of our best-selling blends, our DeStress Muscle Blend. It comes as a Bath & Shower Oil which is our 'treatment in a bottle', a gel which is a great on the spot relief and a shower oil to which is an oil to foam body cleanser and leaves skin feeling amazing whilst having a powerful hit of essential oils to help with the aches and pains.

If you have never tried essential oils to help quieten the mind, try something like our De-Stress Mind blend, created to help someone with lots of the never ending to do lists. Frankincense is known to help to deepen the breath, Camomile to calm the mind and body and petitgrain to clear the mind, its a great one to end the day as well as start the day with a clear mind. It's actually one of my all time favourite blends.

Sleep will vary from day to day, and that's ok. And as mentioned in previous comment above, its all about routine and consistency. Find something that works for you when you wake up that will keep the body in that rest and repair. Our Deep Relax Sleep Mist is an easy one to incorporate into a strategy when you do wake. Mist it onto yourself, your bed linen or bed clothes and focus on your breath.

Yes, essential oils can really help support feelings of stress and anxiety and help you get a better nights sleep. There's research showing Camomile promotes deep sleep and decreases stress levels, as well as the relaxant effects of sandalwood both of which feature in our Deep Relax Blend. You can incorporate the blend into your sleep routine in the atomiser, as a mist on your pillow or linen or in the Bath or Shower.

Lifelong insomniac here. Listening to white noise or an audio story normally helps me drop off. I always wake up normally between 1-3 times a night. Have been having a bad patch recently and keep waking more than that and am normally awake an hour before my alarm with no chance of getting back to sleep. So I’m very tired right now.

Oh though I do try to slow my breathing down and breathe deeply if I wake and that does sometimes help me drop off again.

I've tried the no screens , pillow sprays ( for some reason that keeps me awake because I can smell it ! ) tried mindfulness , tensing then slowly relaxing each body part , getting up and reading and probably most things.
I do sleep with silicon ear plugs as dh is a snorer which can help a little.
I'm currently stuck in a rut of waking just before 4.30am and not being able to go back to sleep . Often need the loo in the night which also wakes up the cat who then jumps on the bed and will walk all over me for attention .
I'm doomed I tell you , I'm doomed !

We go to sleep listening to an audiobook together every night

The things which help me are a good pillow, a sleep mask and my dyson fan on low. Maybe it's the white noise thingy but seems to do the trick (unless I have lots on my mind - but that's only usually temporary.

I have tried so many things, my sleep patterns have been all over the place since having children. I try to wind down after they go to bed - my best destresser is to read a book to cleanse my mind from overthinking - a lavender pillow spray helps also.

I fall asleep hugging a cushion under my chin. Keeps my mouth shut (no dry mouth or snoring), also lessens the amount of chest creases. I live alone, so it's the only hug I get!

Don't give up! We all wake in the night, but some just don't register it as we aren't up very long. Keep finding new ways to quieten the mind before bed. Also refrain from looking at the time when we wake as it creates the a new habit as well as instilling panic or anxiety as you start calculating how many hours sleep you did or did not have. Instead a mental acceptance that you are up and tomorrow you will have a better sleep. I would give our Deep Relax Bath & Shower oil a go. Its our iconic blend, best selling worldwide, created by one of our founders for herself after her aromatherapy teacher found out she was taking sleeping pills! Give it a go, every night for a good fortnight to get into the habit of using it at night.

If you do breathing exercises then do try incorporating a mist or pure essential oil blend in an atomiser which can really enhance the effect of the deep breathing. These really are the easiest methods to start using essential oils in your sleep ritual.

best post so far 👏

I made my own soundproof curtains with material from direct fabrics - it was a game changer - living on a bus route, and main road. Now the dustmen and rain is a lot duller and makes a difference for us.

My challenges were overthinking everything as soon as my head hit the pillow. I need to clear my mind, so try counting, or saying the lords prayer (I am not religious but It's the longest thing I can think of to go over in my head - but if it helps with my heavenly wings it's a bonus). Clearing my mind does help.

I wake up 2 or 3 times a night - ever since having children - before that I slept 8 or 10 hours unbroken. I know my diet does play a part, so no red meat or greasy food for dinner EVER, I found that getting a kindle and reading a book does help with relaxing me - ear plugs and an eye mask also help block out the outside world.