Get help to sleep. One of the most nurturing things you can do for yourself is sleep. Sometimes that is easier said than done. Particularly if you are working from home, you might be caring for kids and making up hours at night? You may have kids waking in the night? Checking the news on your phone right before your sleep?

If you are in the Byron Bay, Ballina and Lennox Head areas day light savings will kick in soon. This means that you will lose an hour in the evening. So right now is a great time to give yourself earlier nights, get help to sleep and get your body clock prepared for this time change.

1 Stay away from screens at least 30 mins before bed

It’s proven that the blue light from screens confuses our circadian rhythms and can make it difficult for our brains to sleep. Be sure to unplug at least 30 mins before bed to give your body and mind a break from this stimulation.

2 Drink a chamomile tea 30 mins before bed

A simple ritual like a herbal tea can send messages to our brain that is time to start switching off for the day. You could pair this with listening to a calming piece of music for a delightful pre-bedtime ritual.

3 Practice a few minutes of diaphragmatic breathing

Allowing and encouraging your breath deeper into you lungs can slow down your heart rate and re-oxygenate your body. sit with hand around the side of your rib cage and as you breath in imagine your breath is filling up the front, sides and back of your torso. If you do this for a few minutes you will notice your muscles relax to enable this deep diaphragmatic breathing

4 Lie on your back with your legs up the wall

Lying on you back with your legs up the wall is a great way to clam the body. It helps the return of blood to the heart where it get re-oxygenated. You can do this in bed, it is important to get comfortable. Get your bottom close to the wall and swing your legs up. Focus on a heavy tail bone lying on the bed or the floor and relax.

5 Reflect on your gratitude for the day

Often when I turn the light off I think of how grateful I am for the day I have had. Even if it hasn’t been the best day I can usually find little things to be grateful for. Then when I feel the gratitude rise I focus my mind on where I feel it in my body. I keep my attention on it for as long as possible. If my mind wanders I just notice this and go back to the things I am grateful for. This is a lovely way to fall asleep.

Feel free to choose one or more of these and use them in combination. Doing this will certainly make your bedtimes more intentional and hopefully will make falling asleep easier. Sleep is the foundation of healing and recovery for the body mind and spirit.

Sweet dreams x