What is your reaction when the alarm goes off in the morning? Do you automatically hit the snooze button, desperately craving just another 10 minutes of peace? When we read that 90% of adults say they don’t get enough sleep and that stress and sleep problems cost UK businesses £40bn last year, it’s no wonder that advice about sleep and sleep receive so much attention in the media.
In fact, a new sleep disorder has been receiving a lot of attention recently. Called Dysania, it’s a condition in which patients are so fatigued and debilitated that they have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, sometimes staying in bed for days. So far there are no figures available that reveal how prevalent this condition is, but there are certainly aspects that relate to stress, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and pain disorders.
Even those of us who don’t suffer from dysania can find that when we’re overly tired or unhappy with the quality of our sleep, we can feel anxious about going to bed and sleeping. A vicious cycle can occur whereby we worry and even become obsessed with our dream; How many hours did we have, how often did we wake up, how long did it take us to fall asleep?
Here are some tips for those times when you have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning;
– Establishment of a regular routine. where our goal is to go to bed regularly and get up at the same time every day. Even shift workers, often with erratic bedtimes and patterns, are advised to be consistent and stick to similar schedules to maintain some stability in their sleep patterns and lives. That way, their minds and bodies get used to a regular schedule.
– Avoid too much excitement and stimulation, especially before bed. Maintaining a hectic social life may seem like fun, but it can wreak havoc on your sleep patterns. Try to minimize having too many late nights when you work the next day. Hold serious or intense discussions for a more workable and mutually convenient time. It’s often less helpful to talk about difficult topics when you’re both stressed, worried, or worried about the day ahead.
– Manage stress by knowing your own stress indicators, those warning signs or ‘amber lights’, that occur when you start to feel a little fractured. nervous or off color. You will have your own personal signs that your stress levels are becoming too much for you to handle comfortably and at such times your quality of sleep may suffer. It can be difficult to fall asleep, sleep intermittently, wake up often, or wake up in the morning feeling jaded, not refreshed, and hard to get out of bed in the morning.
– When you find yourself feeling like this, it’s time to schedule some positive breaks and manage stress levels. Take an hour or even an afternoon to yourself and see how your performance improves as a result. Eat healthy foods, drink more water, take a quiet bath, get in the habit of turning off your technology for a couple of hours before bed. Find ways to start taking good care of yourself, managing stress, and finding that sleep becomes more beneficial as you start going to bed a little earlier, treating sleep as an important part of your commitment to self-care.
– Get as much natural light and fresh air as you can in the winter months. Try going for a walk at lunchtime or sitting in a park or garden for 20 minutes with a book. Also, some people like to have a lamp that comes on gradually as the day presents itself.
Many of us lead busy lives, cramming in as much as possible each day and then throwing ourselves into bed, exhausted, our minds racing. By treating sleep as important and finding effective ways to manage stress, we can begin to realize the value of a good night’s sleep and how much it influences our ability to get out of bed in the morning.
Getting ready for bed by turning off technology two hours before bedtime and taking a relaxing bath or shower, making sure you have a cozy and tidy bedroom and a comfortable bed all go to show that sleep is important to us. If sleep-related problems continue to be a problem, consider getting a health check with your family doctor. But these tips can help you deal with some of the symptoms, the irritants, manage stress, get a better night’s sleep, and end the struggle to get out of bed in the morning.
