Did you know that humans are the only mammals that willingly delay sleep, that most parents lose between 400 and 750 hours of sleep in each child’s first year, and children tend to fall asleep faster and sleep longer when they go to bed before 9 p.m?
Interesting facts to know, but not much good to you if you suffer from lack of sleep.
Technology and iPhones are undoubtedly affecting our sleeping patterns... 71 percent of people sleep either holding their smartphone, have it in bed with them, or have it beside their bed.
Smartphones, like laptops, tablets and televisions emit a blue light which the brain can interpret as daylight.
The blue light suppresses melatonin, leaving your brain feeling stimulated, which is far from ideal at bedtime.
Martina Breen is the director of the Dancing Soul. She’salso a psychotherapist, trainer and a spiritual director who gave me some tips for iRadio.ie readers who may struggling to switch off at nighttime.
"The obvious tip is to take the big light out of your face", she begins.
"As organisms, there is a time when we need to be taking in food, there is a time for us to assimilate it and there is a time when our bodies have to be at rest to take all the nutrients from it - this is what keeps us at optimum health."
Martina says that unlike some parts of eastern Europe where people can tend to go to bed with the sun and get up with the sun, the lives of Irish people are can be so busy, resulting in our body clocks being totally confused.
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We are guilty of keeping our brains stimulated late into the night. "If I'm still on input up to the point that I drop off, my brain is still going to be processing, there isn't that ease time", Martina says.
Martina says a "racing brain" and "unfinished business" that can be to blame for people's exhaustion.
"We can work late, eventually sleep and find ourselves wrecked tired when we wake up". - this is not ideal.
Relaxation and meditation apps like Headspace and Calm are advised, alongside the process of "journalling".
This involves writing down your stream of consciousness by bringing a journal to bed and jotting down your thoughts. She encourages us to not even turn on the light for this and to allow our thoughts, no matter how detailed or vague, to drizzle onto the page.
"Have a journal beside your bed, don't turn off the light, don't awaken yourslef, don't take yourself out of that state...but allow yourself to write. You will be surprised with what you write down. If somethings is rolling around in your head, dump it onto the page. Do so without turning on the light. The following day, take a look and say 'what do I need to take care of today? What do I need to take action on?' That's really, really effective. Then put on your Headspace or your Calm app, or your favourite meditation, or classical or non-vocal music", she says.
Lyrics stimulate pictures and memories, which won't help us switch off. "[...]and not heavy metal, obviously", she adds.
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Find out more about Martina, her work and the Dancing Soul here.
While you're here...With the clocks about to go back, here’s 6 ways to beat the winter blues
