Worry can cause poor sleep and poor sleep can lead to worry. If you find yourself lying awake at night going over the same worries again and again, then get help with worry management. Read some of my tips in this blog. Contact me or another specialist in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). It works fast.
But sometimes the worry is caused by inadequate sleep. The more you worry about not getting to sleep, the more you lie awake.
So how can you get better sleep? In part, it is recognising that we are not machines which can be driven hard all day. Our bodies are complex organisms. Hormones have a great part to play in sleep. Understanding this can help us work with our bodies, rather than against them. Sleep is a dynamic process, involving specific cues for its regulation.
The key hormone for sleep onset is melatonin. You need it in your blood stream in order to be able to sleep. So what triggers its release? We have an extensive body clock controlled by an area of the hypolthalamus region of the brain. This controls the release of melatonin, which has been called the hormone of darkness, because its levels rise during the night and decline at dawn. Its release is triggered by the reducing light levels of the evening.
It is hindered by the use of bright lights in the evening. As well as the main house lights, bright lights includes the telly and other electronic screens.
So if you have a fragile sleep pattern, try these tips to stimulate your melatonin release. Keep the lights low in the evening, don't watch telly in bed at night, and stop working on the computer about two hours before bedtime.
But sometimes the worry is caused by inadequate sleep. The more you worry about not getting to sleep, the more you lie awake.
So how can you get better sleep? In part, it is recognising that we are not machines which can be driven hard all day. Our bodies are complex organisms. Hormones have a great part to play in sleep. Understanding this can help us work with our bodies, rather than against them. Sleep is a dynamic process, involving specific cues for its regulation.
The key hormone for sleep onset is melatonin. You need it in your blood stream in order to be able to sleep. So what triggers its release? We have an extensive body clock controlled by an area of the hypolthalamus region of the brain. This controls the release of melatonin, which has been called the hormone of darkness, because its levels rise during the night and decline at dawn. Its release is triggered by the reducing light levels of the evening.
It is hindered by the use of bright lights in the evening. As well as the main house lights, bright lights includes the telly and other electronic screens.
So if you have a fragile sleep pattern, try these tips to stimulate your melatonin release. Keep the lights low in the evening, don't watch telly in bed at night, and stop working on the computer about two hours before bedtime.
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