What NOT to Do If You Can’t Sleep at Night….

I really struggle with sleep. 

It sounds a bit mad but my body seems to wake itself up anywhere between half past two and half past three almost every night and once I’m awake, I really struggle to get back to sleep. 

My diabetic nurse told me that this is a very common issue for people who are diabetic and that it’s linked to changes in our bodies blood sugar levels through the night.  These blood sugar changes happen to everyone but if someone has diabetes then their insulin response isn’t enough to deal with that, hence the night time wake up call. 😁

I’ve learned the things I can do to help me get back to sleep and I’ve shared some of the things that I do to help me to sleep better in the past and I stand by the fact that a great quality mattress is the most important thing to help you get a good nights sleep. The right mattress supports your spine’s natural shape, spreads your body weight evenly, and helps your muscles properly rest — so you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.  Or if you’re anything like me, you have a much more comfortable night when you’re tossing and turning.  We’ve had the Simba Hybrid mattress for about a year now and it’s been a game-changer for me as it means I’m comfortable when I’m awake during the night and that’s a big deal when I’m awake in bed for as much time as I am. 

I’ve learned to accept that I’m going to wake up most nights and have at least two hours (usually more) of being awake. I’m not ashamed to admit that I sometimes need a power nap through the day to help me or to tell you that twice a week I will go to bed ridiculously early to watch TV until I fall asleep.   

I’ve also learned a couple of other things that I’ve learned not to do when I wake up in the night.

Don’t Pick Up Your Phone

In my post about what to do when you can’t sleep, I actually recommended keeping your phone by your bed so if you think of something you need to do the next day that is playing on your mind, you can send yourself a quick email or set a reminder and then move on. I still do that as my brain just won’t shut off if I think of something that I really want to remember.

What I don’t do though is sit there scrolling through social media or checking messages as that wakes my brain up even more than it is already. The blue light from screens tricks your body into thinking it’s daytime, and before you know it, you’re an hour deep into TikTok videos or you’ve bought random clothes from Vinted that you’re going to forget about until you get a notification that there’s a parcel waiting for you (true story 😁)

Don’t Turn the Lights On

As soon as you flick on a bright light, your body thinks it’s time to get up and any chance of getting back to sleep goes out of the window. 

Don’t Start Clock-Watching

Staring at the clock and doing the “if I fall asleep now I’ll get five hours…” maths just adds pressure. Turn your clock away or dim the display so you can’t see it — trust me when I tell you that I can guarantee that you’ll feel less anxious and more relaxed. The anxious feeling that you get from clock watching actually stops your body from relaxing. 

Don’t Get Up to Clean or Work

It’s easy to think you might as well do something productive if sleep is evading you, but your brain needs rest even if your body feels restless. Doing housework, replying to emails, or planning tomorrow’s to-do list only gets your mind whirring. Keep the lights off and avoid anything that feels like “doing”.

Don’t Keep Tossing and Turning

This one is from my diabetic nurse and isn’t something that I do personally but she says that if you’ve been awake for more than an hour, it can help to get up quietly and do something calm in dim light — like reading a few pages of a book, listening to soft music, or making a warm (non-caffeinated!) drink. Just don’t stay in bed getting frustrated, because your brain starts associating the bed with wakefulness instead of rest. 

I agree that tossing and turning isn’t productive but I still stay in bed most nights, what I do is plan a project in my head to relax. This won’t work for everyone and I get that but it really works for me – at the moment, I visualise in my head what I am going to do to decorate a room in our new house or something similar. It relaxes me and I plan it all out in my head and often, that relaxes me to the point that I can fall back to sleep. 

Don’t Drink More Caffeine

Tempting as it is to make a cup of tea or grab a fizzy drink, caffeine stays in your system for hours. Even a small amount can mess with your sleep cycle. Stick to herbal tea, warm milk, or just plain water if you need to get a drink.

Don’t Stress About It

This one’s easier said than done, but lying there thinking “I have to sleep!” just makes your body more tense.  I’ve really adjusted my own mindset here over the last year or so and now I don’t actively try to get back to sleep – I focus on relaxing because I’ve learned that a relaxing night with no sleep is better than a stressful night with no sleep so if sleep is going to evade me then I’m going to at least recharge my batteries with a relaxing night. 

I’ve actually learned that my wellbeing is positively impacted by my night time routine by using the time I’m awake to focus on things that make me happy. 

Sweet dreams 😊

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