Sarah McCann, Author at Slumber Slumber Sleep Clinic

Natural Remedies for Insomnia

by Sarah McCann | Feb 13, 2019

Natural remedies for insomnia can help restore your sleep schedule without the intervention of medication. There are many natural alternatives that can help aid sleep without the nasty side effects of sleeping pills.

Please note that these natural remedies cannot cure insomnia and, if you are suffering from prolonged periods of sleeplessness, you should contact your doctor.

Alternative therapies cover a wide variety of disciplines that include everything from diet and exercise to meditation and lifestyle changes. Some alternative therapies include acupuncture, guided meditation, yoga, hypnosis, aromatherapy, relaxation, herbal remedies, massage, and many others.

Valerian Root

Some studies have suggested that the root of valerian (Valeriana officinalis) may help with sleep. However, Valerian Root can sometimes interfere with some medications. It also has side effects, and is not safe in small children or during pregnancy. Before taking this supplement, check with your doctor.

Lavender

Lavender is a calming herb that is a natural relaxant. According to a study at Southampton University, lavender can increase your sleep quality by 20%. In this study of 10 people, 5 were exposed to lavender during sleep, and the other people were exposed to a placebo. The 5 people exposed to lavender reported a 20% overall better sleep experience¹.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine needles into the skin at specific acupuncture points in the body. The results of recent studies have shown that acupuncture improved sleep quality in people with insomnia².

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile has been used as a sleep aid for thousands of years. It is a natural relaxant, like lavender. This can help your mind to relax and unwind for bed.

Meditation

Meditation can be an effective way to treat insomnia. There is a growing body of evidence that supports the value of meditation in treating insomnia. There are many types of meditation to choose from. Learn more about meditation for sleep in our article here.

Exercise

Regular exercise has been shown to help improve sleep. However, most experts advise exercising at least three to four hours before bedtime to avoid interference with sleep.

A Noise Machine

Listening to soothing background sounds can help cover up man-made sounds, like voices or traffic. Noise machines offer a variety of sounds, from white noise to sounds from nature.

Can Hypnosis Treat Insomnia?

by Roisin Turner | February 12, 2020 | Insomnia | 0 Comments

Hypnosis may conjure up images of people acting silly on stage, but it’s usually more boring than that. Hypnosis can be sleep-inducing – but not from yawns of boredom. It could actually be a way to help people who are struggling with insomnia. This is because hypnosis...

Natural Remedies for Insomnia

by Sarah McCann | February 13, 2019 | Insomnia | 0 Comments

How Do You Practice Good Sleep Hygiene?

by Sarah McCann | February 13, 2019 | Insomnia | 0 Comments

Have you ever heard of the term sleep hygiene? It's often used to refer to your night-time habits, and whether you practice good or bad sleep hygiene can have an effect on your sleep pattern. If you want to get a better night’s sleep, the answer often begins with...

The Best Sleep Apps To Help You Drift Off

by Sarah McCann | February 13, 2019 | Insomnia, Stress & Sleep | 0 Comments

There is so much going on now in the modern world that it's hard to catch your breath. You eat right, exercise everyday, and watch your waistline, but do you look after your sleep? In this article, we cover the best sleep apps out there at the moment. These apps are...

How Can I Get Rid Of My Insomnia?

by Sarah McCann | February 13, 2019 | Insomnia | 0 Comments

When you suffer from insomnia, it can affect every aspect of your life. It can be hard to imagine how you will overcome this condition and finally get some sleep, but know that insomnia can be overcome. How can you get rid of insomnia? We all have the potential to...

How Do You Practice Good Sleep Hygiene?

by Sarah McCann | Feb 13, 2019

Have you ever heard of the term sleep hygiene? It’s often used to refer to your night-time habits, and whether you practice good or bad sleep hygiene can have an effect on your sleep pattern. If you want to get a better night’s sleep, the answer often begins with improving this, but how do you practice good sleep hygiene?

What is sleep hygiene?

Our sleep behaviours and patterns are referred to as our sleep hygiene, similar to body hygiene. If you are often pulling all-nighters, or sleeping in on the weekends so you can “make up” for lost sleep, this is an example of poor sleep hygiene. If you follow a regular sleep schedule and avoid caffeine late at night, this is an example of good sleep hygiene.

Sleep hygiene education is an essential part of the cognitive-behavioural therapy used to treat insomnia.

Why is sleep hygiene important?

Sleep hygiene is important to ensure you enjoy a restful sleep. Enjoying good sleep on a regular basis is critical to maintaining good mental, emotional, and physical health. Making sure you get enough quality sleep helps you stay focused during the day, regulates your mood, and helps you function on a daily basis.

What’s bad sleep hygiene?

If you’re waking up unrested each morning, wake frequently during the night, feel tired during the day, or have trouble falling asleep at night, there’s a very good chance that you have bad sleep hygiene that’s messing with your sleep¹.

What’s good sleep hygiene?

The four most important elements of good sleep hygiene are;

Temperature – your bedroom shouldn’t be too hot or too cold
Darkness – the darker, the better
Quiet – peace makes the ideal sleeping environment
Comfort – you need to have a comfortable place to lie down and stretch out

Top 10 tips to practice good sleep hygiene

Say no to caffeine later in the day and in the evening time.
Steer clear of alcohol at night time as this is known to disturb sleep.
Avoid heavy meals late at night, midnight feasts will not help you sleep.
Stick to a regular routine to go to bed and get up.
Use thick curtains, blinds, or an eye mask to stop you from being woken up by light.
Try earplugs if noise is disturbing your slumber.
Take a warm bath or shower an hour before you go to bed.
Listen to calming music or read a book before bed.
Avoid watching TV or using mobile devices in the bedroom.
Exercise several hours before bedtime.

If your sleep problems are affecting your daily life, it’s time to see your GP. You could take the results of this test to discuss with your GP or, even better, keep a sleep diary for two weeks before you go².

Can Hypnosis Treat Insomnia?

by Roisin Turner | February 12, 2020 | Insomnia | 0 Comments

Natural Remedies for Insomnia

by Sarah McCann | February 13, 2019 | Insomnia | 0 Comments

How Do You Practice Good Sleep Hygiene?

by Sarah McCann | February 13, 2019 | Insomnia | 0 Comments

The Best Sleep Apps To Help You Drift Off

by Sarah McCann | February 13, 2019 | Insomnia, Stress & Sleep | 0 Comments

The Best Sleep Apps To Help You Drift Off

by Sarah McCann | Feb 13, 2019

There is so much going on now in the modern world that it’s hard to catch your breath. You eat right, exercise everyday, and watch your waistline, but do you look after your sleep? In this article, we cover the best sleep apps out there at the moment. These apps are also worth considering if you struggle with insomnia, or are kept awake by stress.

Apps that monitor rest

These apps can break down your daily night’s rest into several sleep cycles. They can help you track your sleep cycles to make sure you’re getting the best sleep you can, and wake up every morning refreshed.

1. Sleep Cycle

Sleep Cycle tracks your sleep patterns using your microphone. It wakes you in the lightest phase of sleep so that you’re not groggy. You set a window during which to be woken (for example, between 7 and 7:30 a.m.) and it figures the best time to raise you from your slumber. It even lets you tap your phone twice to snooze.

2. Sleep Time

Sleep Time is available on both Android and iOS. It tracks your sleep quality without requiring an Apple Watch or Fitbit.

All you need to do to record your sleep with Sleep Time is place your smartphone on your bed’s mattress while you sleep. The app will use your device’s sensors to monitor your movement during sleep. It presents the data in an easy to read chart, which can be used to compare your sleep quality over weekly, monthly, or even yearly periods.

Sleep Time also comes with an alarm clock feature to wake you up when you’re in a light sleep cycle.

3. Pillow

Pillow is a sleep tracking app, but it is only compatible with Apple Watch, iPhone, or iPad. Users can link the apps up to their Apple Watch, or another wearable, to keep track of their heart rate during sleep. The app monitors your movements and sounds while you sleep, and uses the information to keep a detailed history of how well you’ve slept. It also figures out the best time to wake you. It will give you a full overview of how you’ve slept, along with mood tracking, sleep notes, audio recordings and heart rate analysis.

Apps for relaxation

Mindfulness and meditation have been proven to help people who struggle with insomnia. The apps below focus on meditation through various techniques like music, nature sounds, and voice commands. All are aimed to help you reach the state of relaxation you need to go to bed.

Read more about meditation in our article here, or find out more about the benefits of mindfulness in our article ‘Mindfulness and Sleep‘.

1. Pzizz

Image: Pzizz

Pzizz is available on both iOS and Android. This sleep app places an emphasis on getting to sleep quickly and easily. The app uses a combination of sound effects, music, and spoken word to help lull you to sleep. Users can specify if they’re ready for a long sleep session or a quick power nap. So you can catnap guilt free!

2. Headspace: Meditation

The Headspace: Meditation app helps you to learn meditation based on your individual goals. It’ll send you push notifications reminding you to meditate throughout the day. Each session only takes a few minutes so it can be fitted around a busy schedule.

3. White Noise

The White Noise app allows you to relax to a variety of noises. Not only does this app have white noise, but it also has pink noise, brown noise (low-frequency sound masking) and many more soothing sounds. Plus, it gives you great flexibility to create your own soundscape, mixing up to five sounds at once. Among the forty available sounds are a vacuum cleaner, a rainstorm, air conditioning, a babbling brook, and many more.

10 Tips For A Good Sleep Before Results Day

by Roisin Turner | March 5, 2020 | General Advice | 0 Comments

You’ve done the hard work – all those months of studying are behind you. After finally being able to close the textbooks and give yourself some peace for a couple of months, you may now be getting worried and nervous: tomorrow, you find out your results. Whether...

Give the Gift of Good Sleep This Mother’s Day

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Flowers and chocolates are the go-to choices for how to treat your mother on Mother’s Day. While these are lovely ideas, there is a third option that your mum would love this Mother’s Day – the gift of a good sleep! What Good Does Sleep Do for Your Mum? Every mum...

Sleep Well Before Your Wedding Day

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What Is Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder?

by Roisin Turner | December 13, 2019 | Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder, General Advice | 0 Comments

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Sleep Talking

by Roisin Turner | December 4, 2019 | General Advice | 0 Comments

After a long, loud day, everyone enjoys the quiet of sleep. However, when the person sleeping next to you starts to mumble or talk, it can be funny at first – and then it becomes frustrating. The person who’s talking in their sleep isn’t aware that they’re doing it,...

Make Getting A Good Sleep Your New Year’s Resolution

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Do Lucid Dreams Affect Your Sleep Quality?

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Getting a good sleep is important when it comes to our health and wellbeing. However, as lucid dreams can be stimulating or frightening, it’s natural to wonder if they can affect the quality of your sleep. What Is A Lucid Dream? When you sleep, your brain cycles...

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Four Reasons We Love Four Seasons Duvets

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Everything You Need To Know About Sleep Tracking

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An Introduction Into Circadian Rhythm

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Our Most Common Dreams & What They Mean

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Technology’s Impact on your Sleep

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Technology's impact on your sleep can have detrimental effects on your health. Technology is everywhere; it has taken over every aspect of our daily lives, and now it’s set its sights on our bedroom. Instead of curling up in bed with a book, many people now opt for...

Everything You Need To Know About Sleep Tracking

by Sarah McCann | Feb 13, 2019

Why should you track your sleep?

Sleep is an important factor for your health. It keeps your immune system balanced, regulates your moods, and helps your body to rest and repair. Getting your forty winks is just as important as eating well, exercising, and making healthy lifestyle choices. So it’s important to keep an eye on how you are sleeping and now, with modern technology, this is open to everyone.

Tracking your sleep helps you ensure that you’re getting enough sleep. If you think you have a sleep disorder though, like sleep apnea, insomnia, or something else, sleep tracking is critical to receiving a proper diagnosis.

Paying attention to your sleep is the first step to enjoying a better sleep.

Sleep tracking wearable devices

Sleep tracking wearable devices often take the form of a small, clippable device you attach to your clothing, or a separate wristband or smartwatch. These devices track other important health facts in addition to sleep, such as your daily step total and heart rate. They provide a more holistic view of your overall health and wellness.

Fitbit

Not only for keeping an eye on your physical fitness, the Fitbit Charge and Charge HR wristbands include automatic sleep tracking.

Automatic sleep tracking will record your sleep and then review your sleep duration in the Fitbit app. You will receive handy sleep insights and can also view the stages of sleep you are reaching each night.

Apple Watch

The Apple Watch does not provide sleep tracking on its own, but many sleep tracking apps integrate with it, such as Pillow and Sleep Tracker.

Samsung Galaxy Watch

The Samsung Galaxy Watch has a built-in sleep tracker that logs your sleep. You can activate the option to record REM sleep in its settings. After an update in October 2018, this is set to default. To save on battery life, it is no longer required to set it to monitor your heart rate to track your sleep.

Sleep Tracking Apps

Sleep tracking apps are available on your smartphone or tablet. Their convenience makes them incredibly popular, as does their price and ease of use. These apps use your phone’s accelerometer to monitor your breathing and body movements while you sleep. Many also claim to be able to determine what stage of sleep you are in, so they can time your alarm to go off when you are most likely to be in a light stage of sleep (making you less drowsy).

However, sleep tracking apps rely solely on your phone’s accelerometer, and since you make similar movements during deep and light sleep, there’s no way the phone can tell what stage of sleep you’re in. Also, it’s important to note that, if you share the bed with a partner or pet, their movements can interfere with your data

However, these devices are a useful first step in determining whether you need to see a doctor about a potential sleep problem. Find out more about sleep tracking apps in our article here.

The old fashioned way

If you prefer to keep things tech-free, you can try a sleep diary.

For each day, note the following:

When you went to bed
When you woke up
Total time spent asleep
Any naps
Other information, such as exercise, diet, energy level, feelings of fatigue, or naps taken

There are many ways to monitor and track your sleep. However, if you think you may have an issue with sleep, get in touch with your doctor as they can best advise the right route for you.

10 Tips For A Good Sleep Before Results Day

by Roisin Turner | March 5, 2020 | General Advice | 0 Comments

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by Roisin Turner | March 2, 2020 | General Advice, Mother's Day | 0 Comments

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Sleep Talking

by Roisin Turner | December 4, 2019 | General Advice | 0 Comments

Make Getting A Good Sleep Your New Year’s Resolution

by Roisin Turner | December 3, 2019 | General Advice | 0 Comments

Do Lucid Dreams Affect Your Sleep Quality?

by Roisin Turner | November 27, 2019 | General Advice | 0 Comments

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by Roisin Turner | November 21, 2019 | General Advice | 0 Comments

Four Reasons We Love Four Seasons Duvets

by Roisin Turner | September 18, 2019 | Four Reasons Why We Love Four Seasons Duvets, General Advice | 0 Comments

Everything You Need To Know About Sleep Tracking

by Sarah McCann | February 13, 2019 | General Advice | 0 Comments

An Introduction Into Circadian Rhythm

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The Best Bedtime Teas For Sleep

by Sarah McCann | Feb 13, 2019

A third of us will experience insomnia at some point in our lives. It’s important, then, to prioritise relaxation and unwinding before bed. Practising good sleep hygiene is one way of doing this, but you can also incorporate bedtime tea into the mix.

For centuries, herbal teas have been used as a natural sleep aid, but which ones are still popular today?

Chamomile

This tea contains an antioxidant called apigenin, which may help you drift off to sleep. Regarded as a natural relaxant, chamomile works as a mild tranquilizer, relaxing the nerves and muscles.

Valerian Root

One of the most popular herbal sleep aids in Europe and the US, Valerian Root may increase sleepiness by increasing levels of a neurotransmitter called GABA.

Lavender

Best known for its relaxing scent, we wouldn’t often associate lavender with tea. Drinking lavender tea may improve sleep quality, especially for those who are suffering from insomnia or anxiety-related disorders.

Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm also isn’t often associated with tea, as it’s from the mint family and is most often used in aromatherapy. This citrus-scented herb has been used for reducing stress and improving sleep since the Middle Ages. Drinking Lemon Balm tea may decrease insomnia-related symptoms.

Passionflower

Passionflower tea is made from the dried leaves, flowers, and stems of the Passiflora plant. This floral tea calms the mind and also alleviates indigestion, helping to ease the stomach.

Sleep is fundamental to good overall health. Getting enough good quality sleep is important for maintaining your immune system and metabolic function, processing the day’s memories, and maintaining normal body weight.

If you are finding it hard to sleep, and it is interfering with your day to day life, get in touch with your doctor.

The Best Sleep Apps To Help You Drift Off

by Sarah McCann | February 13, 2019 | Insomnia, Stress & Sleep | 0 Comments

The Best Bedtime Teas For Sleep

by Sarah McCann | February 13, 2019 | Stress & Sleep | 0 Comments

A third of us will experience insomnia at some point in our lives. It's important, then, to prioritise relaxation and unwinding before bed. Practising good sleep hygiene is one way of doing this, but you can also incorporate bedtime tea into the mix. For centuries,...

Meditation to Help You Sleep

by Sarah McCann | December 11, 2018 | Insomnia, Stress & Sleep | 0 Comments

Sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and, when we lose out on sleep, it can have lasting effects on our physical and mental health. When you are finding it hard to sleep due to outside influences, such as stress, illness, or chronic pain, you can use...

How Stress Affects your Sleep

by Sarah McCann | December 7, 2018 | Stress & Sleep | 0 Comments

Stress can impact your life in many ways, but how does stress affect your sleep? It's late at night, you're lying in bed, worrying and feeling anxious, which makes it almost impossible to turn off your brain, relax and fall asleep. People who suffer from chronic...

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