Insomnia
Most of us will suffer from insomnia at some time in our lives. If we are upset or anxious about something, or are under stress we may experience difficulties in sleeping. Exams are stressful for many people and so many students find their sleep is disturbed around exam time. Some will also find their sleep patterns are disturbed by work stress.
If you are having difficulty sleeping try some of these simple techniques. Expect improvement to be gradual rather than immediate.
- Do not drink tea, coffee, chocolate drinks or alcohol too close to bedtime.
- Do not take any naps or extra sleep during the day even if you are tired from the night before.
- Develop a regular night time routine. Stop work at least an hour before you intend to go to bed and prepare for bed gradually. Try to do something relaxing e.g. have a hot bath, read a novel or magazine, watch a little television before you go to bed. Aim to go to bed at approximately the same time every night.
- Doing some exercise in the day may help you to sleep.
- Do not deal with problems or worries last thing at night. If something is worrying you, try writing it down and telling yourself you will deal with it the next day.
- If you can't get to sleep within 30 minutes of going to bed, get up and do something else, such as reading a magazine or watching TV. After 15 minutes, go back to bed and try to go to sleep again. If you still can't fall asleep, get up again and do some other relaxing activity. Repeat this process until you do fall asleep. Only use your bed for sleeping in.
- Get up at the same time each day.
- Aromatherapists recommend essential oil of lavender as an aid to relaxation.
- Herbal teas, especially camomile and dill, are thought to help relaxation and sleep.
- Make sure your bed and bedroom are comfortable – not too hot, not too cold, not too noisy.
If you have got into a pattern of staying up late at night and sleeping late in the day, it would be best to change this pattern well before your exams begin. Use an alarm clock to help you wake at the same time each morning, no matter what time you have fallen asleep the night before. Don't sleep in the day. Expect some disturbance of sleep pattern for the next week or two.