We all know that having a consistent, regular routine is better for our sleep.

It sounds pretty obvious. Go to bed at the same time every night, get up at the same time every morning. Ta da! Insomnia solved.

If only it were that simple!

Having a regular routine can work wonders, it’s true. When I graduated university and went back to work full time, I found that the new regular routine of getting up early and being at work for 9am every day really helped me to settle my sleep routine back to something resembling normal.

But we can’t always stick rigidly to a daily routine at the same time every day. What if your job schedule or circumstances are inconsistent?

Many of us work night shifts, or different shifts on a weekly or fortnightly schedule. Many of us are self employed and work around our customers or other commitments.

Vicious Cycle

Insomnia often ends up being a vicious cycle: we can’t sleep at night, we’re exhausted in the day, so we nap in the afternoon and then find ourselves awake all night again.

Even when we stay up all night, and try to “reset” our body clock by going to bed at 9pm the following evening – that might work for a night, but then the next night we’re right back where we started.

So how do we get into a good sleep routine?

Sometimes, a bout of insomnia is triggered or exacerbated by inconsistent bedtimes and wake up times. When I was studying, I found myself staying up late to finish assignments. This only got worse as I progressed through university. The assignments got longer, more frequent, and required more research.

The problem was compounded by inconsistent start times for my lectures each day. Some days I had a 9am start, other days not until 10 or 11, or even in the afternoon. So my sleeping ended up mirroring my inconsistent schedule.

I’d get up at 8 for a 9am start on Monday, then sleep in on Tuesday as I didn’t have to be in untill 11am. Then I’d be up all night finishing an essay until 2am, submit it, and then fall into a deep sleep until 12 on Wednesday. You get the picture.

I knew it wasn’t good for me, and I knew it was messing with my sleep, but at the time there was not much I could do about it – I was partly a slave to the timetable, and partly a victim of the deadline.

Fortunately for me, my uni days came to an end and a 9 to 5 job helped me to gradually ease back into a normal sleep routine.

Irregular Working Hours

But what if we don’t work 9 to 5? What if your schedule is always inconsistent? There are plenty of jobs which don’t follow a 9 to 5 pattern.

One example is shift work, often hospital or care workers, where some shifts are night time and some are early mornings. Another common example is freelance work, where you can set your own hours or work around other commitments like your children’s school hours.

These types of working hours can be really hard on people who have sleeping issues. Although at first glance, late starts and late finishes seem perfect for those who struggle to sleep at normal times, they cause more problems than they solve.

Working From Home

In the past year, more people than ever before have had to change their working habits and adjust to home working or blended working to try to combat Covid. Home working is another working habit that seems great on the face of it, but can actually be detrimental in the long term.

After two years of more or less beating my previous struggles with insomnia, I then began working from home from around April to November 2020. I found that my sleeping schedule began to shift again and I started once again to experience sleep difficulties.

So I know how hard it can be, despite the seeming benefits of home working.

Preparation

Your body likes to be prepared.

I’ve used this lemon analogy before on this blog, but it’s worth repeating.

Think about a lemon. Place the imaginary lemon on an imaginary wooden chopping board. Hold it steady, and slice it in half using a sharp imaginary knife. Watch it fall into two pieces, each half dripping imaginary juice from the freshly cut edges.

Take one half and squeeze it in your hand, watching the juice and a couple of pips run over your fingers and into an imaginary glass. Now take the glass and take a sip, tasting the imaginary sharp, sour juice.

You’re salivating, right?

Your body produces saliva in readiness for the imaginary lemon it thinks it’s about to taste. Why does it do this?

Your body uses cues in the environment to prepare itself for what will happen. This is to save time, and to ensure it’s ready for whatever event happens next. So it starts salivating while you’re cutting the lemon, in readiness for the eating part.

This is because it has seen you cut fruit and eat it before. It remembers the sights, sounds and smells, and remembers what to do to prepare for the next part: digestion.

Sleep Routine

Sleeping is the same. Your body likes things to be predictable. It likes to know what will happen next. Every time you vary your bed time and wake time, it tries to adjust to the new routine, but it’s slow to adjust. And if you’re always changing your bed times and wake times, it never even gets a chance to learn a routine!

But we can use this characteristic of the body to kind of “hack” our sleep routine.

Even if you can’t stick to the same exact bedtime every night, you can make the routine predicable every night.

For example, I mark the “preparation for bed” period by performing the following actions in the same order every night.

My Routine:

1. Close the blinds or curtains
2. Dim the lighting and put on low lamps instead of overhead lights
3. Take a warm bath or shower (not too hot)
4. Use calming scents like lavender or sandalwood
5. Dress in cosy pyjamas
6. Make a warm milky drink (or herbal tea)
7. Read a few pages of a book
8. Then put on a podcast or a sleep story and listen via a comfortable bluetooth sleep mask

This is just an example of a sleep routine. It takes about an hour in total. The more times you repeat this routine before you go to sleep, the more strongly your body begins to associate these actions and sensations with winding down and falling asleep.

The beauty of a sleep routine is that even when your bedtimes are inconsistent (for example if you have to work shiftwork and sometimes work nights and sometimes mornings), your body will learn to interpret the actions as “prepare for sleep”.

Consistency

It is consistency that helps to establish a routine, and consistency that signals to your body to start preparing for sleep.

And even if you can’t be consistent with the time you go to bed, you can be consistent with the actions you perform in your pre-sleep routine, which will be just as effective.

Make it Easy to Stick To

Whenever we try to establish a new habit, the most common mistake is to try and do too much too quickly. Be honest with yourself and don’t strive for perfection.

The most successful habit is the one you stick to.

That means you should aim for the most realistic and achievable goal to begin with, and take it from there.

When I first started addressing my sleep issues, the first consistent action I started doing was listening to something calming every single night without fail. I started by listening to an audiobook on Audible.

And this was what got me thinking about routines. I found that I was having to rewind the book to listen to the chapters I’d missed. I’d missed them because I’d fallen asleep!

I began to realise that it wasn’t so much the story itself that was sending me off to sleep, but the consistency of listening to it every night. As soon as my brain heard the dulcet tones of the narrator, it knew it was sleep time, and I began to fall asleep much quicker.

It was easy to stick to this routine, because I really enjoyed listening to the story while I was still awake, and it was a passive activity that didn’t involve any hard work.

My next step was adding the bluetooth sleep mask – a total game changer! Not only did I get to listen to my favourite audiobooks, I also found it much more comfortable and it also blocked out the light.

I’ve talked about audiobooks and other listening material in my article Quieting Your Mind At Night. I am a firm believer that just doing this one thing makes a huge difference. If you do nothing else, I fully recommend starting a nightly routine of listening to something calming.

Engage Your Senses

This brings me onto another important point.

When we talked about the lemon, think about the different senses that were involved in that experience. (Even though it was imaginary…)

• Sight: the sight of the lemon being cut in half, the waxy yellow of the skin, the glistening juice.
• Smell: the sharp, tangy scent of lemon juice.
• Touch: the feel of the firm lemon in your hand, the softness as you squeeze it, the cool juice running over your fingers.
• Sound: the slice of the knife, the thud on the chopping board, the trickle of the juice into the glass.
• Taste: the sweet but sourness of the juice, the tingle on your tongue.

Your body doesn’t know the difference between a real lemon and an imaginary one. Let me say that again. Your body can’t tell the difference between real and imaginary experiences!

This has so many implications in the real world, but for our purposes I will focus on two.

One – the more senses you engage with your nightly routine, the more convincing it is to your body. Think about each of the five senses and try to come up with something to relax each one.

Two – the opposite is also true. If you read about, or listen to, or watch something depicting stressful or uncomfortable situations, your body will also prepare for those. I’ve talked about stopping reading or watching the news before bed in a previous article, but the lemon analogy really explains why.

Stop making your body think it is in danger before bedtime! Even if your mind rationally knows you are safe, if you read or watch stressful material, your body will produce cortisol and activate the fight or flight response.

Work with your body, not against it!

Build Up

Start with the easiest thing you can do, and do that every night for a month. Once you’ve established one tiny new habit, you can build on it and add another.

Look for the next easiest thing you can do. Another thing you know you’ll stick to. There’s no point deciding you will scatter rose petals on your pillow and wear only the finest silk, if you know that’s not achievable or will become a cleaning nightmare.

If you’re not a big fan of drinking milk, don’t force yourself to make a warm mug of milk every night. It might seem obvious, but sometimes our drive for perfection means we forget to consider how it will fit into our own lives.

Forget the milk. Forget the rose petals. Just treat yourself to a dressing gown that makes you feel like you live in a spa. (Seriously, I’m not even joking. I bought a white cotton dressing gown from Marks & Spencer and I honestly feel relaxed just putting it on).

If you’re not sure where to start, look at my list of night time activites above and pick the one that looks the easiest. The key takeaway here is to start doing one thing, consistently, every night.

Summary

• establish a nightly routine of familiar, repetitive actions
• aim for a consistent bed time and wake time
• even if you can’t achieve this, stick to the routine
• maintain consistency above all
• engage your senses: sight, smell, sound, taste, touch
• replace stressful thoughts and material, with relaxing ones
• start small and build up
• repeat, repeat, repeat. Every night.

This is Part 6 of my article series How I Overcame Insomnia in 10 Steps.

I’ve previously written about supplements on this blog, but not focused specifically on vitamins and minerals. This article goes into depth on all the vitamins and supplements I take, the research I have done, and which ones are genuinely worth taking versus those which are a waste of money.

Why are vitamins and minerals relevant to sleep problems and insomnia?

First of all, there are some vitamins we may have a deficiency in. Vitamin deficiencies can sometimes manifest as lethargy, lack of energy, low mood and difficulty sleeping. Your sleep problems may be caused or exacerbated by one or more vitamin deficiencies. So a great way of ruling that out is by keeping up a daily vitamin regimen to ensure that it’s not a lack of nutrients keeping you up at night.

Secondly, our bodies function better all round when we are better nourished. And sometimes, a knock on effect of insomnia can be that we don’t eat very well. We might be too tired to cook, or crave junk food. So taking supplements is one small and easy way we can ensure our bodies are well nourished despite our sometimes inadequate diets.

I have been pleasantly surprised over the past year I’ve been taking these supplements at how much it has actually affected my day to day health, mood and level of pain. My overall energy levels have improved dramatically, my joint pain has diminished, my skin is much better (less redness, fewer spots), and of course my sleep has improved.

This article sets out the five key vitamin and mineral supplements I take every day, followed by a list of the most important vitamins and minerals, and my research on each one.

I cover what each vitamin or mineral is responsible for, what happens if we don’t have enough (or if we have too much), and how to get the best form of it in our diet and via supplement. I’ve linked relevant evidence articles for each one as well.

Bioavailability

A word on bioavailability: certain supplements are more bioavailable than others. Those which are often come with a larger price tag. What this basically means is that certain forms of the vitamin are much easier for the body to digest, usually the closest form to how it would be found in dietary sources.

A good example of this are the chalky tablets containing vitamin D. This vitamin is fat-soluble so even if you swallow those tablets once a day, it is unlikely that your body will actually be able to absorb any of the vitamin D from them. A more bioavailable form comes in oil capsules or oil based liquids.

So it is definitely worth looking for the more bioavailable forms. However….

Cost: Pros and Cons

It is worth balancing the amount you can afford to spend on vitamins and supplements with how effective and bioavailable they are. Some vitamins and supplements can be really quite expensive. Are they really worth it?

Honestly, some of them are worth it, and some are not. For example, with our Vitamin D example above, it is worth spending the extra money to get the bioavailable oil based forms because the chalky ones are pretty much useless. It is worth taking vitamin D since the majority of us are actually deficient, and it can affect our physical and mental health. So yes, that one is worth spending on.

But super-duper bioavailable liposomal liquid vitamin C? Probably not. Vitamin C is very easy to cover in a normal diet. The supplements are very cheap compared to others, so you may think you might as well take them anyway. But bear in mind that any vitamin C you take over the RDA will just be excreted in your urine. So really, it is not really worth buying Vitamin C supplements in my opinion.

I’ve put these considerations and pros and cons in each section so that you can make up your own mind about whether you think it’s worth spending the money.

Complete Multivitamin Regimen

Most pre-prepared multivitamins contain odd amounts of vitamins and minerals, probably dependent on cost. I always find they have far too much of the ones I’m not concerned about, and far too little of the ones I really want to prioritise.

So I took matters into my own hands and developed my own regimen of supplements ensuring I followed nutritional advice and focusing on the vitamins and minerals most useful to the body.

The following is the complete regimen I take daily. I have calculated that this regimen covers all the essential vitamins and minerals I actually need, in the right amounts.

I’m not a doctor, so before taking any supplements I have to advise you to speak to your doctor.

1. Cod Liver Oil (or Vegan Vit A & Vegan Omega 3)
   • Vitamin A: 67% (the rest from food)
   • Vitamin D: 50% (see below)
   • Vitamin E: 45% (the rest from food)
   • Omega 3: 83% (the rest from food)
2. Vitamin D3 and K2
   • Vitamin D: 125%
   • Vitamin K: 100%
3. Calcium and Magnesium
   • Calcium: 77% (the rest from food)
   • Magnesium: 119%
4. Vitamin B12
   • Vitamin B12: 100%
5. Collagen & Hyaluronic Acid (or Vegan Collagen)
   • Collagen: 100%
   • Hyaluronic Acid: 100%

These are the five supplements I take every day, to make sure that even if my diet is not on top form, at least I know I’m still getting all the nutrients I need to keep my body functioning at its best.

Vitamin A

Most people who eat meat or fish will get enough Vitamin A from their normal diets. It is found in particularly high concentrations in liver and liver products such as pâté, so if you consume offal or pâté regularly you will not need to supplement.

It is also worth bearing in mind that Vitamin A is one of the few vitamins that can have negative side effects if you consume too much. So if you do eat meat, particularly organ meat, it is probably best not to supplement Vitamin A.

However if you are vegetarian or eat meat rarely, supplementing Vitamin A is probably sensible. Just don’t be tempted to take large doses over the RDA.

Overdosing on Vitamin A over a long period of time can contribute to loss of bone density, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fragile bones. Overdosing Vitamin A can also harm an unborn baby, so speak to a doctor before supplementing if you are pregnant. Older adults should also consult a doctor before supplementing vitamin A in case you are at risk of osteoporosis.

Vitamin A boosts the immune system, aids vision (particularly in low light) and strengthens skin and mucus membranes inside the nose and throat for example.

Evidence:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-a/

Recommended Daily Amount:

• 600mcg for women
• 700mcg for men
• can overdose above 1500mcg

Food Sources:

• meat, particularly liver and liver pâté
• oily fish
• dairy such as milk, yogurt and cheese
• plant based, red and orange vegetables
• red and orange peppers, sweet potatoes, squash

Bioavailable Supplements:

• cod liver oil is the most bioavailable form
• vegan oil based pro-vitamin A (beta-carotin)

Many cod liver oil supplements contain vitamins A, D and E combined. When looking for a good cod liver oil supplement, I would recommend buying capsules rather than pure liquid, since they are easier and less unpleasant to take. They do tend to be more expensive by volume than the liquid, but personally I am more likely to continue taking them if they are capsules as I dislike swallowing oil.

Another factor about cod liver oil: buy the best you can afford. Cod liver oil is better quality than generic “fish oil”. Cold pressed oil is better quality than heat treated as the heat can destroy some of the nutrients. But if you can’t afford or find cold pressed, heat treated is better than nothing.

These are the ones I take: Carlson Cod Liver Oil 1000mg. One a day is enough to cover vitamins A, D, E and omega oils. If you are vegetarian, there are also plant based vitamin A supplements available.

B Vitamins

There is not just one Vitamin B. There are a complex of vitamins under the “B” umbrella, most of which are readily available in the average diet. Some are in fact produced in the gut (including B6 and B7) which means we do not need to get them from food.

Providing your diet contains meat, fish, eggs or dairy, and nuts, grains and seeds, you should have all the B vitamins you need. If you are vegetarian or vegan, you should take a Viamin B complex supplement.

The two B vitamins most worth focusing on are B9 (folate) and B12. This is because these are the two we are most likely to be deficient in, and are most likely to cause disease in those who are deficient.

B9 or folate/folic acid is most important when trying to conceive, as a deficiency in B9 can increase the risk of neural tube defects in the baby such as spina bifida. B9 is also involved in red blood cell production, and deficiency can cause folate anaemia. Most flour, bread and breakfast cereals are in fact fortified with B9 folate, so unless you are actively trying to conceive I would not worry too much about supplementing B9 or folic acid.

B12 is involved in oxygen transportation and red blood cell production as well, and deficiency can cause another type of anaemia called pernicious anaemia, which can mimic other illnesses like chronic fatigue syndrome. So it is important to supplement this vitamin if you have any symptoms of anaemia or fatigue, or if you are vegetarian or vegan.

Evidence:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/

Recommended Daily Amount:

• 200mcg B9 folate
• 1000mcg B12

Food Sources:

• marmite
• fish
• eggs
• dairy

Bioavailable Supplements:

• methylcobalamin is bioavailable, retained longer
• cyanocobalamin is synthetic, not preferred
• lozenges or sublingual tablets are the best

I take Jarrow Vitamin B12 Supplement as it is methylcobalamin based, and can be dissolved slowly under the tongue. It’s a little chalky but has a pleasant lemony flavour.

Vitamin C

As mentioned in my introduction above, I don’t generally take Vitamin C as it is widely available in the average diet.

Vitamin C is involved in a variety of body functions including wound healing, immunity, skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage. Deficiency can lead to scurvy, but is very uncommon these days, because it is so easy to get enough in the diet. Just a quarter cup of yellow or red pepper, or a cup of broccoli, or one large orange, provides enough vitamin C for the day.

Another important function of Vitamin C is that it improves absorption of other vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium, zinc and iron. It also decreases platelets “stickiness” in the blood, which reduces the risk of blood clots and stroke.

Evidence:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22429343/

Recommended Daily Amount:

• NHS recommends 40mg per day
• megadosing 1000mg has been shown to help fight off infections, so supplement when ill

Works Together With:

• zinc to fight infection
• inhibits B12 absorption so take separately

Food Sources:

• citrus fruits and berries, bell peppers, green veg

Bioavailable Supplements:

• cheap dextrose supplements are fine
• ascorbic acid is highly bioavailable anyway
• expensive liposomal vitamin C is completely unnecessary

The only time I would consider supplementing Vitamin C is when I feel a cold or infection coming on. As the second source above shows, there have been numerous studies indicating that high doses of Vitamin C at 1000mg or more can help fight infections short term, but there are no long term benefits to taking vitamin C every day.

For this I always use the cheap round chewable or soluble tablets easily available in supermarkets. The only consideration you might want to bear in mind is that some of them contain artificial sweeteners. Personally I would rather take my chances with real sugar or dextrose than aspartame, so it might be worth keeping an eye out for that. Otherwise, if you are keen to avoid sugar altogether you can obtain pure ascorbic acid in powder form, without sugar or sweeteners, which you can stir into drinks.

Vitamin D

This is one that everyone should be taking. Vitamin D is available in some foods, especially oily fish and eggs, but really the best source of Vitamin D is sunlight. When our skin is exposed to sunlight we produce Vitamin D. Unfortunately, those of us who live further from the equator tend to experience less sunlight, particularly in the winter months, and many of us are chronically deficient in Vitamin D.

It is thought that many of the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder are actually Vitamin D deficiency, including low mood, lethargy and susceptibility to illness and infection. The elderly and people with darker skin are particularly prone to Vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D has a number of important functions in the body, including regulating calcium levels, strengthening bones and teeth, and improving mood. Deficiency can cause rickets and osteomalacia. Since most food sources are animal products, vegetarians and vegans should also be prioritising Vitamin D supplements.

The way vitamin D works is to ensure there is enough calcium in the blood stream available for the body to use. So as long as you have plenty of calcium available this should not cause any problems.

However if you do not have enough calcium from food, vitamin D can in fact leach calcium from bones and teeth to fulfill the body’s needs. Overdosing Vitamin D can cause calcium build up which could result in kidney stones.

In order to counteract this, you should also take Vitamin K (see below), which strengthens bones and teeth by preventing calcium levels from falling in the bones and by reducing calcium buildup in soft tissues. In addition, you should also take calcium to ensure there is enough available for all the body’s needs.

Recommended Daily Amount:

• 400IU or 10mcg

Works Together With:

• calcium
• phosphate
• Vitamin K
• D increases calcium levels in the blood by aiding absorption (but can leach from bones and organs)
• K prevents it from being leached from bones and muscles, promotes calcification of bones and reduces calcification of soft tissues and organs
• if you’re going to take D, also take K

Food Sources:

• oily fish
• liver
• red meat
• eggs

Bioavailable Supplement:

• D3 is most bioavailable (most are vegetarian)

Evidence:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-and-vitamin-k

Supplements:

• Carlson Cod Liver Oil Super 1000s has 10mcg
• D3 and K2 contains 125% of your RDA
• Calcium and Magnesium has a small amount

The Cod Liver Oil supplements I recommended above (Carlson) also contain your RDA of Vitamin D, but I also take a separate D and K supplement to ensure I get enough Vitamin K as well, and also a Calcium and Magnesium supplement which also contains a small amount of Vitamin D as well.

This is a good D & K supplement, which is also vegetarian friendly, if you’re not taking cod liver oil:

Vitamin E

It’s unlikely that you will need to supplement Vitamin E, as it is found in most plant and seed oils including olive oil, rapeseed, sunflower, soya and corn oils, so most people get their daily amount simply from cooking oils. Our bodies can also store Vitamin E so you don’t need to ensure it is in your diet every single day.

Additionally, cod liver oil often contains Vitamin E as well, and many of the oils used as a base for other oil based supplements such as Vitamin A or D are also Vitamin E containing oils.

Vitamin E helps to maintain healthy eyes and skin and strengthens the immune system.

Vitamin K

This is NOT potassium, which has the chemical symbol of K. Vitamin K is different! (I know now, but I used to think it was the same thing…!)

I mentioned Vitamin K above, while discussing Vitamin D. It is important to take both D and K together, since they work in tandem to ensure there is enough Calcium available in the body without depleting bones and teeth or building up in organ tissues.

Vitamin K is also involved in blood clotting and wound healing, as well as healing broken bones.

Evidence:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-k/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-and-vitamin-k

Recommended Daily Amount:

• 1mcg per kilo of bodyweight
• for most people this will be somewhere around 60 to 100mcg daily

Works Together With:

• regulates calcium and phosphate in tandem with vitamin D
• D aids absorption and increases calcium blood levels (but can leach from bones)
• K promotes calcification of bones and reduces calcification in soft tissues and organs

Food Sources:

• green leafy vegetables
• grains
• vegetable oils

Bioavailable Supplements

• MK7 is the most bioavailable form

This is the supplement I recommend for Vitamins D and K, and can be taken in addition to cod liver oil or on its own. It’s suitable for vegetarians.

Calcium

As already mentioned, Calcium works alongside Vitamins D and K so it is important to take a supplement of this too, to ensure that enough calcium is available for D and K to work their magic.

As we all know, calcium improves bone density, tooth density and enamel, and prevents rickets and osteomalacia. However it is also a key factor in blood clotting and improves heart strength, and regulates muscle contraction so it is particularly useful for those who like to keep fit.

It’s also worth pointing out that Vitamin C improves absorption of Calcium, but as I’ve already mentioned, most people will have enough Vitamin C for this not to be a problem.

Evidence:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/calcium/

Recommended Daily Amount:

• 700mg per day

Works Together With:

• vitamins D and K regulate calcium levels in blood, bones and soft tissues
• magnesium also aids bone health (see below)
• vitamin C aids absorption

Food Sources:

• dairy
• green leafy vegetables
• almonds

Bioavailable Supplements:

• calcium citrate is the most bioavailable form

I take Calcium and Magnesium 1000mg, which also contains a small amount of zinc.

Collagen

I did some research into collagen after discovering that my shark cartilage chondroitin was proven by numerous studies to make no difference to joint health. Instead, the evidence points to collagen as being much more effective at maintaining healthy joints, cartilage and connective tissue.

Collagen has lots of functions in the body, including strengthening bone density, joint health, the heart and muscles, skin, nails and hair. Another substance we produce naturally is Hyaluronic Acid, which helps wound healing and lubricates joints. Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid together are much better for joints and skin than any amount of chondroitin.

In fact I will share this story about my own joints, despite it not being particularly relevant to sleep issues, you may find it interesting. I have had slight joint pain for some years, nothing too distressing or alarming, but ever since I hit my mid thirties I began to get aching knees and hips, particularly after long walks (which I love). I also had two unpleasant bouts of plantar fasciitis which involves inflammation of the ligaments in the foot.

Since I have been taking collagen on a daily basis, I have not experienced the aches and pains I was feeling before. I’ve been taking my current daily vitamin regimen for a year now, and I added collagen and hyaluronic acid approximately 8 months ago and I rarely get any joint pain now.

Evidence:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen-benefits

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/hyaluronic-acid-benefits

Recommended Daily Amount:

• collagen 8-12mg per day
• hyaluronic acid 120-240mg per day

Bioavailable Supplements:

• marine collagen is most bioavailable
• although any hydrolysed/powdered collagen will work

Supplement:

• California Gold CollagenUP (2 scoops a day)
• 10g collagen
• 120mg hyaluronic acid
• 180mg vitamin C

Now this stuff is not cheap. This is the one I use as it also contains hyaluronic acid. There are cheaper varieties, and capsules rather than powder, which are probably less unpleasant to take! But due to my joint issues I really want to make sure I’m getting the best I can afford, so I take 2 scoops of collagen powder a day.

I mix a scoop with a very small drop of water, mix it to a paste, and then add a splash of milk. Too much liquid and i find it a bit lumpy. Some people add it to smoothies, so if you’re a smoothie drinker you probably won’t notice a scoop of collagen mixed in with your fruit. Despite being marine sourced, it does not taste fishy at all.

There is a vegan collagen supplement, but I cannot vouch for how good it is, as I haven’t tried it.

Magnesium

Magnesium is another mineral that helps strengthen bones, and as it works together with Calcium, many supplements include Magnesium as well. It’s also a really beneficial one for improving sleep and low mood. It’s anti-inflammatory and lowers blood pressure, and helps to metabolise energy from food.

Evidence:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/others/

Daily Amount:

• 270-300mg per day

Works Together With:

• calcium and zinc aid absorption

Food Sources:

• nuts and grains
• spinach
• bread

Bioavailable Supplement:

• citrate form is more bioavailable

As recommended in the Calcium section, this is a good supplement for both calcium and magnesium.

Omega Oils (3, 6 and 9)

Omega oils contain the essential fatty acids our bodies cannot produce, so we need to obtain them from our food. Fortunately, these oils are all very easy to obtain in an average balanced diet.

• Omega 3 oils are polyunsaturated animal fats (mainly fish oils)
• Omega 6 oils are polyunsaturated plant fats (mostly sunflower, corn and rapeseed oils)
• Omega 9 oils are monounsaturated plant fats (olive and avocado oils)

The relationship between the various Omega oils requires a bit of explanation, but it is not complicated. Many supplements tout that they contain the “correct” ratios of Omega 3, 6 and 9.

Basically, the ratio issue is about balancing our intake of these fats so that we get as close to 1:1 as possible. This is harder than it sounds.

For decades we have been told that polyunsaturated plant fats (Omega 6 oils) are better for us than the saturated animal fats we had been eating before that. So we all dutifully switched to “healthier” plant based margarines and cooking oils.

However it appears that we only got half of the story. Yes, there are aspects of Omega 6 oils that are better for us than saturated animals fats, they contain less calories, don’t clog our arteries, etc.

But they are inflammatory compared to Omega 3 oils. Omega 3 oils, on the other hand reduce inflammation, so eating more of them would be beneficial. It is thought that the average western diet eats Omega 6 plant oils in around a 16:1 ratio to Omega 3 oils (fish oils).

Pre-industrial diets of various populations are estimated to have contained somewhere between 1:4 and 4:1 of Omega 3s and 6s. Either way, they ate far less Omega 6s and far more Omega 3s.

It is very difficult to achieve a 1:1 ratio of Omega 3s to 6s, but the goal with a western diet is essentially to eat less Omega 6 plant oils and more Omega 3 fish oils.

Omega 9 oils are not essential, since we can produce the fatty acids they contain in the body. But where they come in is in reducing the amount of Omega 6 oils we consume. Think of Omega 9s as “neutral”.

If we replace some of the Omega 6 oils we use for cooking and salads with Omega 9s instead, we are reducing our overall consumption of Omega 6s. And then, by increasing our Omega 3 consumption by eating more oily fish and taking cod liver oil, we can begin to redress the balance and bring our ratios back down.

What about if you don’t eat fish? There are plant based sources of Omega 3 oils, including hemp seed, brassicas, algae and walnuts. So don’t worry, you can still boost your Omega 3 consumption even if you are vegetarian or vegan.

Evidence:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/omega-3-6-9-overview

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/optimize-omega-6-omega-3-ratio

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-plant-sources-of-omega-3s

Recommended Daily Amount:

• 300mg omega 3

Bioavailable Supplements:

• extra virgin cod liver oil (not generic fish oil)
• cold pressed (heat damages the molecules)

The Carlson Cod Liver Oil supplements I recommend have around 250mg of Omega 3 fish oil, and the rest I get from consuming fish regularly.

There is also a good vegan Omega 3 supplement that contains around 600mg of Omega 3 oils from plant sources (algal oils).

Summary

This has been an in-depth look at the most important vitamins, minerals and supplements that are useful for general health and nutrition but also specifically beneficial for those trying to address sleep concerns.

• Vitamin A only if you’re vegetarian
• Vitamin B12 particularly for vegetarians
• Vitamin C only if you’re ill
• Vitamin D3 and K for everyone
• Calcium and Magnesium esp for insomnia
• Collagen for joints and skin
• Omega 3 for general health and inflammation

This is Part 4 of my article series How I Overcame Insomnia in 10 Steps.

So far, we’ve discussed our immediate insomnia triggers, our overall mental health and mindset, and how they affect our ability to relax and sleep.

In this article, we’ll be talking about one major factor that impacts on all of those things: the media. (By this, I mean news articles, videos, stories, social media, etc.)

We are bombarded with news stories all day, every day. Whether we like it or not, these stories affect the way we view the world, as they contribute to the picture we build up in our minds about what the world is like.

Good Dog, Bad Dog

For example, if you’d only ever seen negative news stories about dangerous dogs biting children and running amok, you would begin to think that dogs are a dangerous species. However if you’d only seen lovely heartwarming stories about rescue dogs, you would have a totally different and positive view of them.

The truth is of course that there are rescue dogs and dangerous dogs, and wolves, and millions of family pets. It’s not the actual dogs that have changed, it’s just our perception of them that changes.

This is how we build our world view.

Before the media, we would have built our view of the world based on our own experiences and what we were told by family members and friends. And those experiences still form a part of our world view.

But in modern times we also have numerous other ways of building up our picture of the world, including school, university, work colleagues, books, magazines, newspapers, advertising, tv, films, the news, the internet and social media.

Messages

All of these forms of media constantly bombard us, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with messages about ourselves, other people, politics, our country, other countries.

Most of the messages are negative. Positive news stories do not sell as many subscriptions and get as many views as negative news stories, so most media outlets promote negative stories that elicit angry or fearful responses.

Just think what those constant anger and fear producing headlines are doing to your state of mind! You may not notice it from day to day, as we have all become so accustomed to hearing it.

Even if we don’t consciously think about these headlines and stories you can be sure that it is affecting our subconscious.

Negative Perceptions

Remember what happens when we only hear bad things about dogs? We learn to fear dogs. When we only hear bad things about the world, we learn to fear that, too.

When we are afraid or angry, our body enters a state known as “Fight or Flight”, during which we produce cortisol (the stress hormone) which raises our blood pressure and increases our heart rate.

Short term, this is beneficial because it enables us to act quickly, run away (if necesary) or boost our physical performance.

But long term, if we spend too much time in this state, we end up with health problems, high blood pressure, exhaustion, and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

Long term stress is a known killer, increasing our risk of heart disease, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, heart attacks and stroke.

Pros and Cons

Of course, there are also good reasons to keep up to date with the news. We need to be informed of what is going on in the world, and find out about changes that might affect us.

Especially at the moment, when Covid rules change week by week, depending on where we live, we obviously need to keep up with recent news.

Also many of us feel we should be informed of atrocities being committed elsewhere so that we can try to help in some way – donating or signing petitions, for example. Sometimes just being aware of it feels like we are helping in a way, by having empathy and raising awareness.

Unfortunately, we do all this at great cost to our physical and mental health.

Balance

Finding a balance between the pros and cons is crucial.

Designate a time of day to catch up on the news. If you find yourself scrolling through negative story after negative story, feeling more and more dejected, try limiting your news consumption to a certain period of time.

I won’t look at news first thing in the morning now, since I found it was making me feel sad or angry or depressed right at the start of my day. It was having a lasting effect on my mood, and how I interacted with people, for the rest of the day.

I also stopped reading the news in the evenings before bed, as some stories could rile me up and increase my heart rate, just when I was trying to relax and settle in for the night.

Personally, I find the best time for me to look at news is around mid afternoon. This means it does not affect my morning mood or cast a shadow over my day, and it is early enough that I can still relax afterwards in the evening.

Detach

In fact I went further than just limiting the time I spent on news and social media. I began to detach myself from it emotionally.

I learned to see the negative stories for what they really were: deliberately divisive. We all know that news outlets are biased. In the UK it is easy to identify which newspapers are left wing and which are right wing, simply by the spin they put on every news event. I am sure it’s the same all over the world.

It’s not that one publication has the “correct” view and the other is completely wrong and biased. It works both ways! Even my own preferred outlet is biased, presenting its own angle on the story, and only caters to one particular audience’s political view.

Once we realise how biased it all is, we can begin to switch off from it.

I learned to spot how the writer was trying to appeal to my own values, and manipulate me (using fear, guilt, or anger) into believing a certain viewpoint or having sympathy for certain people.

I realised I was being manipulated to not only feel positive about certain things, but also feel negative about others, and feel conflict against people with alternative viewpoints.

Politics

Many of us feel that politics is extremely important, and that we must stand up for what we believe in, to bring about justice and change. It is important! I’m certainly not denying that.

But I am asking you to question how involved you need to be. And to question what you should do in order to feel like you are making a difference.

Getting involved in online arguments on social media may make you feel like you’re doing something useful against what you perceive as a negative aspect of humanity.

But in truth, we rarely change someone else’s mind by disagreeing with them or pointing out the flaws in their arguments.

Remember, the people you’re arguing with feel just as strongly about their viewpoint as you do about yours. Are they going to change your mind? Are you really going to change theirs?

Social Media

The other major source of negativity is social media. Now you may be fortunate enough to have a selection of positive, optimistic, accepting friends and a calm, content social media feed to match.

But it is more likely that there is some negativity coming from your social media in one or more of the following forms:

• pity
• shock
• sadness
• guilt
• jealousy
• anger
• fear

If we have a lot of beautiful, successful or fortunate friends, looking through the social media window into their lives can make our own lives feel mundane, boring, depressing or worthless by comparison.

But please remember that the pictures shared on social media are only the ones that the poster feels represent them in the most flattering light. Many pictures are edited and filtered before we ever get to see them.

The stories people write about their own lives for public consumption are rarely described exactly as they happened. People often exaggerate and omit and embellish the truth.

Sometimes for attention, sometimes for pity, sometimes because they feel the pressure to make their lives look as good as the friends they see on their feed.

Take it all with a pinch of salt.

And if you find that difficult, and keep getting drawn into the jealousy and pity and negativity, consider whether it would do you more good to just delete your account altogether.

Find Other Ways

I have always prided myself on keeping up to date with politics and socially conscious conversations. I consider myself progressive and liberal. I believe in freedom of expression and fair democracy.

So I was conflicted about reducing my involvement in politics. I didn’t want to become apathetic, uncaring or pretend it didn’t matter to me. But it was affecting my mental health and I knew I had to do something about it.

I decided that instead of getting riled up by stories that were designed to upset me, I would take note of the factual elements of the story and try to ignore the manipulative emotional elements.

Another tactic I employ now is that instead of reading about things that I find sad or appalling, I choose a cause that matters to me and make a regular contribution.

For example, I kept finding myself reading heartbreaking stories about homeless people and people in abject poverty. I felt sad and distressed that these people were not being helped.

So I researched homelessness charities and decided to support a local foodbank which provides food parcels to those in need in my local area. I set up a regular monthly payment to the charity, and now I know that I am doing something tangible to help, I do not feel the need to read such articles.

(If you’d like to take action against poverty in your area, here’s a link to the Trussell Trust, which funds foodbanks to help people in need across the UK.)

Take Control

I now read the news purely to keep up with events. I read a variety of sources to try and get a balanced view of each story, and distance myself from any emotionally manipulative content.

Don’t get me wrong, I still feel emotions in response to world events and news stories. I continue to hold my political ideals and values. I continue to have compassion.

I just recognise now when I’m feeling fear, guilt or anger. I notice when I’m being manipulated. I stop, and take control of my emotional reaction, by deciding what I can actively do instead (signing a petition, donating to a cause, for example).

This allows me to rise above the negative emotions and focus my time and effort on achieving my goals instead of worrying.

Summary

• Constant negative news affects our health
• Recognise bias and manipulation in the media
• Designate what time of day you read the news
• Limit the amount of time you spend reading news
• Notice when your react emotionally to stories
• Find another way to do something about it

This is Part 3 of my article series How I Overcame Insomnia in 10 Steps.

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when suffering with insomnia is to look to external circumstances as the cause of their suffering.

Yes, external circumstances do affect us, and yes they do play a role in developing insomnia.

But is it vital to stop looking for reasons that keep you in the insomnia mindset.

This is such an important point. If you feel like a victim of circumstances, you will be a victim. If you decide to take control of the situation, you will be in control.

Once I had made the decision to take control I suddenly felt much more in control and felt that I could actually do things to improve my situation.

Insomnia Mindset

Examples of thought processes that keep us mired in the insomnia mindset:

• I can’t help it, it’s just how I am
• I’ve always been a night owl chronotype
• it doesn’t matter what I do, I toss and turn all night
• My brain just won’t switch off

Now before you get defensive, hear me out.

I told myself all of these things and more, repeatedly, for years. I focused on information about my chronotype and how my natural personality and genetics meant I would just have to live with it. I kept reminding myself that my father is the same, and his father before him. I was destined to be a night owl and struggle with mornings.

I read articles which said that researchers have evidence that chronotypes are genetic. Even science backed up my destiny of being an insomnia sufferer!

I blamed my busy, active mind for not being able to switch off, I thought I was a worrier, an anxiety sufferer, with a naturally alert and restless brain.

Now don’t get me wrong, these things we tell ourselves may well be true – at some point in our lives. But they don’t have to be true forever!

Neuroplasticity

If you’ve never heard of neuroplasticity, here’s a great article to help you understand the basics:

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-brain-plasticity-2794886

The simple fact is, our brains are constantly growing new neurons and rewiring our thoughts and memories all the time.

This is how we learn, and re-learn, new things throughout our lives. It is a myth that we cannot learn as adults. Of course we can! Otherwise my mother would still be texting in all capital letters, and my elderly neighbour would not be able to skype his family in Canada every thursday.

What this means is that every time we tell ourselves we have insomnia, we are re-training our brains to to think that. Every time we remind ourselves that our chronotype is genetic, we are constantly reinforcing that same old story.

Fixed Mindset

The insomnia mindset is a fixed mindset. This means we tell ourselves all the time that we can’t do anything about it. It’s not our fault. It’s our external circumstances, our genetics, our personality.

A fixed mindset means just that – it is fixed. There is nowhere to go with it. It doesn’t move or budge.

Growth Mindset

The opposite of a fixed mindset is a growth mindset. And this is where neuroplasticity comes in.

A growth mindset accepts the fact that our brains are always rewiring and forming new neural networks. A growth mindset allows our brain the time and patience to grow and change. A growth mindset is crucial for changing our habits.

The Power of “Yet”

My daughter learned in school that there was one simple word she could add to her sentences to change her outlook from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. The word was “yet”.

Instead of saying and believing, “I can’t do algebra”, she and her classmates were encouraged to say and believe, “I can’t do algebra yet“.

This one little word changed the whole meaning of the sentence, from a fixed mindset attitude of not being able to do something and never being able to do something – into a growth mindset attitude of being able to learn how to do it.

And this, my friends, is how we tackle anything in life, from insomnia to stopping smoking to weight training.

If you truly want to take control of insomnia and re-wire your brain, you can tell yourself a new story. It really is that simple.

Your New Mindset

So how do we go about changing our mindset, our attitude, our beliefs?

We just need to reframe how we think of ourselves. Instead of focusing on those old stories we told and beliefs we had about ourselves – our genetics, our personality, our chronotype – we simply change our focus to change, empowerment and control.

Earlier, I gave you some examples of the kinds of statements someone with a fixed insomnia mindset might say.

Now I’m going to give you some phrases which you may find useful in re-orienting to a growth mindset:

• “I’m taking control of my sleeping patterns”
• “I’m recovering from insomnia”
• “I’m just having a bad night” (instead of “I can never sleep, this always happens to me” etc)
• “I’m not a morning person yet!”
• “I’m improving my sleep habits day by day”

You can come up with your own phrases too, just make sure that they reinforce your ability to change your situation.

Correct Yourself

Every time you find yourself saying something that keeps you in a fixed mindset, immediately correct yourself and remind yourself that you are taking control, you are making changes, and that you are improving your sleep day by day.

As you keep doing this, keep reframing your thoughts and phrases, keep reinforcing your own ability to change, you will find that that’s exactly what will happen.

I know, it sounds too simple to be true! But it really, really works. You can do anything you put your mind to. I promise!

Summary

• examine your thoughts and beliefs surrounding insomnia
• identify when you are coming from a fixed mindset
• learn about neuroplasticity
• our brains constantly learn and re-learn new things
• we can change our habits no matter how ingrained
• swap fixed mindset for growth mindset phrases
• correct your unhelpful thoughts and beliefs
• take control, empower yourself to make changes in your life

This is Part 5 of my article series How I Overcame Insomnia in 10 Steps.

As I’ve been saying throughout this series of articles, there are lots of factors that affect how well we sleep. We’ve discussed mental health and triggers, and how the media we consume affects our state of mind.

One of the main reasons I struggle to sleep is that I find it difficult to switch my brain off at night. I’ve thought about this a lot. Is it because I have a naturally very active mind? Or have I trained my brain into being active by constantly reading and watching things that rile me up and make me think things over all the time? I think probably both of those things are true.

Overthinking

I do a lot of thinking! I think about everything. Sometimes that’s a really great thing. It’s enabled me to do well academically, and plays a big part in my ability to learn about my own behaviour and change my habits!

However it does also come with down sides. I worry about things I needn’t worry about. I overthink everything. I suffer with anxiety. And of course, I sometimes keep myself up at night with thoughts and worries running around my head.

But I have learned how my mind works, and I have now developed strategies to calm and relax my mind. The key is to try out a few different techniques, as some people respond better to some methods than others. Find what works for you.

Personally, I prefer quiet audiobooks, podcasts and sleep stories. I find spoken word more relaxing than music. It works for me, because it guides my busy mind into thinking about something, but in a directed, limited way. You might agree with me, or you might be different.

Many people like to listen to music as they fall asleep – I find music actually keeps me awake. So it’s all about doing a bit of trial and error to find out what works best for you.

Headphones

Now, most of these suggestions centre around listening to something when you go to bed. So before I get onto the list of suggestions, I need to take a minute to talk about headphones.

You’ll need some decent headphones that are comfortable enough to sleep in. I started using my normal earbuds but quickly found that constantly having something in my ears at night was causing my pain and itchiness that could have led to infections.

So I investigated some other types of headphones and came across this brilliant bluetooth headphone sleep mask. As with all bluetooth headphones and speakers, the controls take a little bit of getting used to, but I love mine now and have recommended it to everyone I know!

These are readily and cheaply available on Amazon, along with some other types of wireless over-ear headphones such as in elasticated headbands or even beanie hats! I wholeheartedly recommend the sleep mask personally as it also has the effect of blocking out light if your room is not completely dark.

Here are some of the bluetooth headphones I’ve tried:

• Bluetooth sleep mask
• Bluetooth headband
• Bluetooth hat

If you don’t want to use headphones, you can just use your phone speaker, as long as you don’t share a room with anyone else. But I find that headphones provide better sound quality and help to reduce background noise as well.

With the audio practicalities out of the way, let’s move onto the suggestions:

Relaxing Music

If you’ve been in a spa or had a massage in a treatment room you’ll know how much the music adds to the experience. Sometimes I like to pretend I’m at the spa and deck out my bathroom with aromatherapy candles and dim the lights and have a hot bath listening to spa music.

There are Spa Music playlists on Spotify, although if you’re a free member you run the risk of an awful advert blaring at you every half an hour. Amazon Music and iTunes are another way to play your relaxing music. And as mentioned above, Calm app and Headspace both feature relaxing music tracks in their libraries.

You can also find long music tracks on YouTube for spa music. These tend to fall into categories such as relaxing piano music, panpipe music, spa music, binaural music, chillout music, and orchestral classical music (amongst others).

Think about what type of music you find most relaxing. Experiment with a few different genres until you find one you really like. And it really is personal preference, some people love to have a regular beat to relax, while others can’t have a beat at all.

And it’s also worth bearing in mind that even if music relaxes you, it may not help you fall asleep. I found early on that although I love music and especially relaxing spa music, my mind wants to follow the melody and it stops me from drifting off. If this is the case for you, try spoken word or ambient sounds instead.

Spoken Word

Like music with all its various genres, spoken word is another huge category. Not least because there are so many subjects under the sun from fiction to non-fiction, poetry, philosophy and religious texts. But also because there are a multitude of different formats which are outlined below.

Audiobooks

The best audiobook app hands down is Audible. If you’ve not come across Audible, it’s Amazon’s audiobook app. You can have a free trial where you get two free books to start with, and then if you sign up it’s £7.99 a month, with a free book every month. Once a year on your birthday you get 2 extra free books. So if you listen to a lot of audiobooks like I do, £7.99 per book is pretty reasonable. You can of course buy and redeem more credits if you want to, but to be honest the free one a month has stood me in good stead for about three years so far! Try an Audible free trial.

You can listen to classic literature such as Austen or Dickens, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, modern literature, film adaptations. There is also a huge wealth of non-fiction books in such diverse categories as Computing, Self-Help, History, Spirituality, or Gardening. There are also affirmations and hypnotherapy tracks on Audible too.

There are free audiobook apps too, such as LibriVox but you will find their catalogues are limited compared to Audible. LibriVox in particular specialises in public domain works (ie classic texts whose copyright has expired). I actually have found some really great texts on LibriVox including all the old Law of Attraction stuff such as Think and Grow Rich, The Game of Life and How to Play It, etc.

Before I discovered sleep stories (more on this further down), I would listen to epic fantasy books, particularly Tolkien, such as the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, and my other favourite author Neil Gaiman. These kinds of books whisked me away to another world, where whatever it is that bothers me, doesn’t exist, and the characters’ quests are far more important and world changing than anything I could be worried about.

Podcasts

Another great spoken word format is the podcast, which has rapidly grown in popularity in the last few years. Like audiobooks, there are podcasts on every conceivable subject! Find yourself a good podcast player (such as Player FM or PocketCasts) and start searching for your favourite subjects.

I particularly like podcasts on history, spirituality, self help and motivation during the day. But for night time it’s worth bearing in mind how you feel about the hosts’ and guests’ voices. Sometimes, with the best will in the world, the most interesting podcasts are not always great for falling asleep to!

Experiment and see what you can find, I found that while I enjoy learning about politics, it’s not the best choice for my bedtime listening as it tends to get me riled up (either angry or motivated). But the Roman conquest of Britain works well – I find ancient history fascinating, but not emotionally rousing. I can quite easily drift off listening to someone quietly reading Tacitus…!

This is all down to personal preference, so it’s important to try several things to find out what works best for you.

Sleep Stories

A major turning point for me was discovering the Calm app and its wonderful sleep stories. I’ve done a whole article on sleep apps – but I will mention Calm here since it has sections for stories, calming music, ambient sounds and guided meditation tracks. And all of that is completely free, with no adverts. Download it below and try it out for yourself.

The sleep stories are specifically designed to lull you to sleep. They feature calming scenarios, particularly themed around travelling – such as walks in the countryside, train rides, boat rides, and descriptive scenes of travelling to other countries. They are read gently and calmly by some really lovely relaxing voices. My favourite voices to listen to on the Calm app are Alan Sklar and Chiké Okonkwo.

I find what works so well about these stories, is the way they allow my mind to continue thinking and wandering as it likes to do, but in a more structured and limited way. The stories are so descriptive you cannot help but imagine and experience the scenes. Each story is about half an hour long, and is cleverly written to gradually relax you and calm your mind until you drop off.

Calm App:

• https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calm/id571800810
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.calm.android

Meditation

Personally, I find meditation to be very difficult. I have a busy, chattering mind, and I live in a noisy city that doesn’t sleep, and I have demanding kids. I know, I know, all the more reason to practise, right? But I do really struggle, especially at night.

However, I have used guided meditiation tracks on occasion, and I know that some people really enjoy these. The Calm app above features meditation tracks in addition to sleep stories, but there are two further apps I’d recommend for meditation:

Headspace App:

This app is really popular for meditation because it makes meditation so accessible for everyone. There are long and short meditations, and tracks for kids as well. This is the one to go for if you are a complete beginner and feel a bit intimidated by the idea of meditation.

• https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/headspace-meditation-sleep/id493145008
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.getsomeheadspace.android

Insight Timer App:

This is one I’ve had recommended to me by numerous friends, mainly because it covers all the various different styles of meditation and a huge library of meditations for all experience levels. This is the one to get if you have meditated before or have an understanding of mindfulness, yoga, buddhism or other (particularly eastern) spiritual practices.

• https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/insight-timer-meditation-app/id337472899
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spotlightsix.zentimerlite2

If you’re interested in sleep apps, take a look at my article on the best sleep apps for 2021.

Ambient Sounds

If you find spoken word and music too distracting to listen to while you try to fall asleep, you could try ambient sounds.

By ambient sounds, I mean sounds you might hear in the background of certain scenes or situations. Some common examples are:

• the sea (generally the tide, but sometimes also featuring sea birds, or the infamous whale song!)
• rain (from light drizzle to thunderstorms)
• crackling fire
• forest sounds (these can be european or tropical, depending on preference)
• womb heartbeat
• white noise (the static sound of a radio not tuned into a station)
• ASMR (see below)

The usual theme is sounds from nature, and our preferences in this genre tend to tap into our childhood memories. There is something calming and relaxing about the sound of rain against the window, a fire crackling in the fireplace, the tide rushing into the shore.

These kinds sounds are also reminiscent of the slow, rhythmic sounds of the mother’s heartbeat in the womb and some psychologists believe we may find these sounds relaxing as they subconsciously remind us of our time in utero.

Long play audio tracks are available for all these ambient sounds and more on YouTube and can be downloaded via iTunes and Amazon Music too.

Sometimes I actually really love just listening to the sound of rain tapping against a window pane. It takes me right back to the hours I passed drawing pictures in our glass conservatory as a child, rain pattering down as I scribbled away for hours.

Try out some ambient sounds, especially if you’re finding music or spoken word recordings too distracting for sleep.

ASMR

Sooooo ambient sounds kind of bring me onto ASMR. This acronym apparently means “autonomous sensory meridian response”. Who knew?

I’ll be honest, this does nothing for me, but some people apparently find it very relaxing, so it’s definitely worth mentioning.

The basic premise is that for some people, the sound of people whispering, or scratching something with a particular texture, or tapping certain objects can be very relaxing. So I will include this in ambient sounds, as the sounds are generally the kinds of sounds you might hear at home, or in an office, or another particular setting.

Summary

• Our minds like to think and contemplate
• At night we need to quiet that inner voice
• Audio recordings can help to guide our minds into calmer, quieter activities
• Music, spoken word, meditation and ambient sounds can all help
• Try getting a comfortable bluetooth headband or sleep mask
• Experiment with a variety of genres until you find what works for you

This is Part 2 in my article series How I Overcame Insomnia in 10 Steps.

A major contributing factor to insomnia for many people is mental health. I think it’s really about time I addressed mental health on this site, since it is so often a big part of the reason people suffer with insomnia.

My Story

In my case, I had suffered with some form of anxiety or depression on and off since my teens. I’d never been diagnosed, I’d never taken medication nor had any counselling. In fact I’d never seen a doctor about it at all. For years I thought I could manage, it wasn’t that bad, it was normal, etc. (All the same things many people suffering with mental health issues tell themselves.)

I’d started to take it more seriously after a bout of what I assume was post-natal depression, but still avoided seeking help, and was not picked up by my post-natal doctor. Eventually, during my time at university as a mature student, it all got a bit much. The insomnia, the stress, the crippling anxiety that was making me want to hide indoors forever.

And so I approached my doctor about the anxiety I was suffering from, and she was really understanding and gave me some great advice. I was so glad I finally talked about it, and wondered why I’d put it off for so long. I was prescribed a low dose of an anti-anxiety medication as an interim solution, “to get me back on an even keel”. It really helped.

Natural Therapy or Medication?

Although the ethos of this site is natural remedies and avoiding medication, it is definitely worth speaking to your doctor about your mental health as this so often goes hand in hand with insomnia.

I’m not saying that my anti-anxiety medication fixed all my sleep problems immediately – far from it, in fact. I remember feeling frustrated that even after a few months, my insomnia still hadn’t cleared up.

But what it did do was help in the long run by improving one of the major factors contributing to my insomnia. My mental health is much better now, and that has had an enormous knock-on effect on all other aspects of my life, including sleep.

There are other treatments your doctor could recommend, including counselling sessions, which could also be worth trying, CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) or milder medications or herbal supplements such as St. John’s Wort.

It is always worth speaking to your doctor if you are concerned about your mental health.

Baby Steps

While in the grasp of a mental health problem, it is extremely difficult to take the steps to improve your situation. I know from personal experience.

My advice would be to look for the smallest, closest, easiest thing you can do first, and do that. Baby steps is the key to improving your mental health, starting with what you can do, and working step by step towards the things that currently feel out of reach.

Here are some very small baby steps that helped me to gradually improve my mental health over the space of about a year:

• cleaning one thing in the bathroom
• buying myself cheap flowers from the supermarket
• vitamin D (more on this in my vitamins article)
• going outside every single day (even for 10 mins)
• stopping reading the news constantly

You’ll notice that a lot of these baby steps overlap with the other steps in this article series. That’s because they are all interlinked, and they all work together to make you better.

(For example, my decision to stop reading distressing news every day made a surprisingly big difference to my overall wellbeing, and I’ve written a whole article on the effect of News and Media on insomnia.)

Physical Health and Mental Health

It’s really all the same. Your mind is part of your body. Your mental health is affected by your physical health, and vice versa. I have a whole article on physical health and exercise, but I just want to mention the importance of walking here.

Getting out for some daily exercise and fresh air on a regular basis really does gradually improve your mental health. If you don’t feel you can manage a long walk, start by going to the end of the street. Or the local shop. Or round the block. Build up your confidence and stamina, and work up to a long hike in the countryside.

If you have a fitbit or other health tracker, you could use a step counter to encourage you to spend more time outside. Set yourself and achievable, but slightly challenging goal and work towards it. Then increase once you hit your goal, and repeat.

Vitamins

I won’t go into too much detail here as there is a whole article on vitamins. But suffice it to say, there are countless studies showing that a huge percentage of people are vitamin D deficient, especially in Britain and other northern countries. See these two articles, for example:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-deficiency-symptoms

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068797/

The study above calls vitamin D deficiency an “ignored epidemic”. It’s even more common in elderly people, vegetarians, people with darker skin, and those who are overweight.

Vitamin D has a multitude of important functions in the body, and is thought to be crucial in preventing many diseases including diabetes, alzheimers, osteoporosis, depression and even some cancers. Vitamin D deficiency can weaken your immune system and make you more prone to infections, illnesses, fatigue and depression.

If you only start taking one supplement to help with insomnia and mental health, vitamin D would be an excellent choice. Of all the various vitamins and minerals we need, vitamin D is about the most reliably tested – yes we do need it, most of us are at least a little bit deficient, and yes the supplement does make you feel better. Especially in the winter.

If you want to know more about my journey with vitamins and other supplements, I’ve researched and written a whole article on them as part of this series.

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Self Care

In addition to these various steps, do not overlook simply making time for yourself.

So many of us are so busy with work, studying, helping children with school work, running the household, and keeping up social lives, self care can sometimes get forgotten about.

We often feel guilty for taking time for ourselves when there are so many other responsibilities we have. But actually, if you don’t make time for yourself, you run the risk of burning out and failing to meet your obligations anyway. And a happy parent is a better parent in virtually any situation I can think of.

Self care means whatever you need to relax. It can mean booking a weekend away with friends when your partner has been out 3 weekends in a row and you haven’t seen your friends for too long. It could mean taking a long hot bubble bath and locking the door. It could be settling down with a good book instead of going to that work function you’re dreading.

Sometimes we just need to learn to say no to other people and take some time for ourselves.

Summary

• Think seriously about your mental health.
• Are you dealing with trauma, bereavement, anxiety, depression?
• Speak to your doctor if you’re concerned.
• Explore treatment options.
• Take baby steps to improve your mental health.
• Get outside, get fresh air, get some vitamin D.
• Don’t forget to make time for self care.

This is Part 1 in my article series How I Overcame Insomnia in 10 Steps.

It’s very difficult to address a problem if you don’t know what’s causing it. The first step to regaining control of your sleep health is to get some insight into what triggers it.

The most common causes for insomnia are stress, poor mental health, irregular sleep patterns and poor sleep hygiene – these are the long term factors that contribute to insomnia. In the long run, we need to address these root causes in order to improve our sleep over time.

But insomnia is also affected by short term, immediate triggers. Understanding these can give us insight into preventing bouts from occurring, by avoiding our triggers.

In my case, I’ve had bouts of insomnia since adolescence, but this most recent one was caused by returning to university as a mature student. The stress, the inconsistent start times of lectures, and the late nights finishing assignments after my kids had gone to bed – all contributed to an awful sleep routine.

Keep a Diary

I started by keeping a diary of my sleep (if you’re using a sleep tracker app, you could combine this data) and the things I had been doing that day. You can be as vague or as detailed as you like here, but bear in mind the more detail you include, the more useful the diary will be.

Include things like, what you’ve eaten and at what time, your activities throughout the day, what you watched before bed, how you felt that day emotionally, etc.

Over a week or two, tracking your activities like this will help you to identify patterns in your sleep cycles.

Food and Drink

For example, I noticed that I struggled to sleep particularly if I’d eaten too late at night. Obviously, my digestive system was still working away and preventing me from sleeping.

I adjusted this by making sure I had my last meal earlier in the evening. Of course, this did not fix my sleep problems in one fell swoop but it certainly helped overall by removing one of the many triggers.

Another really common trigger is caffeine. I now limit my caffeime to before lunchtime. Because I just love the taste of coffee, I have found a good quality decaffeinated coffee that I drink now in the afternoons.

Mental Health

Another trigger I identified was my mental health. I talk more about mental health in another article, but I’ll mention it here as it was a key turning point for me to discover how much my mental health was affecting my sleep patterns.

If you suffer with anxiety or depression, or if you’re under a lot of stress, if you’re recovering from trauma or have experienced a bereavement, it is always worth speaking to your doctor, as they may be able to help you.

As always on this site, I prefer to find alternative methods to medication, but do check with your doctor in case medication is appropriate short term.

Emotional State

Look at how your mental health affects you in the evenings. Try to assess how you are feeling in the hour or two before you go to bed. Do you feel relaxed? Sleepy? Content? Or are you feeling anxious, restless, wound up?

It might sound obvious, but if you’re not relaxed, you’re going to struggle to fall asleep. Start looking for ways you can remove a little bit of that stress from the evenings – instead of watching a tense thriller, choose a calmer film or tv show. If you’ve been reading news that makes you angry or upset, try limiting that before bed, and read some relaxing fiction instead. I talk more about media choices here.

In my case, I realised that getting wound up about the state of the world right before bed time was doing me no favours at all! I made a conscious decision to stop reading the news at night and started a routine of more relaxing evening activities, such as learning a language on DuoLingo, reading fiction, listening to audiobooks, warm baths.

Summary

• Start keeping a journal of your daily activities.
• Identify patterns where your sleep is better or worse.
• Assess your emotional state in the evenings.
• Identify your triggers and begin to take steps to avoid them.