Wake Up Ready Ft. Kalms

Sunday, January 24, 2016
I've always had problems sleeping, it takes me hours and hours to fall asleep and it has been an on and off problem since I was a child. I've come to the conclusion that my brain just doesn't want to switch off and it doesn't help at all that I am a worrier and I have anxiety - go me!

The Kalms Wake Up Ready campaign focuses on making yourself aware of your sleep patterns, what you could change in order for you to have a better nights sleep and to wake up ready for the next day. I have been filling out a basic sleep diary over the past three or so weeks in order for me to keep track of how well I've slept, my sleep patterns and what factors might be affecting my sleep, positively or negatively.

Firstly, I think monitoring your sleep patterns, the effect of your sleep each day and the factors that influence you having a good or bad nights sleep is important for understanding and also how you can change for the better. Just a side note, the campaign is related to Kalms but I have not been taking the Kalms night tablets for this campaign.

One main factor that I have found to be negatively affect my sleep is one of my biggest weaknesses...social media. I go to bed at a reasonable time, probably far too reasonable for someone in their early 20's but then I spend maybe three or so hours on my iPhone, iPod or iPad either watching Youtube, reading via my Kindle app, scrolling through Twitter or Instagram or more recently Pinterest which is the place my productivity and need to sleep go to die. It's become quite a big factor as to why I don't get as much sleep as I probably should so from now on I'm going to keep all of my electronics in my office *when it has finished being redecorated which I'm super excited about* to see if that change can help me sleep more.

Another main factor that affects my sleep is two fold - my anxiety/active mind and my eczema - both are so distracting and keep me up at night. Anxiety is something I've always kind of had *I'm a worrier by nature* but over the past year it has become much worse and it can affect my sleep. Anxiety also triggers my eczema, it's like a vicious circle, I am anxious then I get eczema, then I can't sleep which makes me focus on my burning face as I try to sleep then I become anxious that I won't be as productive the next day - you can see the problem. I have downloaded a few mindfulness apps and books to try and help and one thing that definitely does help me is breathing meditation and yoga so I plan on starting a nighttime routine of yoga and or meditation before bed to see if it helps, fingers crossed.  Also baths before bed, pillow mists and lavender essential oils around my room seem to help too.

When I've had a bad nights sleep, naturally I can't function as well the next day and I reach of the coffee, which I should probably cut down on. I don't want to do anything but watch TV or a movie or play on the Xbox so I don't have a productive day at all. So it is definitely important to have a good nights sleep so you can wake up ready for the next day.

I have found the past three or so weeks helping in at least confirming what I thought was negatively and positively affecting my sleep and I now know what I need to do to help me sleep better although it will be easier said than done. This is a sponsored post.

Check out the Kalms sleep tips:


  1. Always get up at the same time - even at the weekend.
    It might seem like you need a lie in to make up for the sleep you haven’t got, but to break a cycle of sleeping problems you need to train your body into a good sleeping pattern.
  1. Avoid catnaps during the day.
    It’ll only make it harder to get into good sleeping habits.
  1. Replace caffeine and alcohol with hot milky drinks.
    Alcohol won’t help you sleep properly. If you are having trouble cutting out caffeine, set yourself a time in the day past which you don’t have it.
  1. Unwind with a hot bath and lavender bubbles.
    Both will aid sleep by helping you feel more relaxed.
  1. Exercise during the day.
    Exercising at night will actually make you more awake and you’ll find it harder to get to sleep.
  1. Get to bed at the same time every night.
    It’ll help your body prepare itself for sleep.
  1. Make your bedroom a shrine to sleep.
    No TV, no smart phones!
  1. Alleviate your worries. 
    Try writing them down before you go to bed.
  1. Try a traditional herbal remedy.
    Valerian root has been used for centuries due to its natural sedative effect.
  1. Don’t lie there frustrated.
    If you can’t sleep, get up and do something (non strenuous) for a while.

What do you do to sleep better? What factors affect your sleep pattern? 

12 comments

  1. I think my phone/technology is such a large factor nowadays of why people have trouble sleeping! It's not good for us at all, and I always try to remember to have a 'cool down' hour before I go to sleep with NO phones or laptop (although this is easier said than done). It's so important to learn more about your body to make sure you get enough rest, though.

    Jodie @ Jodetopia x

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    Replies
    1. I need to have a 'cool down' before going to sleep! x

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  2. This was a really interesting reading since I suffer from insomnia. What I'm doing lately is to turn off any single thing in my room at 23:00, cel, tv, iPad... and believe it or not, it works! Have a great week! xx

    Ale | www.alemint.net

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  3. a couple of weeks ago i was finding it really hard to sleep, i kinda figured out it was because my mind was so active due to social media... i just stopped going on my phone before bed and i got back to sleeping properly again :)

    Hannah at WRITTEN BY HANNAH

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    Replies
    1. I definitely need to stop scrolling through social media at night! x

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  4. These sound really interesting, I may pick them up as I sometimes suffer with my sleep!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My mum used to use them and they worked well for her x

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  5. I use Kalms so much ! They really help me. I always used to pick up the sleep ones as I found they really worked for me. Reading this has made me wonder weather my anxiety triggers my skin ! (Im not sure if I have eczema but I kind of think I might) I may have to look more in to it now ! Thank you for the helpful post :)
    Alex ox
    http://www.champagneandlemonadeox.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It may be eczema - maybe you could go and see your GP or dermatologist x

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  6. I'm rubbish to getting sleep because I always look at my phone in bed! I need to stop doing that so I can have a better night sleep. I've been running a lot recently though and I find that helps me sleep the whole night through. Lovely post heather! x

    www.freydefleur.com

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  7. I tried Kalms before, and it just never worked for me. My mind goes too fast for them, sadly :(
    Angie | Chocolate & Lipstick | Beauty, Fashion & Lifestyle Blog

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