[CHAT] ZZZZZZleep!
Imagine you wake up to the sound of your alarm with only 4 hours of sleep - you feel horrible and tired, not ready to face the day ahead.
OR you’re awakened by the tone of your alarm and you’ve had 8 hours of restored sleep, you wake with a smile and jump out of bed ready to face the day. Which scenario best describes your usual morning awakening?
For most people in this day and age, lack of sleep is becoming popular, with all our busy lives quality of sleep is decreasing as is bad sleep hygiene practices.
Sleep is more than just a resting mechanism it is a way your body biologically repairs and prepares you for the day ahead. It is important for a number of reasons including mental sharpness, emotional stability and physical health. Many disorders and diseases are related to inefficient sleep and poor sleep quality.
Sleep involves 2 main stages, NON-REM (rapid eye movement) and REM sleep. NON-REM occurs first and involves 3 main stages, which are followed by REM stage, when dreaming occurs and your eyes are actually moving back and forth.
The quality of your sleep is just as important as the quantity. One can have 8 hours of sleep but still wake feeling sleep deprived because the quality of their sleep wasn’t ideal.
Join us to discuss all things zzZzzleeep on Monday 28th at 8pm AEST. We want to hear from you, how you feel when you’ve had a good night’s sleep or a terrible pillow-covers-the-face “I don’t want to get out of bed” sleep.
@stonepixie have you tried peppermint tea i find it very beneficial it's also very soothing
@Myvo @delicatedreamer It is so good! But they discontinued my favourite tea. 
@m-y93 no I haven't. The current tea I have is a blend of chamomile, mint and some other fancy stuff. It just smells devine.
What are some of the reasons we cant get to sleep when even our environment is ideal?
eg stress, thinking alot etc
Sometimes I cant sleep if Im thinking too much about the day or things that have happened recently
Its hard once you think a little not to just go on a huge thinking detour and your brain kind of forgets what its supposed to be doing - SLEEPING!
Some things I like to do when this happens is imagine all my limbs one by one getting heavy and relaxed and then (I cant remember where I learn this or if this is really weird haha but it usually works) I imagine a warm ball of light in my body spreading down each limb to the tip of my toes and fingers and then you can feel yourself getting heavy and relaxing. Then I try and focus on my whole body getting deeper and deeper into sleep until i feel like I am riiiiiiight on the edge of sleepsville
@m-y93 One word: ANXIETY! And yes, I do have a sleep journal. 😞 I just can't switch off.
It's mainly because I start writing in my journal and then my depression kicks in and I don't have the will to write in it anymore and then I'll be able to write in it and then not. It's a vicious cycle.
@stonepixie that sounds unfortunate have you tried writing the positives in your diary instead of the negatives and see how that works out for you? trying positive mindfulness
No, I haven't @m-y93 but I did find out that most of my anxiety extends from my subconcious mind, so I have trouble using CBT on it.
hey guys,
I'm going to kick off now. I hope you all enjoy your week and have good night's sleeps 🙂
Also, thanks for the fun and insightful conversations 🙂
Good night all!
N1ghtW1ng
@N1ghtW1ng Goodnight! Thanks for joining us
Hope you have a good sleep tonight and that you got something good out of tonights session!
So now that we have figured what in our environment keeps us from beautiful slumber, what can we do to change it?
How can you improve your sleeping environment?
How can you improve your sleeping environment?
> Going shopping for new bedding as well as new pillows. 
Flipping the mattress every now and again also helps
How can you improve your sleeping environment?
Turning off electronic devices or keep them out of arms reach, try and make the bedroom a nice relaxing place, don't sleep with pets or children if you can help it. Don't keep looking at the time when you can't sleep.
@stonepixie Oh no ! looking at the clock and calculating the decreasing amount of sleep you will get when you cant sleep is possibly the worst ever! It just makes you even more awake and frustrated and not mellow sleepy at all!
@hartley_ and that is when you need to relocate yourself to another room to calm down and stay there until you are sleepy again.
@redhead i soooo agree a comfortable pillow is so important!!! the side effects of an uncomfortable pillow are the worst the following day
I will start by saying the same thing my mother does to me and my brother all the time. "Keep your phone more than 60 centimetres away from your face!" You can also make sure you turn off all electronic items in your room (your phone on silent) and keep your room dark or dim if you need some light. But it needs to be soft lighting.
Also keeping your room at a moderate temperature. This can be achieved by an open window, fans and such. Keeping your room quiet will also benefit you.
How can you improve your sleeping environment?
For me sleeping in a quiet environment, with little distractions such as technology is ideal. Also a room with good temperature so not too cold or too hot
@N1ghtW1ng My last euphoric stage happened when I was talking to my GP. Turns out they were going through the same thing. That appointment was interesting needless to say.
