Sleeping Problems

Sleep is easily affected by how someone is feeling. If someone is worrying about something or suffering from stress, very often they will find it hard to get off to sleep.

 Worry about other problems – is your mind working overtime thinking about problems such as work, relationships, money worries?

How can I help myself?

The following might help. Get out of bed and sit somewhere quiet and comfortable with a pen and paper. Write down the problems you are thinking about. Taking each problem, write down everything you can possibly think you might do to solve the problem. Choose the most helpful solution and write down all the steps you are going to need to take to do it. Write as much as you can. Write down any obstacles and how you might tackle them. When you are finished say to yourself firmly “OK. That is it for now. I can’t do any more about it at this time of night. I am not going to let myself worry about it till the morning”. Spend at least half an hour winding down, reading a paper or listening to some music. When you start to feel sleepy go back to bed.

If you still find yourself worrying, keep saying to yourself “I’ve dealt with my worry for now. Worrying about it now will not help. I’ll deal with it tomorrow”. If you don’t drop off to sleep within 15-30 minutes, don’t stay in bed.

 Try some Relaxation Techniques to help

Relaxation techniques including deep muscle relaxation, controlled breathing, distraction techniques and mindfulness can all help reduce anxiety. Click here to read more