How I finally beat my insomnia

Those of you who have been following my blog will know that since becoming a mother seven years ago, I have battled with different degrees of insomnia. Over the years, I have tried a heck of a lot of things to beat my insomnia.

The other day, a reader who in the depths of battling the demon that insomnia got in touch to ask whether my sleep had improved since two years ago when I wrote about how I’d forgotten to sleep. It dawned on me at that point that YES! it had, and it was something I had not yet written about here.

The good news

It has been a long, dedicated process to beat my insomnia, but today I wanted to share with you the steps I’ve taken to kick the insomnia beast to the curb. Now, a good night’s sleep is the norm – not the exception. There are some nights I still struggle but that’s usually to do with my monthly cycle – i.e. when I’m ovulating and a few days before my period. But seeing as hormone-induced insomnia is a pretty common thing, I’ve decided I’ll take what I can get!

The sum of all parts

Firstly, I wanted to say that there was no single magic bullet which helped me beat my insomnia. It was more a case of a number of factors I combined to produce the perfect backdrop to finally being able to drift off at night. Some of these were more obvious things you hear about when tackling sleep problems – like avoiding screens before bed etc. But there were quite a few other elements I added into the mix too. I am quite an over-excitable/sensitive person, and I essentially had to work hard on calming down my system so that it was in a chilled-out state and ready for bed. Read on to find out what I did….

My golden formula which helped me beat my insomnia

Now I know this may seem like a lot of steps to do, but quite frankly sleep deprivation is like living hell! So if you’re currently trying to beat insomnia, then I figure you probably will try anything and everything – like me. Here are the steps I take every day and night to make sure I drift off soundly.

Exercise daily

I often tell people I am like a dog – I need to be exercised daily! I have high energy levels and I know that a day without exercise for me can often spell disaster at night. I am a big fan of squeezing in a quick HIIT courtesy of Heather Robertson wherever I can, or at the weekend burning off all that excess energy with a run.

No screens after 8.30pm

A lot of sources say no screens for an hour before bed but personally I don’t find this enough. I’ve found that any interaction with my phone after 8.30pm translates to more struggles falling asleep.

Switch your bulbs

This one I discovered fairly late – only this year. But if you suffer with insomnia, it’s important to be strategic about what light bulbs you use. LED and fluorescent lights can interfere with sleep – whereas red bulbs are more conducive to sleep. If you don’t want to go full-on red bulb, look for amber light bulbs instead. Be sure to minimize other lights around the house and shut blinds and curtains around the house an hour before bed to signal to your brain it will soon be sleepy time. If your house is not totally dark, a good sleep mask might help too.

Take magnesium daily

Magnesium is a mineral that’s crucial to the body’s function. It’s important to maintain adequate levels of magnesium because low levels can contribute to stress, tension, pain, insomnia and even heart issues, osteoporosis and more. I’m currently taking Wassen’s Magnesium-OK which also supports hormonal activity in women. I would also recommend Natural Calm’s magnesium drink.

Try CBD oil

CBD oil has helped me with so many things – including sleep! Generally, I find when something is a bit “wonky” in your system, CBD oil helps to bring everything back into line. Studies suggest that CBD may help with both falling asleep and staying asleep and I have certainly found that to be the case. I take one dose in the morning, and one early evening. I don’t take it just before bed as have found this not to be as effective. I recommend using the award-winning products from CBD oil range Gold Bee. For my routine I take one dose in the morning, and one early evening. I don’t take it just before bed as have found this not to be as effective. That’s what has worked for me but you can try it differently if that suits you. Speaking of which, if you’re like some and don’t fancy the taste of CBD oil, you could try other things.

Bluebird Botanicals offer easy-to-swallow capsules and other brands have gummies you can chew. You can also experiment with Delta 8 which I have heard can help with sleep in some users. This can be taken as gummies or via a delta 8 cartridge, among many other ways.

Wind down with yoga

It can be really hard to shift gears at the end of a long frenetic day. I am a big fan of taking ten or so minutes out once the small one is in bed to signal to my body that it’s time to wind down with yoga. This 12 minute wind down yoga video from Yoga With Adrienne always hits the spot!

Give your feet some love

I taught myself reflexology using a book and do it on my feet every night before I go to sleep. It’s actually very easy to do and a lovely and relatively quick self-care ritual to do before bed (I have a ten-minute routine I have developed whilst reading before lights out). I taught myself using this book. Read more about the benefits of reflexology for insomnia here.

Take an evening supplement

I take a supplement with l-theanine in it 30 minutes before sleep. The one I used to take they have stopped making but I just discovered Doterra do one that I will be switching over to. I will let you know how I get on with that!

Don’t let one bad night turn into two

One of the worst things is when you feel you’re slipping into a bad insomnia run. If I have had a bad night’s sleep, the next night I will take a melatonin gummy – my sure-fire way of getting a good night’s sleep. For extreme episodes, I have taken this for a week or two back to back, but please note that it is not recommended to use melatonin for long term use – it’s only for short term sleep problems.

Get a meditation habit

Meditation has been a game-changer for me in many ways, but when it comes to beating my insomnia, it has truly been sweet. A meditation of around ten minutes or so before lights out is an absolutely non-negotiable part of my evening routine if I want to get to sleep without hassles. Even better if combined with 4-7 breathing (i.e. breath in for four and out for seven – which is another way of signaling to your body that it is okay to relax).

Use lavender oil

The very last thing I do at night? Rub lavender oil my feet, temples, down my spine then take a few deep breaths of whatever is left on my hands. Some more 4-7 breathing (see above) and I’m gone.

I have slowly been adding all of the above into my lifestyle to beat my insomnia. Obviously everyone is different, and I am not a medical professional but this is what has worked for me. I hope you find something here that helps you as I truly know how miserable I was when I was trying to beat my insomnia. It can feel desperate at times! But know that there is hope ahead when you can find a way to calm your body and mind down using some of the above.

Do you struggle with insomnia? What have you found that has worked for you? Why not share in a comment below…

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