I’ve always struggled with sleep… not so much falling asleep, but staying asleep. I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember, but being pregnant seems to have worsened the situation for me. But I know that sleep is so incredibly important (especially while I’m growing a human!), not just in order to feel well-rested, but for mental wellbeing, weight management, skin health and more.
Because of this, I’m making some lifestyle changes to try and help me get some better zzz’s. Take a look at what I’m doing in the list below and see if there’s anything that could work for you too!
1. Investing in a better mattress
As I’ve got older, and experienced aches and pains after being in bed, I’ve learned more about the importance of a good mattress. Did you know your mattress should be replaced every 7-10 years? We were definitely due an upgrade and the mattress we had wasn’t great to begin with, so we decided it was time to make a real investment.
We’d heard great things about Simba and reading the reviews totally sold the brand to us. We loved the sound of the full body support, easy cleaning and combination of Simbatex foam and Aerocoil microsprings. We had our Simba Hybrid Mattress delivered and I’ve never been so comfy in bed! It’s much more firm and sturdy than our last mattress, contouring comfortably where I need it to. It’s relieving my back pain and I love that there’s no sagging straight out of the gate. It’s been a fantastic addition!
2. Trying tai chi
This one is a bit of a curveball. My mum has recently taken up an interest in tai chi and has sold the benefits to me. I’m talking about better balance, lower stress levels, increased flexibility, but more importantly, better quality sleep. It’s not something that I ever thought I’d do, but I’m trying my best to keep it up and hoping to see some sleep improvements!
3. Reducing screen time at night
I’m doing my best to reduce the amount of blue light I’m absorbing before I go to bed, as advised by the NHS and Mind. Sure, sometimes I cave for a little scroll before I shut my eyes, but I’m trying to replace it with something else. Currently, my go to is to curl up with a book and listen to the ‘Quiet Music for Reading’ playlist on Spotify. I already feel like a sleep a lot better when that’s what my evening looks like, so it’s something I’d love to continue.
4. Upping my exercise
Since I got pregnant, I’ve really dropped the ball with exercise. I used to be in the gym regularly, but I struggled to keep it up while feeling nauseous. And then getting back into it now I’m in my second trimester has been pretty difficult. However, when I’ve been for a walk or I’ve braved the gym, I find I’m able to relax so much easier afterwards. I’m aiming for more walks and more time in the gym, even if it’s just for half an hour or so.
5. Learning techniques to beat anxiety
The main problem I have when I wake up in the night is anxiety. I find I can’t get back to sleep because my mind is running at a million miles an hour and sometimes my heartbeat matches. I’m looking to start learning how to not have my brain filled with random thoughts at 3am. It would be great to find out how to not catastrophise too, because the early hours of the morning seem to be prime time!
Do you have any tips to help me sleep better? Or are you taking any of these tips away with you?
I was gifted a Simba Hybrid Mattress in exchange for a blog post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.