Intro
One of the more delightful side effects of my autoimmune disease is poor sleep. (This is pure sarcasm in case you missed that in the printed word.) Your sleep can be poor for any number of tragic reasons including depression, anxiety, kids, or just ordinary insomnia. After experiencing a whole week of poor sleep recently I came up with some coping strategies that helped. Hopefully, this will give you some ideas to start with. Here’s a quick list and I will expand on each below: exercise, get outdoors, magnesium, relaxing tea, diffusing essential oils.
Exercise
I am not getting all crazy and suggesting a hard work out during sleep depravation. I’ve read articles that say intense exercise could be counter-productive for people with autoimmune diseases. My suggestion is a gentle 1/2 hour or more walk or a bike ride if you are up for it. If you have a nice park near by with trees or a pond even better! Being in nature and the sun can have a calming effect and the gentle moving of your body is magical.
Get Outdoors
Spend some extra time outside! Read a book or swing or just take some time in nature. Your mom’s suggestion of going outside to play was excellent advice. Just the fresh air and different scenery can do wonders for relaxing and calming your mind. If you can manage to get some sun, even better! That vitamin D is critical particularly in the winter.
Magnesium
This is a supplument that I take regularly. Not only does my autoimmune disease eat away at my body’s ability to use/store trace minerals and vitamins this also is great at helping me relax in the evening. My brain is always trying to go in 30 million directions at once an this supplement helps me slow down and stop for the day naturally. Natural Vitality is the most common name brand I use. They have different flavored powders (and plain) you can mix in water or juice and I’ve recently discovered a gummy form that I enjoy.
Relaxing Tea
Sometimes the three things above aren’t enough or in the winter I might need something a little cozy. Instead of reaching for decaf coffee or hot cocoa both of which have some caffeine in them I’ve started adding a relaxing tea. Traditional Medicinals has two similar teas that have worked well for me: either Natural Calm or Nighty Night.
Diffusing Essential Oils
I am always careful of recommending this because I want to make sure everyone uses their essential oils safely. However, some nights even after doing all of the above, my brain is still zooming along. Enter in my trusty essential oil diffuser. I chose the oils to diffuse according to what is going with my body. There are some sleep blends you can purchase, but the scents aren’t always appealing to me. So for hormone issues I will do 3-5 drops of clary sage or geranium, 3-5 drops lavendar, and 3-5 drops of either lemon, tangerine or lime. I will almost always use some lavendar and citrus because they are my favorite combinations and because they have relaxing propertiess. I will than add in something that’s good for balancing hormones or something for immune boosting.
Conclusion
And there you have it–five things to help with a good night’s sleep. Sometimes even with the best of plans I will wake up in the middle of the night. In those cases, I have noticed that just getting up and reading a physical book is much better than scrolling social media or any sort of screen activity. Meanwhile, don’t be hard on yourself! Take care and listen to your body. You can do this!