Sleep is the one thing we all need. There is no denying that. Science has shown us time and again that the body cannot survive for longer than a week without sleep. It has also shown us that too much sleep is just a bad. It is in fact a disorder, an illness in itself.

Now knowing this consider: living with chronic illnesses often places stress on the body in a Catch-22 style manner. The body is unwell, so it needs rest as it recuperates. Yet there is an extent to which the illness keeps the mind aware as it attempts to improve the state of the body. By this I mean it stays awake as it tries to heal, who would have thought? Add on to this the fact that you are taking medication, most likely, to help manage the condition. These will be wreaking havoc on your circadian rhythms.

Sleep can be aggravated by stress, anxiety and depression. It can be influenced by your body’s rhythms and how it is handling an illness. Food, the ingredients and nutrients within it and when you eat it contribute. The activities you do and do not do during the day can be game changers. Let’s not forget drugs, social influences, emotions and the actual circumstances of your life.

This is all detrimental to the way sleep happens in our body. Rather than telling you exactly the same information that any other website can about what makes sleep happen and how to get good sleep in a detached way that makes you want to pull your hair out and scream I want to tell you what my investigation over the last few months has been about.

Over the next few weeks I will tell you my research into

• herbal teas
• essential oils
• having the right bed and bedding
• room temperature
• daily activity
• food and drinks and their contents
• spices and herbs
• technology, reading and music in the bedroom
• lighting and ‘setting the atmosphere’
• cleanliness and hygiene
• meditation
• hypnotherapy
• acupuncture
• massage

Does this sound like something you’d be interested in?

Is there anything you feel I have not listed that is worth looking into?

If so, please let me know!