Recently, we did a post on the negative impacts lack of sleep can have on increasing the symptoms of trichotillomania (see Can Skimping on Sleep make Trichotillomania Worse?). This happens due to the relationship between sleep and neurotransmitter levels – if you sleep less (or erratically), your neurotransmitter levels will likely become imbalanced, which will increase your urge to pull.
In that post, we covered some simple ways to improve sleep; since that post, many people have contacted us asking for other suggestions to improve sleep. This is the first of a two part series to outline several more lifestyle ideas that our clients have found useful for getting and staying asleep. The next post will focus on dietary changes to help you saw some more logs (and keep your hands off your hair).
Start with one or two of these ideas and try them out for a couple weeks before passing judgment on whether or not they work for you. Keep trying them until you find the right combination for you:
- Make your bedroom your sanctuary – use your bedroom only for sleep and lovemaking. Avoid bill paying, eating, or reading in bed. Remove your telephone and/or TV from your bedroom.
- Practice deep breathing or alternate nostril breathing at least twice daily – 12 minutes morning and night is great, although even a few minutes will help.
- Engage in moderate exercise that you enjoy and that clears your mind – listen to your body and go with it!
- Exercise regularly in the morning, late afternoon or early evening – but not right before bedtime. Physical exertion is an excellent way to wake up or make your body tired so that sleep comes about more easily.
- Eat dinner at least two hours before bedtime. This will allow digestion to run its course before you settle into bed
- Go to bed when you are initially tired and feel sleepy. If you listen to your body, this is probably around the time your melatonin levels are on the rise (usually between 8-10 PM) – now is the time to get to bed and get restored.
- Take a bath with one or two cups Epsom salts, which is hydrated magnesium sulfate – available in any drugstore. This will allow your body to calm as the magnesium is absorbed through your skin. Warming your core body temperature will make you drowsy. You could also put in a little lavender oil to help promote a sense of calm.
- Read an entertaining book or magazine before bed (but not in bed). This will often calm you down and get your brain out of ‘do’ mode. Don’t read a business book or anything else that gets your brain stimulated to start thinking about work.
- Start a ‘gratitude journal’: get a journal (a notebook will due, but you may enjoy having a special diary-type book or journal – nobody else is going to see it anyway!) and every night before you go to bed, write down five (5) things in your day that you are grateful for. This is especially helpful if you’ve had a rough day and need something fun to think about.
- Do not nap during the day if this isn’t a normal thing for you to do. A short nap can help if you’re exhausted or stressed out, but a nap that’s too long will interfere with your body’s sleep rhythm.
- Don’t sleep late on weekends. Even if you are out late, try to get up within two hours of your usual time of waking.
Use whatever combination of the above techniques you like; experiment with several and find the ones that work for you. And don’t be afraid to try some new ones now and then! Establishing a good sleep pattern will help you maintain optimal neurotransmitter levels and dramatically decrease your urge to pull over time.
If you ever need additional support or would like more information, feel free to contact us. In addition, if you use some tried-and-true technique to help you sleep that you don’t see here, please share it below – you never know who it may help.
