Susannah Taylor: A good night’s sleep starts when you wake up

It’s 3am. Your heart is pounding and the woes of the world are running through your mind like a Mad Hatter’s tea party. Sound familiar? Believe me, you’re not alone. Natalie Pennicotte-Collier is a mind coach working with private clients and elite athletes. A specialist in sleep health, she says that there’s no middle-of-the-night solution for 3am wake-ups – a good night’s sleep starts the moment you begin your day. @natalie_performancemindcoach

During the day 

Choose sleep

While many of us have great intentions to improve sleep habits, we don’t necessarily put them into practice, says Natalie. Her tip for putting your zzzs first? Decide on ‘why’ you need them – in other words, pinpoint the reason better sleep will improve your life. This could be ‘Sleep is key for my mental health’. This will help entrench your motivation for doing it and keep you on track.

Press pause

When we wake at night we often feel alone with our thoughts and sensations. ‘It can be quite abstract to be the only one awake in the dark,’ says Natalie. Her suggestion is ‘smart minutes’ punctuated throughout the day. ‘Pause every hour if you can (minimum of eight times), taking 20 breaths and slowing each one down as you go. The aim is to tune into yourself and allow emotions to rise and pass away.’

If you do it often enough, she says, it can build a ‘mental armour’ against damaging habits such as chaotic mind wandering, rumination and catastrophising.

Bathe in natural light

The light from technology upsets our sleep rhythm. Natalie suggests sitting or exercising in daylight as much as possible, ideally before 2pm, to synch circadian clocks. ‘This strengthens your “awake signals” and ensures the sleep hormone melatonin can burst into action from 6pm.’

Sedation is not sleep

You may think that alcohol sends you off to sleep, but it won’t be quality sleep. ‘It blocks REM,’ says Natalie, ‘which is when your emotions are regulated. This leads to “hangxiety” and backs up more problems for tomorrow.’

At night 

Change your pillow talk

You can’t go straight from work, to Instagram via a Zoom party and then expect to sleep like a baby. Clear away the tech two hours before bed and, as Natalie puts it, come home to your body. ‘It can be as simple as keeping your attention within your chest, noticing the rise and fall and speed of your thoughts. Synching your breath with your body helps the natural process to slow down.’

The small-hours mind gym

When you wake in the night it’s to what Natalie calls ‘the cinema of your mind’ – in other words, processing mode. She suggests a mindfulness practice – it could be a ‘body scan’ where in your mind’s eye you go through each part of your body or just focus on your breathing. Whatever it is, she says, ‘When your mind wanders off nudge it back to your point of focus. This flexes the muscle of attention, like a muscle on an exercise machine.’ This practice will help you get out of living in your head, which is essential for anxiety, sleep and mental health.

@susannahtaylor_