well here are my top tips to get a better night's sleep without the use of medication

did you hear that Anne, without the use of medication "I did, sounds good"

so the majority of causes of insomnia are due to life events rather than physical illness

like stress, anxiety, smoking and drinking too much, watching TV and playing on our phones

before we go to bed

and these are all the kinds of things that can trick our bodies into wanting to stay active

rather than going to sleep

I see so many patients who have insomnia and most of them want these, sleeping tablets

but actually most pharmacists, GPs and nurse practitioners tend not to recommend these & here's why

firstly they can be addictive, secondly they don't promote restful sleep

and thirdly they're not fixing the root of the problem

so here are my top tips let's begin with daytime habits

first set a specific time to wake up and go to sleep everyday I wake up at 6 a.m. every day

and I mean I don't really like it and I feel tired when I wake up but because of this

when it's nighttime I fall asleep almost straight away and it's because your body it loves a cycle

exercise in the day so you're tired before you go to bed

and I was planning on filming this whilst I was jogging but it's really really rainy outside

don't work in your bedroom so keep it just for sleeping and don't take naps throughout the day

now let's move on to bedtime habits

try not to watch TV or play on your phones whilst in bed or before going to bed

because what it does is it reduces the melatonin we produce

which is the hormone which makes us feel more sleepy

avoid big meals before going to bed

avoid alcohol, caffeinated drinks and smoking especially in the evening

as these are going to stimulate you so you won't fall asleep

it's also worth mentioning that some prescribed medicines can also interfere with your sleep

so if these symptoms have suddenly come about and you've been prescribed something new

then speak to your pharmacist and they can check this for you

and if you have a lot going on in your life which a lot of people do then try these calming techniques which

I've left a link in the description below I think they're really useful and it should help you sleep better

and lastly let's move on to the bedroom environment which I find is often overlooked

have your bedroom at the right temperature

and the best temperature has been found to be between 15.5 to 20 degrees

use thick curtains to block out any morning sun or any light coming from street lights

and this is the bit where I need some curtains to draw but we don't have any here

and lastly use the right bedding for the time of the year

if you're still having trouble sleeping after using all these tips then have a word with your

GP, pharmacist or nurse practitioner

and that's it for this week's video thank you for watching I hope you found this information useful

and as always please help spread the word like, share and tag friends

who will find this information useful

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so the majority of causes of, so the majority of, majority of causes of insomnia

it's insomnia, insomnia is a difficult word to say

isn't promoting restful sleep and thirdly I can't remember what thirdly was

beep, well it's a shame that this doesn't work