JHB WEST - June 22

when counting sheep
just doesn’t help
Some of us are heavy sleepers and enjoy
a good night’s rest no matter what. But for
others ... we struggle to fall asleep, or wake up
a few times during the night or unreasonably
early in the morning. And that makes us
tired, irritable and stressed the following day,
which more often than not leads to further
insomnia issues.
So while our genetic makeup may have a
lot to do with the quality of sleep we can
expect to have in our adult lives, there may
be many other factors leading to insomnia
and anxiety.
These can include:
• A stressful work, home life or situation
• Inability to switch off brain activity at the
end of the day
• An excess of stimulants - we’re blaming you,
coffee, but all caffeine, certain medications,
rich food or sugary drinks as well as alcohol
• Eating food that is too spicy or acidic, which
can lead to stomach pains that keep us awake
• Lack of exercise for de-stressing
• A noisy environment
• Not allowing ourselves enough time to
sleep ... setting the alarm for too early in
the morning
• Using a mattress that is too soft or too hard
• A general sense of not feeling safe at night
• Unsuitable room temperature, leading to
sweats or chills that wake us up or stop us
from falling asleep
• A sleep disorder such as sleep apnea
(irregular breathing and oxygen-level issues)
• Excessive exposure to blue light before
bedtime (such as a cellphone, tablet
or any other electronic device), which
blocks serotonin.
The cover may be new but
it’s the same story that’s been
told to sleepy children by
hopeful parents since it was
first written in 1962. It’s a case
of the rhyming yawns in the
60th anniversary edition of
the Dr Seuss’s Sleep Book.
It starts with a very small bug
who yawns a very big yawn,
setting off (as yawns do) a chain
reaction, until ninety-nine zillion,
nine trillion and two creatures
are sleeping! So ... How about
you? R185 from Exclusive Books.
To sleep well you need to balance
your mind, emotion and energy. This
microwaveable acupressure Flaxi
Weighted Eye Pillow has flaxseed
infused with essential oils - grapefruit,
lemon, bergamot, lavender and ylangylang.
Use hot or cold over your eyes and
you should feel an improvement in your
mood, and your heart rate may decrease,
too. R129 from feelgoodhealth.co.za
Serenite Plus is a natural remedy from
Feelgood Health, which you take a quarter
of an hour or so before bedtime. It supports
restful sleep and relaxation. R192 from
feelgoodhealth.co.za
While we obviously encourage trying to find natural ways to improve our sleeping habits,
there’s nothing wrong with a little help. Like VitaminMe Sleep + Anxiety, , which has been
developed to address not only anxiety issues (which in turn can affect the quality of shuteye)
but also insomnia itself. It includes L-theanine (an amino acid that reduces anxiety, calms
the brain, and is said to help manage blood pressure levels); Chamomile (an age-old sleep
remedy); Humulus lupulus (hops - a flowering plant well-known for its use in the brewing
industry, which has also been used since time immemorial as a natural sleep aid and anxiety
remedy), and Valerian root (used traditionally to treat anxiety and sleep problems, it has a
soothing effect on the brain, and alleviates stress and insomnia.) You can buy online from
VitaminMe.co.za. And if you think you need more help, a great service offered by VitaminMe
is a free 20- minute online personal consultation with their in-house dietitian, who can advise
you on the correct products to include in your daily wellness regime, as well as necessary
dietary and lifestyle changes, to target a particular issue, such as insomnia and stress.
June 2022 Get It Magazine 17