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Cara Spirit guide is a natural healer and ascended reiki master. Each month, she takes an alternative look at a health problem.

Dear Cara

I’ve suffered from insomnia all my life. I’ve got quite a stressful job and often have to work late, and then I can’t sleep at all. I’ve tried all the overthe-counter remedies but they don’t work. Sleeping pills make me feel like a zombie. What do you recommend? Liz, 42, West London

Dear Liz

So sorry to learn of your problem with insomnia. I can so relate to this, as I’m sure many of our readers can. Most people experience the inability to sleep at some time in their lives, but when it persists, night after night, it can have very serious health effects. Lack of sleep can lead to anxiety and depression, and weight gain has been linked to poor sleep.

As you know, there are many ‘over the counter’ products, some of which do work to a degree. However, let’s start with the definite ‘get ready for bed’ list.

What to do

Avoid alcohol (and cigarettes). Although they initially appear to have a calming effect on stress, they actually have the opposite reaction. Alcohol is a stimulant and will disturb the natural sleep pattern.

No strenuous exercise near bedtime. A gentle walk a few hours before retiring is best.

Wind down! Forget catching up on business work or rushing round trying to get ahead of the next day. The mind needs to go into a calm, meditative state to prepare to slow down and rest. Calming music or practising meditation along with breathing exercises is also very beneficial. ● Keep the bedroom as dark as possible. ● If you have a habit of running through the day’s events whilst waiting to get some sleep, make yourself write a list of everything - good or bad - a couple of hours before you retire for your rest. Committing to paper removes it from the mental ‘to do’ list. ● Make the bedroom sleep-friendly by keeping the temperature DOWN and turning off all technical devices. I’d recommend that, if you need to charge them, this is done outside of the bedroom to avoid electro-magnetic interference. ● Chamomile tea is very

soothing.

Find balance

You may benefit from a course of reiki which is both relaxing and stressrelieving. Please contact me if I can help with this. If you can’t sleep within an hour, try not to start worrying. Instead, practise some deep breathing and visualisation exercises. Focus on a place where you feel very safe and happy. When the mind rests, it can be just as beneficial as sleep. Always check with your GP that there’s no underlying health problem. I wish you a restful slumber!