Are you a worrier? Sometimes even the most confident or laid back person can be thrown off by nighttime worries. If you find it difficult to switch off and sleep at night, here are a few tips for taking back control from your anxiety.

Spend 10 to 15 minutes every day before 8 pm writing down any worries that you have. Try to do this every day to establish a routine. If you are able, then make to-do lists for the following day.

If you find yourself lying awake thinking, perform a few deep breathing exercises, such as holding your breath for 6 seconds before slowing releasing it. Try to focus on imagining a peaceful place and concentrate on making your body feel relaxed and weightless.

Turn away your clock. Experts claim that the unnatural light is more likely to keep you up and constantly checking how long until your alarm will only aggravate your anxieties.

Daily Sleep
Daily Sleep

Finally, if you have been lying awake for more than 15 minutes, get up and do something else. Try not to turn on too many lights and definitely do not try to work or use an electronic device. Only return to bed when you are sleepy.

Losing sleep over worries will not help you to solve them. Try out these tips and take back the night from stress.

Are you tired or are you sleepy? The difference might just save your life

In everyday life, when someone says that they are “tired”, you think that they need to sleep and if they say they are “sleepy” you think that they are tired. Semantically the two words have come to mean near enough the same thing, but understanding the difference between the two could one day save your life.

Medically, being tired and being sleepy are different states and distinguishing between them when consulting your doctor is essential. Tired is the sensation of lacking energy, that “out of it” feeling that stops you from focussing on what you’re doing. In contrast, being sleepy is when you’re yawning and cannot keep your eyes open; sleepy is when you are constantly on the verge of physically falling asleep, rather than wishing you were.

In the diagnosis of many sleep conditions, your daytime alertness, or lack thereof, is vital information for your doctor. People who suffer from insomnia may be constantly tired, with a lack of effort or ability to complete daily tasks. Insomnia, though a distressing affliction, is not inherently dangerous and can be solved by the introduction of a good sleep ethic or by investing in a comfortable memory foam mattress or luxury duvet. However, patients with either sleep apnea or narcolepsy will be sleepy as well as tired as they find themselves nodding off at every opportunity. The difference in words can quickly pinpoint an accurate diagnosis.

The sleepiness caused by sleep apnea or narcolepsy can be dangerous to the sufferers and those around them.

Sleep apnea patients are twice as likely to be involved in car accidents as they struggle to stay awake behind the wheel. Being clear in describing your symptoms can save your life in other ways, with sleep apnea raising the risks of heart disease, strokes, and high blood pressure.

Saying that you are tired to your doctor is no reason to ring alarm bells, but saying that you are sleepy is. If you find yourself verging on nodding off with no discernible reason, speak to your doctor as soon as possible and it may just save your life.