Can't Sleep?

The night can be a difficult time for people. You may find there are times that you can’t fall asleep, or you wake up during the night and can’t get back to sleep. Many people experience this, and it can be due to physical reasons or the emotional impact of what is happening.

There are things that you can do that may help:

Do some physical activity – even a little may help.
Think about changing your alcohol and caffeine use.
Try not to worry about not sleeping
Create a routine. Try and go to bed and wake up at the same time each night.
Turn off electronics! Try and make your bedroom just for sleep.

Keep a sleep diary to try and identify what helps you sleep better or worse – diet, physical activity, along with the things like the temperature of the room can all impact how well you sleep.

Things to Try...

Exercise and Physical ActivityGetting up and moving, even a little bit, is a great way to relieve tension, boost your mood, and even cope with fatigue.RelaxationRelaxation is about finding something that you enjoy and gives a chance for your body and mind to calm down. This could be anything from taking a gentle walk, to painting, to reading a book…Breathing exercisesYou may find that doing some breathing exercises can help you to feel a bit more relaxed, help with sleep and ease uncomfortable feelings.MeditationMindfulness meditation could help to make you feel more relaxed.

Downloads

Sleep Diary.pdf (0.23 MB)

Information about sleep - the long version.pdf (0.16 MB)

Guidelines for better sleep.pdf (0.13 MB)

Checklist for better sleep.pdf (0.10 MB)

Links

Macmillan Sleeping adviceInsomnia means having difficulty falling or staying asleep. Many people affected by cancer have trouble sleeping for lots of different reasons.