Finding Rest

My Thoughts on Sleep and Recovery...

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about sleep. The last couple of weeks, I’ve had a bad cold and cough — one thing after another — and I’ve found myself slipping out of my usual healthy routines. It’s been a bit of a reminder that when we’re not feeling our best, everything else can start to unravel a bit.

I’ve been trying to figure out that balance between when to move and when to rest. Right now, rest is definitely winning. Gentle movement, yes — but nothing that gets the heart racing. Instead, I’ve decided to focus on all the small, simple things that help my body heal: loads of water, warming teas with lemon, ginger, and honey, plenty of vegetables, and no alcohol until I’m properly better.

But the biggest thing I’ve been focusing on is getting a proper night’s sleep — and seeing my daytime choices as part of that.

A few things that have really helped:

🌙 Cutting coffee after lunch. I’ve always told myself caffeine doesn’t affect my sleep… but I’m starting to think it might!

🍷 No alcohol in the evening. Even one glass of wine can wake me in the night with a racing mind.

📺 Switching off the TV early. Reading a book before bed gives me a calmer night’s sleep.

🍽️ No late-night snacking. Dinner finishes around 6.30 or 7pm. Maybe a herbal tea later but that’s it.

🕙 Early to bed. I aim for lights out around 10pm — nine hours feels like magic when I manage it!

I know these things already but I'm human and actually doing them consistently is another story. So I’ve been treating it like an experiment — picking one or two small changes, sticking with them and noticing how I feel.

Of course, I’m looking forward to feeling well enough to move again because I know that regular exercise helps me sleep more deeply too. But for now, rest is the medicine I need most.

And one more thing — when I’m tired, I crave sugar, bread, and coffee and I’m grumpy and impatient (just like my kids used to be when they were overtired!). Sleep affects everything — mood, food choices, hormones, even motivation.

So as we move into winter, I’m making it my simple goal: if I do one good thing for myself today, it’s to get a good night’s sleep.

If you’ve discovered any small habits or rituals that help you sleep better, I’d love to hear them. Maybe we can share them around. Wouldn't the world be nicer if we were all well rested? 😊

Would you like a rest right now? The link below is a guided savasana (supine relaxation) that I recorded some time ago. I take you through the set up, talk you into letting go and then leave you in silence before guiding you out and back to sitting. It's 20 minutes of deep relaxation, mostly in silence but with a gentle boundary. Enjoy!

Caragh

Savasana