Sleeping disorders are a common problem of our time and also come as a symptom of many chronic illnesses. There are a couple of things to try before resorting to sleeping pills. Let me present you my favorite five sleeping tips =)

Trouble falling asleep at night is a common problem of our rushed, digital age. Many people struggle with poor quality of sleep due to stressful factors in their lives. Sleeping problems are also a common symptom of many chronic illnesses. While sleeplessness is bad for everyone, it is especially bad if you‘re are affected by chronic illness. Not experiencing restorative, restful sleep might be even a key characteristic of your condition, like it is for ME/CFS. Poor sleep leads to an increase in symptoms, both in severity as well as in variety, as studies proof.

Especially when affected with ME/CFS, sleeping troubles need to be addressed and taken seriously. Not getting proper sleep at night does not only make you feel shitty fort he next day but starts a vicious circle of being even less able to sleep the next night, since sleeping disturbances are already part of your symptoms that will get emphasized by…disturbed sleep (also known as „tired but wired“).

Before you start taking prescription sleeping pills or if you wanna cut back on taking them, you might wanna try my personally approved tips for better sleep (however – no shame on you if you take sleeping medication, I really do know how agonizing insomnia is!).

sleeping tips 1 — Sleeping masks are friends!

A cheap and easy to do sleeping aid. The mask shields you not only from sunlight entering your room in the morning but also from the countless tiny lamps most digital devices have and that you will most likely not notice anymore at all but they still might interfere with your sleep.

Masks can feel strange in the beginning, but after getting used to them, they are such a blessing! Most people that complain about sleeping masks, especially feeling „too restricted“ when wearing them, experience unpleasant feelings because of the mask directly touching your closed eyelids and probably even being too tight or having hard metal or plastic fasteners on the sides that are uncomfortable.

If you feel like this as well, I proudly present you the solution: Not too long ago I discovered there are padded sleeping masks, that are formed in a way that they don’t exert any pressure on your eyes due to circular padding. They are a little bit more expensive than the usual sleeping mask but are also very durable and therefore not only a comfier but also more sustainable purchase.

Pillows help you to find a comfortable sleeping position. — 2. A seemingly exaggerated number of pillows and blankets

If you’d see my bed, you probably guess that a whole family sleeps in there, due to the number of different pillows and blankets. If you count my cats as family….yeah, you’re right, the whole family sleeps in there =)

But jokes aside, having a variety of blankets and pillows in my bed lets me easily accommodate at night when I get too hot or too cold. A collection of different pillows helps to stabilize me in a way that is actually comfortable and not adding to neck pain, joint pain etc. Also, it adds to a protected feeling.

Weighted blankets can improve sleep quality. — 3. The luxurious comfort of a weighted blanket

Weighted blankets are magic! I feel super-relaxed, even if I’m not fully covered by it. It definitely improves my level of relaxation and hence my sleep or helps to deal with too much tension in your body or the sensations that come with restless-legs-syndrome.

However, if I sleep under it the whole night, fully covered, I might wake up feeling like I did a heavy work-out through the night and depending on the position I’ve slept, aching joints. I blame this on the fact having got the heaviest version with 12 kg, since the 8 kg I had before felt too light after some time for me. So maybe should have just stayed with 8 kg :D

Taking magnesium as a supplement can help you sleep better. — 4. Magnesium rich foods or supplements can improve sleep

Magnesium plays a widespread role in the human body, for example how well your body reacts to stress. Magnesium deficiency on the other hand is amongst other things associated with insomnia and seems to play a role in many chronic illnesses, such as ME/CFS[1] and fibromyalgia.

Taking magnesium supplements may be beneficial for good sleep – I can definitely say, it works for me! I usually take my magnesium supplement either before going to bed or mix magnesium powder with fruit juice in the morning and drink it throughout the day.

Good to know: Zinc intake may interfere with magnesium absorption, so keep them away from each other =)

5. CBD oil, if accessible to you

If CBD is legal where you live, CBD oil can act as a natural sleeping aid and it is less likely to become addicted, compared to prescription sleeping pills. I initially got into the use of CBD oil to treat pain, which didn’t work for me, but it made me sleep very well at night, so that’s something =)

I personally didn’t experience any negative side effects of CBD ever and it also helps me to concentrate better and stay focused by calming my hyperactive nervous system during the day without making me drowsy or adding to the many levels of fatigue I experience already.

Downside: Rather expensive if taken regularly….

I hope you can benefit from one or more of my tips! Let me know about your special sleeping techniques <3

[1] This short study (6 weeks) proves beneficial effects of magnesium for people affected by ME/CFS – but was using intramuscular magnesium injects: Cox IM, Campbell MJ, Dowson D. Red blood cell magnesium and chronic fatigue syndrome. Lancet 1991;337:757–60.