If there's one aspect of my life that is in serious need of dire improvement, it's without a doubt my sleep pattern.
I've suffered with insomnia ever since my teenaged years when I would regularly stay up all night and find myself not feeling sleepy until dawn, when I'd finally retire to bed around 6 am and sleep for a few hours much to my parents annoyance!
It was put down to teenage lifestyle choices but unfortunately, it's something that I never managed to grow out of and throughout adulthood my somewhat crazy sleep patterns have remained.
On occasion they've actually been pretty useful - life with a newborn never really phased me as where most new mothers struggle to adjust to their babies night waking, I was always up anyway so the baby waking up was no big deal to me...in fact if anything, it was nice to have company during the wee small hours for a change!
My lack of night time sleeping has also played a huge part in helping me to grow my business...a lot of people ask me how I manage to fit in working from home around being a mother to 3 young boys who are never not at home with no outside help or childcare, and the answer is...I work at night when most people are asleep!
However...there are of course huge downsides.
Mainly - I'm always tired. I never really get that refreshed feeling that people speak of after a "Good nights sleep" because in all honesty, it's been years and years since I've had one. I basically live like a vampire...without the sleeping all day part!
When I do fall asleep, the sun is usually starting to shine and the birds are singing...the rest of the world is waking up so cars are coming and going in the street, people are talking, and it's just not the same when you're sleeping with all of that going on - it's not a peaceful of restful sleep.
I also don't sleep for long enough, usually snatching 4 or 5 hours instead of getting proper 8 hour stretches...because of course, my children wake up and come in to wake me up! Even when their Dad is off work and able to take over for the morning to give me a lie in, they still find their way into my bedroom every 10 minutes.
And so, it would be a lot better if I was able to start sticking to a more normal sleeping pattern.
But it's easier said than done...the main problem I have with trying to force myself to fall asleep earlier than 4 or 5 am, is that I simply don't feel able to switch my brain off.
I can force myself to lie in bed in a darkened room for hours, but my mind is running marathons...I will lay there feeling more and more anxious and antsy as my mind runs through a million to-do lists, imagined horror scenarios or just replaying various moments from my past where I said or did something I now regret...my mind certainly knows how to keep me from falling asleep, that's for sure!
I was recently given the opportunity to try a product called Neuro Rest - a 100% natural whole food supplement designed to both reduce feelings of tiredness and fatigue, AND boost natural melatonin levels in the body by using whole food products which contain it such as montmorency cherry, grape skin and watermelon extract.
As well as helping to regulate sleep patterns, aid better sleep and help reduce tiredness and fatigue - Neuro Rest also claims to help naturally lower anxiety levels. To be honest, it sounded like the answer to my prayers in a jar!
Now I have to admit, I'm a natural cynic and I honestly doubted that these supplements would help me - but with nothing to lose, I gave them a whirl anyway.
At first, I'll be honest - I noticed no improvement at all, and I was almost ready to throw the towel in.
But I thought I might as well finish the bottle anyway since the ingredients are all natural and contain a lot of goodness anyway...and I'm very glad I persevered as after around 10 days, I began to notice a real difference.
Whilst the amount of sleep I get hasn't changed massively as of yet (which is potentially more to do with breaking habits and allowing myself to retire to bed earlier) I do feel that the quality of sleep has improved massively.
I wake up feeling rested without any of the usual grogginess I would feel for a good hour after waking, and I've also noticed that I feel much more energised throughout the day without the usual mid-afternoon slump I've been so used to.
I find myself feeling more alert throughout the day, and I can almost feel my mind winding down in preparation for sleep as the evening draws in which is something I've never experienced before.
I'm really impressed with Neuro Rest and I will be continuing to use them, hopefully I can start allowing myself to go to bed earlier and who knows....maybe my vampire days will finally be behind me once and for all!
To find out more about Neuro Rest or the other natural supplements available from Utmost Me, please visit www.UtmostMe.com
*With thanks to Utmost Me for collaborating with us on this post
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