Sleeping In The City

Life in London can be glorious, that is if you sleep well and feel great. If you are a delicate flower like me, you’ll need to take steps to make sure you get time to retreat inwards, resource yourself and not loose your rhythm. Being in rhythm with nature in London is not easy in the festive season with the abundance of social activities going on.

I come in and out of London a lot and if I run around too much and lose touch with my daily practice and rituals, my feet feel like they are wiped off the earth and I find myself feeling stressed and not sleeping well. Being an ex-insomniac myself, I know that insomnia is 95% life balance and I simply have to take steps to remain in balance. When I say balance, I am talking about life as a whole including time to practice, going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time every day, avoiding stimulants (coffee, alcohol and rich food), not eating late in the evening and having quiet time.

As the invitations start rolling in, if we are to stay centred we’ll need to say no to some of the invitations. I do not want to be a party pooper, but if you really want to enjoy the season, you’ll need to have some wellness boundaries and priorities. Check out my ‘stay in balance’ festive season tips below:

• Make space between events and parties for yourself. Four dinner parties in a row will probably leave you feeling wiped out and groggy, especially if you are eating and drinking a lot late in the evening.
• Keep hydrated and get the live organic juices into your daily regime.
• Retreating from the noise with daily meditation and/or yoga is an absolute must if you are to go to your parties and events with enthusiasm and enjoy them. The last thing you want is to drag yourself there wishing every minute away wanting to be in bed with the duvet over your head!
• Bear in mind that you can’t please everyone all the time, and don’t feel bad about being selective about how your spend your precious free time.
• Give yourself time and avoid rushing. Being late is stressful.
• Have a least two nights a week where you pamper yourself, turn the lights down, light the candles and immerse yourself in a hot bubbly bath.
• Get yourself some good old fashioned ear plugs if you are in a noisy household.
• Turn technology off by 8pm. Staring at your iPad in bed is not helpful for a good night's sleep. 

With just a few simple boundaries and self love, you can really enjoy the city. Keep striving for balance and you can't go wrong! Enjoy!

This is a guest blog post by The Sleep Guru. For more information on spas specialising in sleep issues, contact our wellness consultants on 020 7843 3597.