The haunting that is Insomnia

As it's only a mere 3 days until the spooky celebration otherwise known to us as Halloween, I thought I would write about the 'haunting' that is Insomnia. (and the fact that I experienced it just last night).

Just when you feel like you've had a good few consecutive days of uninterrupted and hassle free sleep, it seems to creep up when you least expect it- to come back and bite you in the butt.

Insomnia is the awful experience and ironically that 'tiresome' difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep for long enough to feel refreshed the next morning. Sound familiar?

As far back as I remember, (you know when your parents gave you those so-called bed times), 7pm, 8pm, or perhaps if you were lucky, an extra half an hour for being well behaved. That good old gold star ploy. Bed times are all fine and dandy at those ages but when you're really not tired enough and you are (you could say forced to your bed time), falling asleep can be some what of a mission.

"Count those sheep" my grandma once told me.

I usually have no trouble falling asleep. I'm tired when I go to bed and I nod off within minutes. But when it comes to counting the hours I have before I have to wake up or feeling the nerves of some sort of event the next day- sleeping, is a whole other story.

Last night:

I tossed and I turned, trying to find my optimum sleeping position. The curled up side ball, the spread out belly flop mimic or maybe the flat on my back sleeping beauty pose would work best. Neither of these seemed to work but instead made me feel flustered. What was to begin with, cool and invigorating bed sheets to accompany me, turned into the one leg in, one leg out scenario. Too hot, oop one goes out, then that "gosh it's cold", back they go in situation. (We've all been there). I even undertook the pillow turning technique- to experience the fresh and crisp sensation of the untouched cotton pillow sheet. You can imagine how many of these sessions I had.

For me, I knew I had an interview the next morning and that I had to catch the 7.10am train in order to get there in plenty of time. I therefore had my phone clock alarm set to 5.55am and counted the hours I had to sleep before I had to awaken.  As my mind was aware of these hours, they seemed to pass by one by one. And the longer it took for me to sleep, the more I feared that these hours were passing by. My inability to sleep was actually fear of not getting enough sleep, which is a weirdly odd conception.
Getting into bed, my thoughts were more like a repetitive revision session- going over the preparation I had prepared earlier that day for my interview and this certainly did not help. I believe a well-rested mind is key to combating insomnia.

So from a girl who's lived the tale, and on more than one occasion. Here are my....

Top tips to helping you fall asleep more easily: 

1. Try to relax your mind.  A de-stressing activity at least 1 hour before you want to fall asleep allows the brain to unwind. The brain is the key component during the sleep pattern,  so it is essential that you are not spinning with thoughts, ideas and worries. (Read a couple chapters of a book or watch an episode on Netflix). The mind needs time to relax! 
2. Put some lavender oil on your pillow. Research shows that the scent of lavender eases anxiety and insomnia and there are studies out there to prove it! Try Boots Botanics Aromatherapy Pure Essential Oil for under £10!
3. Avoid caffeine late in the evening. Caffeine interferes with the process of falling asleep and prevents deep sleep. It can also stay in your system for up to 24 hours. Instead, try a warm, milky drink or a herbal tea. Horlicks used to be my favourite childhood sleep remedy. Why not try my Nana's natural do-it-yourself sleep remedy drink of warm milk with honey. (It's so comforting). 
   
4.  Focus on your breathing. Focusing on your breathing and taking long, deep breaths will allow your mind to wonder off spinning thoughts and focus on something which is truly therapeutic and relaxing.
5. Make sure your room is dark. And now for the technical part. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone controlled by light exposure that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin production is controlled by light exposure. Your brain should secrete more in the evening, when it’s dark, to make you sleepy, and less during the day when it’s light and you want to stay awake and alert. (So be brave and turn off that night light or at least make sure your curtains cover the street light aiming directly into your bedroom). Light can suppress your body’s production of melatonin and make it harder to sleep.

Sweet dreams .x.

My Lust List

Please please please.

Don't you ever just sit there, zone out, and dream of owning things, (you know, if you had all the money in the world?).

Absolutely ridiculous question. I'll answer that one for you. Of course! If we were as rich as Kim K or as risky as that casino guy (spending the money you really don't have, or have, but shouldn't really spend), then I think we'd all be content and well on our way to ticking off those lust list check boxes, don't you?

Here are a few on my lust list...

1. A new perfume. (My 2 bottles of DKNY apple are finished, the large, and the mini handbag essential) and all my other perfumes have run out too. I know some people have a signature scent and I used to be one of those so-called 'don't you dare smell like me' people but I genuinely can't say I have one at the moment. So I think a stroll around Boots is an absolute must! (I'm quite excited). They say coffee beans help your nose adjust to the diverse scents, otherwise they all blend into one. A few that I am considering...

• My IT Jacket. Yes, I'm still to locate this nightmare of a find. I know she's out there somewhere. And yes again, referring to my previous post, my deadline was the 15th October, but the shops haven't been grabbing my attention (she says with a sad puppy dog face) and I want the coat to scream 'ME ME ME'. However, on my recent trip to Liverpool to visit my sister, I did see a lovely khaki jacket which apparently has now been reduced to almost half price, £59.99!! Now that shouts bargain! But they didn't have my size! Genuine female dilemma. (happens a lot). I'll have to re-visit Zara in hope that this jacket is 'the one'.

• A new foundation. My clinique one really is TOO light for me. Especially once I've slapped on those necessary layers of fake tan before a night out, only for your face to be visibly whiter (it's been pointed out many a time). But even bronzer doesn't fix this.

• An LBD. The little black dress. I've always been a fan of black on other people but never been a fan of black on myself. About time I changed this concocted formation that black doesn't suit me or black washes me out because I think the LBD, the little black dress is an absolute necessity for a woman's wardrobe. And being 22, I can't believe I still don't have one. 

• And lastly. A complete new wardrobe. (hey, stuff it, someone just give me a £5000 voucher so I can tip toe around Westfield shopping centre. It would probably be more like a consistent jog, no maybe a full on sprint, let's not lie). I think I face the same problem every typical female faces.........

Love...confessions of a shop-holic...shhh I won't tell if you won't.

(I've never quite been the one to save the pennies for a rainy day, I'm more of a 'money in my bank', big grinned, shopping spree spender kind of gal). Someone hand me a piggy bank before it's too late!

How healthy is your makeup?

What we apply to our faces, is absorbed into our bodies.

.......so how healthy actually is our make up? We want to feel great, look fabulous and live well so nourishing cosmetics would be a bonus and toxic make up should be a big no no.

I plan to research into the ingredients of certain beauty product brands and find a healthy option to feeling youthful and looking flawless.

Thoughts on this blog post idea?

Any contribution ideas welcome! Please feel free to comment.

x

It's the little things

It's the little things.

• catching that smile that cute guy aimed at you in the street
• old couples holding hands
• finding a ten pound note in your jeans pocket 
• the picture that little kid drew for you
• getting handed free perfume samples, (ideal clubbing accessory) 
• waking up to unread texts
• finding something you lost a long time ago....(your dignity). Kidding.
• or perhaps simply just singing in the shower- where you feel liberated and like no one can hear you. (You're wrong, but who cares, not everyone was born with the voice of an angel). Luckily I was gifted. 

As cliche as they may be, phrases such as 'live for the moment' or 'seize the day' embed among the most over-worked wordings in history. 'Yolo' being the most recent addition to the family. But do we even really know what they mean?

I do believe that a life full of fun, laughter and love is more expensive that anything that money could ever buy, so here are my tips on how to live for the moment because really, life is not about how many breaths we take, but about how many moments that take our breath away. Oh God, that old chestnut.  

1. SAY YES. Simple right? 'No' has always been a negative expression so it would make sense for you to do the opposite. So book that holiday, say yes to that date and take risks (and I don't mean, live dangerously), but spontaneity brings the things you least expect.
2. LEARN TO APPRECIATE THE NOW. Stop saying 'next year it will be better' and brushing past the good in your life by focusing on the bad. Sure, you might not have the ideal Victoria's Secret super model physique (the one that you have pinned to your fridge- saying DON'T GO IN THERE, you know, just to remind yourself) or perhaps the 6 figure salary to compensate for the lack of the former and to add to that you may be single and living your life like a complete and utter pringle. Buttt...that's not everything. 
3. Accept that the tattooed Tom Hardy look alike boyfriend will come later, as will your wish to look like a model be granted. (Well, after ten thousand fitness sessions and a couple of leaves for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of your life). And as for that wishful salary that's got you feeling down- just mentally add an extra zero. (the minds a crazy, powerful thing).
4. Remember to.....

Body troubles of Winter

So the cold season has really sprung upon us.

Those daring breezes have crept their way back (you know, the disruptive ones that make you lose balance). And while the warm sun decides to vanish for a fair few months, we now must resort to A) fake tans, B) tanning beds or perhaps option C) remain ghostly, as our natural tanning technique takes a back seat.

The weather and time of year really seems to take its toll on our bodies and what we inhale into them. That's right, as we wrap up warmly, complain about the temperature and prepare ourselves for the most festive season of the year that is Christmas, we seem to damage our waistlines (unintentionally, of course) along the way.

So why is it, that the cold seasons make us put on a pound or two?

or three.

or four!???? (she says in a childish rebel-like tone).

So for most, the bikinis and trunks have been cast aside, to perhaps the bottom of the underwear drawer, or back into that box, labelled 'Summer wear' in big, bold marker pen. Apart from the exceptional few, the all year round body confident beings who enjoy swimming, for fun. (Crazy individuals). It's incredibly hard to keep up that physique! Our metabolisms are no longer identical to our 10 year old selves. And we definitely aren't as physically active as our hyper, playful 10 year old selves. (eventhough our inner child might be). 

As we generously find ourselves layering our clothing and covering our goose bumps with warm baggy jumpers, we escape the likelihood of the world seeing our 3 belly rolls and even perhaps our 3 neck rolls. (We have scarves for that, multi-purpose, who would have thought).

It's often hard to control your weight when the cold, dark days of Winter make outdoor exercise less appealing and even the journey to your local gym less appealing. We also start to crave those real comfort foods. (Great Gran's old treacle sponge pudding). I'm genuinely licking my lips.

It's not a surprise that our fitness plans go down the drain, when we are faced with such delicious wholesome and satisfying foods around Autumn and Winter. You only have to pass a cake shop, a pastry shop, to be tempted by not only the smell of the enticing foods but the thought of entering such a warm location. (Together they really do make a convincing team).

Fattening foods of Winter:

STARBUCKS HOT CHOCOLATE: 290 cals (and that's without the whipped cream & marshmallows.
HOMEMADE MAC & CHEESE: average serving 420 cals
MINCE PIES: 477 cals (apparently a single mince pie takes a 4 mile walk to burn off).
APPLE CRUMBLE: 345 cals per serving. Crumbs!
ROAST DINNER and all the trimmings: 812 cals per plate. Ouch.

Of course portions all vary and calories will vary accordingly.

'My eyes are bigger than my stomach' 

and I don't know when to stop.

So whether you call it the annoying baby pouch, the food baby, or maybe the Kris Kringle tummy, don't worry yourselves too much. We're all in the same boat. Having a few extra treats or a few less work out sessions might be naughty, but hey, we won't make Santa's naughty list for it.

Here are a quick few tips to help stay in shape this Winter and keep those body blues at bay.

1. Go ice-skating: It burns calories and it's great fun! (Especially when it's outdoors), just make sure to wrap up warm!
2. Move more indoors: Take the stairs, with the cold weather making outdoor activities less appealing, be active indoors. Walk the stairs instead of taking the lift or buy a fitness DVD to exercise in the comfort of your own home. (There really are no excuses).
3. Make home-made hearty soups: The produce that's naturally in season in Winter is your secret weapon for keeping off the pounds. Soups are so yummy and healthy too. Bonus!
4. Lastly, my favourite. Eat a salad to indulge later: Eating healthy meals during the day compensate for that late night stretch into the cookie jar. (I think so, anyway). A balanced diet is a healthy diet and it means you can eat those well earned and craved treats and not worry.

And if you really feel like having a break for a couple of months, then battle the bulge in January. Isn't it everyone's favourite New Year's resolution? 

I'm excited to indulge so I know it'll be mine!

Dear Santa, 

All I want for Christmas is a fat bank account and a skinny body. Let's try not to get the two mixed up like last time.

Love Yaz x

(I've been good, I promise).