SUNDAY-SOMNIA?

Does your dread of going back to work on Monday stop you getting to sleep on Sunday night?

Don't let the stress of the week ahead get in the way of a decent night's sleep at the end of the weekend. Sleep Scientist, Professor Jason Ellis from Northumbria University, says regular sleep disruption is bad news. "While having too little sleep every now and then won’t have a massive impact, consistently not getting quite enough sleep, combined with one night a week of very little sleep, will have a significant impact on health, alertness and general mood.’"  

Here are our top five tips for making sure that your Sunday night sleep is a beautifully restful one:

Create some focus on Friday Before you finish work on Friday, write yourself a 'to do list' for the following week. Spend a minute tidying up your desk and leave your list centre stage so you can go home and forget about it, safe in the knowledge that you have a clear action plan ready and waiting for you when you get back in on Monday.  

Plan your wardrobe On Sunday morning, decide what you are going to wear the next day and put it out ready. Having your outfit sorted gives you an extra bit of time in the morning if you need it, as it's one less thing to think about.  

Make Sunday night your pamper night Plan to give yourself an interruption free hour before bed for a bit of well-deserved pampering.  Think DIY pedicure, face mask, hair treatment and of course a lovely soak in a deep, warm bath. Put on some gentle music, light a candle and relax.  The aim is to not only to get yourself spruced up and feeling confident about how you look for the week ahead, but also to give your brain time to wind down and get in to sleep mode.  

Tap in to your sense of smell Sleep and our sense of smell are closely linked. Both are controlled by the same part of our brain and smell is the sense that has the most power to influence our sleep patterns.  Nature has given us a whole suite of relaxing aromas to choose from that can calm our minds (our four signature blends tap in to the breadth of that range, from the warm citrus of GLOW through to the exotic woody cocktail of CALM). Once you've chosen something you love, find ways of incorporating it in to your night-time wind down routine, both in your bathroom and your bedroom.  Make sure you choose aromas that are 100% natural - avoid anything with fragrance on the label as these are artificial and won't have the same impact on your senses as the pure essential oils will have  

Don't worry Worrying about not being able to sleep is counterproductive. If you find yourself not able to drop off once you get to bed, try the relaxation technique of visualisation, or distract yourself with something repetitive until your brain quietens down and you can try to get to sleep again

Remember - Monday is just another day.  And who knows - it might just be a brilliant one. Sleep beautifully