One of the most common things which can appear when there is a cancer diagnosis made is sleeplessness (or insomnia). Guest blogger Toni Lindsay delves into this topic in this week's blog.

People often describe either trouble going to sleep, or finding themselves waking in the middle of the night and finding 10000 things to worry about. It’s normal that in times of extreme stress (which a cancer diagnosis often brings) your sleep patterns get a bit out of whack, which in itself causes stress.

Trying to function on not enough sleep is like trying to drive a car without any petrol in it. When you have a good sleep, your energy levels are topped up and you will feel that you can manage whatever comes at you better. The other side of the coin is when you don’t have enough sleep, it makes it harder to cope, and people often find that they get more frustrated, angry and irritable.

So…..we have all been there, and know what it means to be exhausted and not be able to sleep, but what can you do to help you sleep better during this really stressful and emotional time?

Here are some tips……

1. Exercise (Yes, I know I tell you this in every blog). Exercise helps you wear out your body during the day, as well as all of the other emotional bonuses which come from getting out and about (see other blogs). The exercise you are doing doesn’t have to be hardcore training or serious athletic pursuits…more some regular walking, a bike ride etc. People often find that short bursts of activity which use up a bunch of energy are really helpful like sprinting, boxing or skipping. Note: If it is you that is sick, make sure your doctor is happy for you to do these things.
2. Limit things with caffeine and sugar in them (particularly after about 2pm) as these hinder your ability to have restful sleep. Similarly, although alcohol might make you feel tired, it actually is pretty terrible for your sleep cycle, so its better to not use it at all when you are trying to get your sleep in order.
3. Keep a note pad next to your bed, so if you wake up in the middle of the night you can write down the stuff that’s in your head, and tell your brain you will deal with it in the morning. Usually what happens is when you come to look at it the next day, big parts won’t make much sense, and you can disregard them.
4. Have a sleep routine. Do a whole bunch of things which are nice and relaxing before you go to bed, such as taking a bath, listening to relaxing music, having a glass of warm milk. Try not to watch tv, or read a book, as these things tend to stimulate your brain and interfere with you going to sleep.
5. Your bed is for sleeping. Try not to do anything else in bed, like watching tv, reading, playing playstation etc. This lets your brain know that when you get into bed, it’s for sleeping.
6. Try not to nap during the day. Even if you are really tired, as this disrupts the sleep cycle and will make it harder to sleep at night. Also, get up at the same time everyday. If you find that you are feeling like a sleep during the day, its time to pull in some of the exercise we talked about at point 1. It will help you feel energised, and then you will sleep better.

If all of these things aren’t helpful, and the sleeplessness goes on for more than 1 week, it’s probably a good idea to touch base with a counsellor who can help give you some more hints and tips to manage this. If you are on treatment, and are having trouble sleeping its also worth mentioning it to your doctor, as some medications (like steroids) can cause sleeping problems!