Going through a divorce is one of the most distressing things a person can go through. It's an unbearable amount of pain, sadness, guilt, and other feelings that can cause chaos to one's life. One area of your life that may be dramatically affected by a divorce is sleep. 

Sleep may seem like a common thing that disappears during intense moments of one's life. However, getting sleep can actually be a pretty effective buffer against extremely overwhelming stress. So, when you're going through a divorce, and feel as if you can't control anything, you may want to at least try being in control of your sleep patterns. Here are some things you can try to help you get a good night's rest during a very tumultuous time. 

See your doctor 

When you are under an extreme amount of duress, your immune system can be underfunctioning. A lack of sleep can exacerbate this suboptimal performance which can make you more prone to illnesses. A divorce is extremely stressful and can come with sleep issues which can make you more likely to get sick, which continues to make everything worse. 

In this state, it's important to stay on top of your health by going to see your doctor often. If you suffer from a mental health disorder, it's important to stay on top of that so it does not spiral during this tough time in your life. The more you know about your health, the more in control you can be over what's going on. Your physician can help you deal with your mental health and also address your insomnia, illnesses, depression, anxiety, and anything else you may be feeling. 

Talk to a psychologist

Your primary care physician will be able to help you with your medication and health needs. However, a mental health expert can actually help you with your mental state. Divorces are stressful and can lead to feelings of inadequacy, guilt, stress, loneliness and just overall adjustment issues. Psychologists, therapists, counselors, and spiritual leaders can all be great sources of comfort when you need to renew your mind and get back to a peaceful and manageable state. 

They also can help you regulate your emotions and practice some good behaviors to battle your insomnia. Bottling up your emotions can lead to disruptions in other parts of your life, including sleep. Learning how to work through them can be a positive step in helping you get your sleep back on track. 

Create a great sleep environment 

Your sleeping environment is a vital part of your sleeping health. The space in which you try to relax enough to go to sleep can play a vital role in sleep health. Especially after a divorce, where your sleeping environment may be different because there is only one person, a new house, or things remind you of what used to be, creating an ideal environment is key. 

Make some small, but impactful changes so your room really feels like you. This can include changing the sheets, removing shared pictures, painting the room, and introducing new smells or accents that make you happy. Changing the furniture around the room is also another option, as well as investing in a large pillow or weighted blanket to replace the sensation of another person. 

After your environment is curated, then you will need to work on creating a great bedtime routine. This routine should relax you and help you get ready for bed. This means that all of the activities in that routine should be relaxing - i.e. yoga, stretching, reading, enjoying time with family, playing a game, drinking chamomile tea, or just talking.

Whatever your routine is, you should do it every single night as that consistency will show your brain that it is time to go to bed as soon as you begin those activities.  

Stay hydrated 

One cause of insomnia actually is dehydration. If you spend a great deal of time crying, over exercising, not eating or drinking, dehydration can become a root cause of your sleeping problems. Take an audit of how much water you're drinking everyday and see if maybe that is the problem. If you're not drinking a lot, then that may be another part of your life that you decide to take control over and ensure you're as healthy as can be. 

Exercise 

Divorce may either make you completely unmotivated to exercise, or be the one driver that gets you in the gym (potentially a little too much). Either way, exercising and movement is great for you. Exercise is not only good for your overall health, but it is great for your sleep health.

When you expend energy working out, your body is so ready for bed at night, as long as you don't exercise too late. Once you get in the routine of exercising, it will become something your body craves, and looks forward to. 

If you try these remedies, and still are having a tough time sleeping, then the problem could be deeper. Please click the orange button below and take a free online sleep test to talk to one of our sleep health professionals. 

https://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/cant-sleep-during-divorce-what-to-what-not-to-do#:~:text=Create%20the%20ideal%20sleep%20environment&text=By%20creating%20the%20ideal%20sleep,hours%20of%20sleep%20each%20night.