9 Little Words

Home Sweet Home

These little decorative blocks sit on my window sill and remind me everyday to be a little thankful.

Home is that place where you can relax, it is your personal space where you are free to be.... well, free to be whatever you want. If you hate clothes you can be naked (generally frowned upon when in public - don't you know) you can sing as much as you want even if you are tone deaf, Maybe you just hate wearing socks and bras and cant wait to get them off. Its your slice of the world no matter If you have a room, a flat, a house or a palace to call your home, its yours. When you come in from a hard days work you can kick of your shoes pop on the telly and watch whatever you want.

Our homes are what we make of them, but they are us. From the furniture to food in the cupboard it is an extension of who you are and what you like and this makes it personal. It's why getting your home perfect is an almost impossible task. As we grow and learn our tastes change and the drive to translate that to home design is pretty much instinctual. Remember when you were eleven and thought turning one of your bedrooms walls into a collage of Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Dogs and food was a good idea? No? maybe that was just me, and yes an actual collage where I glued them to the wall and resulted in me pinning a Welsh dragon towel over it when I came to my senses.

Home Sweet Home may be just three words that are plastered on mugs, plaques, decals and all other household items, but its sentiment is sound. Home is where you hang you hat (or bra in my case) and you can make it your haven.

Live Laugh Love

Live is an uncomplicated word that we have managed to complicate, to twist. Its simple and poignant, yet overused and sometimes forgotten in the swath of everyday live. Its what we should be doing everyday. Work to be able to live and enjoy life, not live to work. Live each day in the present and make the most of what you've got. Live because life can throw many a curve ball into the works but getting past them and gaining a sense of achievement is quite intoxicating. Live, the simple word Buffy used when she dies saving the world and her sister. Maybe that one is not the best example. Regardless life for enjoying, for experimenting, for making mistakes, for learning, for experiencing and in its purest form: Life is for Living!

Laughing can be infectious and is always fun. except maybe when its a laugh or cry scenario. What I take away from this word is that everything is better in a good spirit. Problems wont go away, but your attitude is what will make or break the situation. Find the funny side of everything, trying to not just survive but to be positive and happy.

Finally we come to Love, in all it's forms: Sibling, Parents, Children, Partner, Friends, Pets or Cake. Love makes us almost unique on our planet, It may stem from a survival mechanism, but it's strong and it's lasting. We act upon our feelings in a way that can make us sappy or crazy, normally the latter. Even though its a strong feeling we can forget why we love someone or indeed something. We can sweep away the emotions and be clouded by bad judgements. No matter what we have an amazing capacity to love and as it was said by Hugh Grant, 'Love actually is all around us'. Even if we don't see it or feel it, and remembering to show someone why you love them just a little everyday is important.

Follow Your Dreams

Dream big or small, it makes no difference. Certain dreams will only be attainable by luck, such as winning the lottery, but most are achievable by hard work and effort. Complacency is the ruin of a dream. Routines are neither good or bad; get up, brush teeth, make a cup of tea, etc, but everyday life will keep on ticking and pass you by. The trick is not to let the everyday life deter you from what you want and to make time to set out your own goals.

You could have a simple dream of having one hour a day void of interruptions or distractions. Your dream may be more active such as going bungee jumping or even starting your own business. We are our own worst enemies and we can so easily stand in our own ways by creating reasons. reasons are more often that not just an excuse that is so rooted into our daily life that we can't see that there are ways around it. So I say that we all need to dream and take the time to realise our dreams and find the steps to achieve it.

So, 9 little words with very big meanings, reminders for everyday to make life a little better.

Loosing Weight - Beauty standards?

 With more media portrayal of slim women and more pressure everyday to look a certain way, weight loss has become a booming business, supplying fitness machines, dvd's, games, books, medication and all manner of 'Miracle Products' to help aid in any weight loss. When I started to take up my blogging again, my first post was about what I wanted to achieve in this year. Loosing some weight was a main goal for me and I bit a hard bullet by admitting my weight, which after some reflection I know I let spiral. So 10 weeks into my diet and I am over halfway to my goal. I started at 20st 7lb, today I am 18st 5lb and I want to get down to 16 and a half stone. I will still be obese but I wont be morbidly so at my goal weight. I will eventually go further, but I want to do it slow and steady and improve my chances of keeping it off but lowering by 'maximum weight' by a stone at a time, If I reach my goal within 4 months I may push for one more stone, but I then intend to learn how to maintain my weight for a while so I don't put it all back on.

 Why am I loosing weight? well it's not because anyone has told me so, everyone in my life is supportive and understanding and have never mentioned my weight beyond a few comments in regards to health. I want to drop the sizes because I have a few health issues that are not caused by the weight but are exasperated by it. I want to be able to see items of clothing in a shop and be able to buy them instead of finding the different cut version for the plus sizes. But most of all I want to do it for me. I will never be a size 10, and my dream goal would be to fit in a 16 (borderline 14 with clothes that have give) but I would happily settle to be a size 18.

 There can be a lot of stigmata for a fat or fatter person, from saying they are lazy to disgusting, that it's a life style choice to sheer gluttony. Yes there are a lot of people out there that enjoying being large that revel in it and that make a living from keeping the pounds on, but the truth is they are far and few between. The majority of the larger population have just (without meaning to) allowed themselves to gain more. Like myself, I have always been bigger then the average, but a few extra meals here and a larger portion there and before I knew it my 'maximum weight' kept creeping up. The other end of the scale isn't perfect either, in face you can have more lasting issues from being underweight. I am not lazy either, I work where I spend 7 hours a day 3 days a week running around and I don't spend all my spare time on my bottom.

I see a lot being said that if you large you must have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, borderline diabetes and these are all serious issues that can come with being bigger, but I have none of these. In fact I know more people who are of normal weight with these issues than larger folks. Being bigger increases your chance of complications but bad genes can also be such a reason.

 The likelihood of being chastised because you are too slim is far less than if you are too fat. The world will never let us be happy with who we are because we as a race strive for perfection, we have a more negative than positive look at things. Instead of saying whats good we say whats bad. We don't necessarily give compliments where they are due but we are more than happy to critique. So why are we so quick to make snap judgements about why a person is the way they are? I believe that its ingrained in us to see beauty in a certain way and if you are outside that 'norm' then you are not beautiful. I believe this is a pig headed view and wish I could shake some sense into the people that truly believe that you are ugly and disgusting if you are fat. I have had skinny friends, I have had average friends, I have had larger friends and I have had fat friends. They are all beautiful, all individual, all amazing in their strengths. I have never looked at them and thought they would look better a stone lighter.

When I started writing this post I intended it to be a how I've done it. Its turned more into a why and a statement instead. No matter whether you have eaten a ton of cake or just have a glandular issue, we are all allowed to be who we want. This stands no matter what you are; skinny, fat, gay, ginger, religious, young or old. I truly believe that we are all beautiful, I may not be thin but my hair is soft and long, My nose may be too wide but my eyes have flecks of hazel in them that light up in the sun. Beauty is a matter of perspective, and like a flower, we all have little flaws but they do not stop the overall view from being breathtaking and beautiful.

When the world is on your shoulders - How do you go to Sleep?

When the worries of life just keep on coming how can you calm yourself enough to sleep. Whether your worried about finances, life, family, friend, health or your job it can play on your mind. You never really relax, when you start to actively think about what is worrying you the butterflies in your stomach start to do the cha cha. Your breath gets faster, if you even glance to your problems your heart starts to get faster and your almost in a panic attack. I've had many a issue that just stays in the front of my mind. That I have worried myself sick about. Sometimes you can resolve it and other times its out of your control, but either way it plays on your mind until it has been worked through.

Throughout the day the stress of the worry is a burden, but when your trying to sleep its a downright pain in its own way. When the lights are off and your in your warm bed, eyes closed in the quiet trying to unwind is the time when any problems come to the front of your mind full blast and make sleep all but impossible. Sleep is so important, even more so when you are emotional about things as it is what fuels you even more than food, A good sleep is regenerative and puts you in a good position to start another day.

So when the world is on your shoulders, or more literally your head, what can you do to shut it out long enough to sleep and start it all over again the next day. With the world seeming to become a more and more stressful place I felt that I could share some of the things I have done to help my mind relax a tad. Some of these are not just for sleep, but can be applied to anytime of the day.

Try and get lost in something, read a book, watch some TV, play a game, search the Internet or while away the time on pinterest creating the perfect boards that you can look back on in wanton lust.
Sometimes its all about distraction, keeping your mind busy and away from what is upsetting you so much. It can be a 50/50 solution as you may find your mind wandering back on occasions, but some time away from an issue can be quite revealing, and can even lead to a solution.

 Have a nice bath, add some bubble, a few candle and even a glass of wine, or whatever drink is you tipple. Have a nice relax and sooth your muscles. Remember that we are all entitled to a break and that the world is not all about the problems. Take some time for yourself, alone time is allowed and though the problems may not melt away like the bubbles, you can allow yourself to forget about them and focus on yourself for an hour or two.

 Take a breath, when you start to let it all get on top of you take a few minutes and breathe. Take some deep breaths (at least 15), concentrate on on your breathing, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to make each breath last a little longer, like a mini game. It will help you to refocus you attention and help you to calm down. It will allow you the time you need to calm down and hopefully realise that whatever is the cause of you worries, it shouldn't hurt you.

Write it all down, EVERY WORD that has you in knots, create a list of sorts of your worries/problems. Once its on paper, read it over at least twice. Having it out of your head and in front of you will make it seem more manageable. Think of solutions to the problems and every time you solve on, cross it out. It will be very satisfying as you see the list get smaller and smaller. It will help you to see that the smaller issues were just adding to the pile and that without the little one the bigger ones will seem a little more manageable. Writing it in list form with help you to be organised and to compartmentalise a little.

Force your brain to think about other things, happy things. If you won £500,000, how would you spend it, down to the last penny. Many a times I have drifted off halfway through this exercise. Think about writing a book, imagine some character or places and how you would describe them. This is basically making your own daydream, but it has worked for me a lot. It can be hard at the beginning but after a while you need to start thinking of more scenarios for you to imagine.




Other little things, such as don't drink coffee or coke after 7, keep yourself busy, don't stay in your home, get out and have a walk or meet some friends, can also help to forget the worries and sleep.

Try not to dwell on the bad, thinking of things getting worse or imagining even worse scenarios will not help. Remember that scenarios are just that scenarios, they are not life and will only make you worry more about things that may never ever happen. We can not control everything in our lives, but we can control how we deal with them. Worrying will only add more stress and ultimately cause more issues, maybe even health ones. Take each day as it comes, each hour or each minute if that is easier for you. Living in your own head is not healthy for you or anyone who loves you. There is always someone out there that you can talk to about whatever is on your mind. Never bottle it up, sharing is a good way to unburden yourself, just like writing it down.

Whatever life throws at you, good or bad that these little tips help you to relax and forget your worries, even if only for a moment, we all need some peace.

Weddings

Ive spent most of my last few weeks on the phone chasing up problems. But this week my time has been taken up by my new shiny S4 phone that I don't see how I lived without it. It's so fast and sleek, with more features than you can dream off and yet my only bugbear is the size. even if it was 2cm shorter and had 1cm off on the sides, it would make it a much easier phone to handle. However the size does have its benefits, such as watching trailers and not trying to touch very small letter when typing.

I am shortly going to be travelling up country to see my oldest friend walk down the aisle (this is where I can take advantage of my new phone and its 13mp camera with front and rear shots simultaneously) to her partner of 7 years. I also have another friend who is starting to plan her wedding.

It is almost 2 years since I got married to Nick and let me tell you that sometimes it seems as if it was only moments ago and other times it feels like it was centuries. So, with weddings on the brain, I thought I'd use this post to give some tips for anyone who is tying the knot in the near future

• Get a journal/planner/stack of papers - whatever you prefer, but have one place that you write it all down, one place that you keep all your ideas, keep all the numbers, all the pictures, it makes it easier when you have to make final decisions.
• Buy as you go - this is especially easy if your trying to plan a budget wedding - ebay is your friend - pick things up when you see them, don't leave any decorations until the last minute, you do not need the stress of finding one silver sash on the morning (yes, learn from mine - or rather my mother in laws mistakes).
• Set your colour - once you've chosen your colour stick to it, but try to stick to colours within the season you are getting married as it makes it easier to find items of your choice. I went with a dark purple in September and for a whole year I struggled to find many items in my chosen colour, however as soon as the wedding was over, there was purple everywhere - sods law that is!
• Double/triple/quadruple check - once you have confirmed things, always keep whatever communication was exchanged, and confirm everything 6 months before your day. Confirm again at around the 6 week mark and then re-confirm 1-2 weeks before. This will help you to relax as you KNOW it's done and you've given yourself some time to sort things out if there are issues.
• Table planning is not so hard - It really isn't. Like everyone I had the family members that do not speak to this person or the friend that will walk out if on the same table as that person. Don't let them get you down. With enough tables you can keep everyone happy. Oh, and that odd person table where you end up putting the odd couple that don't know anyone else but you, yeah, well they end up being the table having the most fun. I swear, it's happened in every wedding I've been to and at my own, the 'odds' get on famously.
• Be sensible - I could not have stayed in heels all day, its just not possible, so I got a pair of flats for the evening party. once the lights went down, no one was looking at me feet anymore (not that they really were anyway). Don't get me wrong I love shoes and would have if I could have, but being practical and comfortable (well as much as you can in wedding dress) is better than any accidents, or remembering your big day as a blur of pain.
• Happy drink - As much as the majority of people like to have one to many at a wedding, if its your day I say only have a few. I think I had 2 alcoholic drinks the whole day, but my memory is clear for so many little details and conversation. My husband on the other had (aided by my one Irish Uncle and my other Uncle who was in the Navy) got plied with drinks and felt the need to drink each one in record time. He now remembers very little of the evening party and the day after is a hangover blur!
• Dress is for you - with more choices of dresses out there than stars it seems an almost impossible task to choose what you want sometimes. Keep looking, but don't get too worried if nothing is perfect. you can always ask to add or remove details or just keep you eye out. you have to wear it all day and be photographed more in one day than the rest of you life combined, its important that you take the time to be comfortable with your choice.
• Food for all - If your not lucky enough to have a brother-in-law who is a chef and does your food as a wedding gift, then you will unfortunately have to pay for your meal or for a buffet, look around and see if you can bring anything yourself. One of the things that shocked me when looking at venues was finger food like cheese and pineapple stick and 4x sandwiches were coming up at £20 per head, stupid price when I can buy the stuff from Tesco and do it all for under £100 for about 90 people. But regardless of me, it's up to you, if you want a 5 course dinner supreme then look to see who will accommodate you. some places will offer slightly cheaper rates for more guests. It pays to look.
•  Ask for help - I constantly had my family and friends on the look out for purple centre pieces or accessories to add to the day, there's no need to struggle with it all on your own. If nothing else your future husband should put his two pence in at some point - well we have to let them think they have some control!
• DJ preview - If you are having a Disco, try and see what the DJ is like beforehand, request the songs that you want a month before, don't get stuck with a dud. Mine wasn't bad, but as a family friend I had a discount so I chose him for his cheapness. Don't get stuck with someone who plays puppy love or the birdie song!
• Keep Calm - At the end of the day as long as you have planned and confirmed everything, it will all be fine. The day before the wedding i was running round like a bridezilla crazy person making sure it was all done, but on the day I sat back and told everyone else that if there were any problems they would have to deal with it as it's now my time to shine.

Nothing that is unexpected but I hope these little tips help anyone who is getting married or is thinking of it.

Thirfty Tips - Shopping

Times are getting harder and harder and though 90%of the money you can save is easy and common sense we are still shopping like we have spare pounds. I for one don't anymore. Regardless of how obvious some of these tips may be I wanted to take the time to give you some ideas to save a few of you own pennies.

Shop around, check moneysupermarket to see if there are any better offers on in other stores. but don't travel the earth, you may end up loosing what you could save in petrol, time or footwear! Aldi/Lidl's can have some great products and a lot cheaper than most large stores, If you have one near you, have a look, you may find it could be your best friend. Poundland/B&M bargains, all the cheap shops are worth looking in you can save yourself a small fortune, especially on household products.

When shopping in supermarkets, always pick up a few of their own leaflets/magazines, there are always coupons and offers inside, and are normally valid for quite a while, Or check out the online site, they sometimes have printable vouchers. Also have a look at the following websites you may find offers on items that you buy, supersavvyme has vouchers, offers and general info about products. saavoo has lots of voucher and offers to be taken advantage off.

Buy in bulk especially when on offer, if your toilet paper is normally £3 but its on offer at 2 for £5 or 3 for £7, buy it. it may seem a lot in one go but that's extra money come the end of the month and its something that you will always use. When buying fresh try going to a market, you can get at least double if not triple the amount for what you would pay and morrisons or Asda and what you don't use can be frozen for future meals.

If you buy something but haven't fancied it, freeze it before its use by date, simple and instead of throwing away money your just saving it for when you want it later. Frozen veg is just as good as fresh and can have some great offers on it. Same goes with meat and most chilled items, try and buy them on the last day they are being sold or in the evening (5-7ish) when they have been reduced and when you get home freeze it, you have just paid half the price you would have if you have bought it only one day earlier.

I'd say always sign up for the cards such as nectar or clubcard, even if you only spend £50 a month in the stores it means you are getting more money back and they send you more money off vouchers with your statements. Also clubcard keep doing double up, so you can turn £5 of vouchers into £10, yes its only on selected items,but it could mean you get that pair of shoes you wanted for next to nothing. This is especially handy around Christmas as you can save on pretty much everything and you haven't even dipped into your account.

When shopping for clothes look at sales or if you find something you want wait two months as it will more than likely be reduced. I'll say it once and I'll say it again, Charity Shops, they can be hit and miss, but they are fun and cheap and you could get a whole outfit for less than £20, and so many items have the original tags still attached. Ebay is also a good thing, I have found plenty of things that are cheaper than in store and even when you include shipping its still cheaper (and if you have a nectar card you can collect points by shopping on Ebay).

I have spent most my life thinking, oh its only a pound or two different it wont matter, but it does, that few pounds could mean the difference between electricity one month. and if you save £10 a week by freezing/using vouchers, it will make a huge difference at the end of the month. Thats a night out or a meal that you didn't have to skrimp to find, or if its a particularly bad month, that's another weeks shopping!

As I said these are mostly common sense, but I hope that they help you if you are trying to save a few pence.
If you have any money saving ideas, please let me know.

Tips & Tricks to hide the bulge

What you wear can make you look slimmer or larger, its all about knowing your shape and what flatters it best, there are a lot of exception to the rules, so don't rule anything you like out until you try it, fashion is what you make of it and being bold and confident enough to own what your wear and create your own style is half the battle won. here are a few things I have found that can help to make you look slimmer.

wear clothes that fit but flow over you,  if you do wear skinny jeans or tight leggings go looser of the top to balance it out.
garments with blocks of color on side panels or some prints will help to fool the eye into giving shape.
sometimes wearing a single color can help, or different shades of the same color. choose a color that is good with your complexion and build on it, its amazing how varying degrees of purple can be slimming.
semi fitted clothing can be a godsend, try not to wear items that are too clingy or too baggy, a jacket with a pinched in waist can make a look.
However, on a slightly contradictory note to earlier, try and avoid bright colors and block patterns as they are not always helpful.
Too many dark colors can be pointless as much as black is slimming, wearing black from top to bottom can make you look no different, add a splash of color in a belt or cardigan, something to break up the color and give the eye something to focus on.
Avoid horizontal stripes, they can add a lot of 'girth to your size' try vertical stripes or clothing that have a slight pinstripe to them, they add the illusion that you are longer than you are.
Don't be afraid of your size, if your and 18, buy size 18 clothes, trying to squeeze into a smaller size is not going to make you look or feel good.

These are just some tips and tricks that I have used, there are lots more out there, but overall
BE CONFIDENT in who you are and what you are wearing, we are all beautiful.

How to Try and Beat a Cold!

It's that time of the year again and as the temperature has dropped the bugs seem to hang on for dear life and make you feel miserable.

For as long as I can remember I have been susceptible to cold and flu, where a normal person may have 2 or 3 illnesses a year I tend to get at least 7.

I was born with a hole in my heart due to a premature birth, I believe this has weekend my immune system a little bit, either that or my immune system is just crap at it's job, either way I get ill a lot.

When I am ill, whether it is cold or flu (preferable the first one) there are a few things I do without fail. I don't really know if they even work anymore as I have been doing them for so long.

1) Lots of fluids including orange juice or dissolvable vitamin c tablets, I tend to stay away from fizzy drinks and tea. However I have drunk a lot of Honey tea, just put some Honey into hot water as honey has a natural ingredient that kills off bacteria.
2) Tissues, lots and lots of tissues, my nose tend to work overtime on cold duty and I go through so much.
3) Vaseline, for if my nose does get sore its the least painful thing to use to sooth the area.
4) Vicks Vapo rub or Olbas Oil inhaler. for the chest these are really helpful, they may not be the nicest smelling things in the world and even if you don't think they are working they are usually doing lots of good and helping you.
5) Tablets, cold and Flu ones that help reduce temperature or just normal paracetamol, either way I can't get through a illness without a few, even if its just to ease the banging head that comes with any cold!
6) Wrap up, and use a hot water bottle at night. I tend to try and sweat the cold out , but as I cant deal with too much heat this doesn't really work too well, but it makes you feel cwtchy.
7) Try and get as much sleep as I can, I would sleep through the hole thing if my body would allow it!
8) Eat, even if I don't really want to, I will have 2 pieces of toast, just to keep my energies up and fuel the fight with the cold!
9) Hot baths. not only is the vapor from the bath good for clearing away your runny nose for a while it gives you a boost and relaxes your sore muscles.

There is a lot of advice out there to help you with your cold/flu but as everyone is different, what may work for me may not work for you, Trial and Error is the key

New Year : New Start

A new year is a chance to take stock of what you did last year, weather you had a good or a bad year. It is the time we all look back and make goals/resolutions to change what we did not like to try and improve the year to come.

Life tends to get in the way, and I in particular, will not lie and say that I achieve my wishes. For me they normally last until March. I have recently been thinking (philosophy is not my strong point, so bare with me) that a lot of the times, I have noticed that we tend to focus on the bad things of the previous year.

We tend to make goals such as I want to loose weight, I want to stop smoking, I Will find a man, these are all things that are generally negatives that we perceived over the last year. I feel that we sometimes focus on ourselves to much, not to say that self-improvement is wrong, I'm saying nothing of the sort, all I am saying is that we always try to change ourselves and yet most of the time we fail by the middle of the new year. (to anyone who makes goals and achieves them, then I must say that I truly admire your will power)

Maybe its time we start looking at the good things, for example, if you made a new friend your resolution could be to be the best friend you could want to that person, if your family has been good to you, you could think of ways to show your appreciation. Just look at the good things and think on what you would like to continue to do for the next year.

All I am thinking is that a lot of the time making small changes stick more than big changes, so if we maybe made one big goal and the rest were positive things that we wanted to continue to bring into our lives then maybe, just maybe we wouldn't fail.

Organising you life

I am constantly re-arranging draws, shelves, changing things around to find better ways to organise things. What can you do to be organised?

First of all lists, I like lists but rarely do them, but from shopping to what housework need to be done to what tv/dvds you need to catch up on. A good list is the basic backbone of any organisation to be done.
When I do my big cleaning days I find them handy to ensure that I havent forgotten anything. I also love ticking things off, I do get a small thrill once its all done and you see a nice row of ticks to prove that you have accomplished your tasks.

Diary/Planner - whether this be your phone or a good old fashion book, Its the only way you can keep track of things. I tend to use my phone and a calendar. Birthdays are particulary difficult for me as bar a few, pretty much all my family and all my husbands family have birthdays jan - march and then I have a few friends in April, thankfully the rest are scattered throughout the year. But without a calendar or diary, I would have a clue of exact date. I have a great memory, and I can tell you the month and get the the date within 10 days, there are only a few people that I can remember exactly!

Don't be afraid to re-arrange, you may find that things work better than you think, I created a whole new draw space just by combining my make up, jewelry and nail stuff to one draw. If you can when it comes to clothes, don't let them build up, when you have a certain amount have a go through them. If like me, when you do, you will find at least 10 items that you no longer wear or are so out of style you could pass them to your grandparent! give them to charity if they are in good nick or turn them to rags for cleaning or for patching up other things if they are worse for wear!

Shelves/Boxes/Units - all can be a saviour to keeping you place tidy and organised, but with all items being pretty expensive it can be a case of building them up over time. have a look in charity shops, B&M bargains even sites such as freecycle to try and build up your furniture for cheap or for free.

try not to procrastinate, if something need to be done, get it done now not tomorrow or next week, it can help you in the long run.

Sleep Deprivation

For anyone out there who has a bad sleeping pattern, I feel with you. I never have a good night sleep, I'm always trying to catch up or oversleeping to compensate.

I've been a bad sleeper for as long as I can remember, It normally takes me anywhere from 45mins to 2hours to fall asleep at night. I normally wake up at least 3 times a night and average about 6 hours sleep (when you minus my wake ups its prob more like 5 hours). At least once a month i will have 4-6 days of only getting 3/4 hours of sleep, so being constantly tired is a part of my life.

Not many people in my life realise that I sleep so bad, and prob think I'm exaggerating. I have been to doctors and gotten sleeping pills and found that they don't really make much of a difference and to tell the truth I felt so much worse after taking them than dealing with the lack of sleep.

Generally lack of sleep can make you groggy, irritable, drowsy, have trouble with memory and basic function. When talking to me you will find a lot of the time I struggle to think of basic words or remember the name of obvious things like the bathroom. It may all seen funny and trivial, but I can tell you that it is irritating and sometimes makes you feel stupid!

For anyone out there experiencing some bad nights or have patterns like mine I just wanted to share a few little things that I do to help me, they don't always work, but sometimes is better than never.

have a hot drink before bed, some milky hot chocolate or just hot milk. try and stay away from tea, coffee or any caffienated products within 3 hours of going to bed.
Take a hot water bottle to bed with you, maybe even put it in the bed 10 mins before you get in, heat can make you sleepy.
if you have not fallen asleep withing an hour (an hour and a half tops) get back up and do something, watch some tv, read some pages of a book. there is no point in lying in bed if you are not sleeping, and sometimes this can cause a psychological effect.
Try and avoid watching tv or taking you laptop into the bedroom, try and keep your bedroom as a calm, dark and quiet place.
If you have a brain that wont ever shut up, try and force it to think about nice things instead of the day, eg, what would you buy if you won the lottery, planning your dream holiday. This may sound strange, but 50% of the time by doing this I force my brain to start day-dreaming and eventually will drift off to sleep.
try and make your bed as comfortable as possible, make sure the sheets arn't creased and the bedding is soft, once again it sounds strange, but if your uncomfortable then you won't sleep.
Also set your alarm and get up no matter how tired you are and don't take any naps, try and set you body back to normal on its own.
If you do have a really bad bout and need sleeping tablets, try no to rely on them, only use them every other night for a week. It's a lot healthier if you can get back to normal on your own.