By Fern Tausig
Your Body, Your Mind
Fern Tausig
There are certainly enough stressful things right now in our world to keep you awake, but they don’t have to. Every time you tell yourself you can’t sleep, you can’t sleep. It’s not true; everyone sleeps. You may not sleep well, but you definitely can sleep.
There are many causes of poor sleep habits. We get into a poor sleep habit and then the fear of not being able to sleep prolongs the habit.
Quality sleep can make the difference between a happy or miserable life. Our mind and body require sleep. People who don’t sleep well cannot lose weight, are cranky and feel anxious or depressed.
There are ways to overcome sleep problems without drugs. Relearning to sleep begins with changing your self-talk. Never tell yourself that you can’t sleep. Instead say, “I can’t stay awake.”
Here are some tips to learn to sleep:
- Become aware of your internal experience when you are trying to sleep. There is an internal dialogue you have with yourself about sleep. You can change it.
- Change the fear of not being able to sleep to confidence that you now know how to relax your mind and body so you can drift off to sleep.
- There are a few things to do before bedtime. First, begin to clear your mind by writing down everything you need to remember to do for tomorrow.
- Go to sleep at a reasonable, consistent time. The best quality of sleep is between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. Avoid falling asleep in front of the TV on a couch or chair.
- As you get into bed, begin by relaxing your body with progressive relaxation. You can use progressive relaxation by tightening a group of muscles for the count of three and then releasing them. Begin with your feet and calves. Tighten them, then release. Do the same for each area of your body, working your way up.
- Breathing is important. Begin by taking three long, slow, deep breaths (breathe in for five seconds, hold it for five seconds and exhale for 10 seconds). Fear of not sleeping causes adrenaline to make you feel anxious and keep you awake. You will shut off the adrenaline by using slow breaths.
- Learn “heart breathing.” Breath normally, and with your focus on your heart imagine your breath is coming through and around your heart. If your mind begins to wander, refocus by bringing your attention back to your heart. This will begin to clear your mind.
- If you’re still not sleeping, create a movie in your mind of a place you’ve been to or seen in a movie – a calm, relaxing place. Explore all aspects of the place using your imagination and relaxing more with each breath. Now your body and mind are relaxed.
- Focus again on your heart breathing and think to yourself with each breath in “sleep” and with each breath out “soundly.”
This exercise should help you drift off to sleep. Sometimes you need help rewiring your brain for sleep, as your stubborn, negative part may get in the way. It’s okay to ask for help when you need it. Sleep is just a habit that can be changed.
Fern Tausig is a certified hypnotist, lifecoach and health educator. She can be reached at myhealinghypnosis.com.