You feel tired, exhausted, lacking energy, you want to sleep without worry, but you have trouble falling asleep? If you clicked on this message, I imagine that you probably have sleep problems, such as insomnia, and that you probably feel well over your insomnia, which prevents you from sleeping well. Whether you’re having trouble sleeping, having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep (insomnia) for years, or just getting started, this information will provide you with many strategies that you can begin to implement. right now to improve your sleep.
If you have had a fairly ordinary sleep, you are certainly not alone; Many people of all ages have sleep problems, including insomnia throughout their lives. Our Gold Coast psychologist sees many clients having sleep problems. And if I can say it myself, while I was writing this article about the lack of sleep on the plane, last night, I did not fall asleep at the best possible night. have certainly been a little nervous! Yes, even psychologists can sometimes become nervous!
Usually, sleep problems such as insomnia are characterized by one of the following: difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep in the middle of the night with at least a medium awakening or waking up earlier than you wish, without alarming you. Falling asleep for the first time and going back to sleep after the average awakening can last from 30 minutes to several hours. Or if you are like other people, your sleep problems could be strange dreams or nightmares.
So, if you want to have a better night’s sleep, it’s important to make sure that you try these strategies to overcome sleep problems and insomnia. All of these strategies are meant to calm and relax not only your mind but your body as well. If your mind is not relaxed, your body will not be, and if your body is not, your mind will not be.
Here are 8 useful strategies to beat insomnia and get a better night’s sleep
1. Practice yoga regularly. Yoga is not reserved for women, nor “feminine” men. Yoga is perfect for all ages because it can be modified by your yoga teacher to suit your physical abilities. Yoga is an activity based on mindfulness (presence – focus on the here and now rather than being caught by one’s thoughts). It’s also relaxing and detoxifying for the body, including balancing all your energy centers. Yoga is a great way to calm the mind and body.
2. Practice meditation daily. The benefits of meditation are similar to those of yoga without muscle movements. To keep it simple, meditation is about focusing on breathing and bringing your awareness back to your breath whenever your mind goes astray. It helps to calm your mind and relax your body because it’s hard to stress and worry and feel bad about yourself when you focus on your breath! Meditation can also help you clean your energy centers in your body, which helps you feel better in your mind and body.
3. Drink enough water. When we are worried or stressed, we tend to become dehydrated further due to increased flight or combat reactions and magnesium depletion. Dehydration and low levels of magnesium create more stress on the nervous system, making it harder for you to relax your body and mind for a good night’s sleep.
4. Have a night routine. Our body and our mind can become conditioned. You must train your body and mind to be relaxed at the time of the evening, rather than in a state of stress. Things that can condition the body to stress at night include activities and environments in the evenings: quarrels and conflict, loud TV, watching news or trauma on TV, insisting on finances and bills, bright lights, especially the synthetic lights, among others. Instead, eliminate them and include the following: dim lighting and/or candles, herbal teas to sleep, relaxing music, relaxing reading books, burning essential oils or incense, soothing shower/bath, gentle self-massage.
5. Progressive muscle relaxation. This bedtime exercise is a great way to help relax the body to sleep. It involves straining and relaxing each major muscle group in your body, from head to toe. Tense these muscles for 5 seconds, then release.
6. Break the worry. If a busy mind or worries keep you from falling asleep, get out of bed immediately if you think it’s impossible to fall asleep early. Go sit in a quiet and dark place in the house and do something nonsensical, like looking at the patterns around you, then go back to bed only when you feel tired enough to fall asleep. If you think you have a chance to sleep, get out of bed until about 20 minutes, you are not asleep yet and do the same thing. This will help train your brain not to worry in bed.
7. Stop worrying about your sleep. If you’re like most people, once you start to realize that you’re not going to fall asleep easily that night, you’ll start worrying about how long it will take you to finally fall asleep. tired, you will be for tomorrow, whether you wake up on time or not, and that you are not late for work. If this sounds like you, become aware of these thoughts by recognizing that these thoughts will only make you feel more worried and stressed, which will make it even harder for you to fall asleep. Instead, rephrase the thoughts with affirmations such as “My body will become tired and ready to fall asleep when it is ready to”, “I could feel a little tired tomorrow, but I have already had a bad night sleep and I crossed it. “.
8. Practice cardiac breathing. As explained earlier, focusing on your breathing is a great way to calm your body and mind. Heart breathing is a great way to make you feel calm and relaxed quickly because your heart is very powerful. To do this, place your hand on your heart and breathe in your heart space (even if the air enters your lungs) for 6 seconds while drawing the love and appreciation into your heart, then exhale for 6 seconds. Keep doing this until you begin to feel sleepy and fall asleep.
Sleep problems are commonly treated in our office and often, underlying problems contribute to sleep problems such as depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress, among other psychological problems that it is important to solve as well. to improve your sleep.
Ashley Gilmour, the clinical psychologist Gold Coast, and director of Vitality Unleashed Psychology has extensive experience in helping people improve their sleep problems. If you’ve had enough and feel that you need help with your sleep problems and get back to Vitality, contact us today to find out how Ashley can help you sleep better.
