5 Tips for Better Sleep
Ever tried to count sheep, think of nothing, or will yourself to pass out? Have you ever burned more calories rolling over at night than from a workout? Are you ever up the rest of the night after waking, even if you only slept a little bit? If any of these experiences are familiar, you could probably use these 5 tips for better sleep. You may also need a therapist to help.
Create the Ideal Sleep Environment
Your brain tracks where you are at any given time, and based on your location, your brain attempts to prepare your mind and your body for what you will need at that location. For example, if you go to the gym, your brain quickly learns that the gym is a place of exercise, so it does things to prepare your body, such as increasing blood flow to your muscles, before you even touch a weight or step onto a machine! For this reason, you must teach your brain that your bedroom is for sleep. To accomplish this, sleep scientists recommend using your bedroom for nothing but sleep and sex. This means no working, no worrying, and nothing mentally challenging in your bedroom. This way your brain never amps up your thoughts or your heart rate when it is time to sleep. It is recommended to remove as many electronics as possible, especially your laptop, and take all of your work and worrying somewhere else! It is also very helpful to design an ambient environment like a beach or lake theme to really help your brain know what you will be doing there, which is sleep!
Prepare for Sleep
Your brain works on several frequency ranges throughout the day and night, ranging from very stressed to deep sleep, but it can’t jump from a high frequency range like stress to a low one like sleep. It needs to shift one frequency at a time. For this reason, it is important to begin to reduce your physical and mental activity gradually, beginning about 30-60 minutes before you intend to sleep. Simply begin doing more relaxing activities and stop doing things like working and worrying. It also helps to do things that help your body relax like a warm bath, a cup of milk, or a massage.
Go to Bed Tired
It actually doesn’t help to go to bed before you’re tired. This leads to time spent in bed with nothing happening, so your mind gets bored and begins to activate. If this becomes a habit, your brain learns that bed is for thinking and being annoyed, and you don’t wan that. It is much better to do relaxing things and simply let your body get tired. You can’t force it. Once you feel tired, feel free to head to bed. If you find yourself in bed and not sleeping, just get up and go somewhere other than your bedroom, do something relaxing, and when you feel tired, then go back to bed.
Wake Up at the Same Time Every Morning
When trying to set a sleep schedule, most people do it backward. They try to change the time they go to bed, but this only leads to the problems discussed in the previous paragraph. The correct way to accomplish this is to regulate when you wake up. By doing it this way, your body learns when to start shutting down, and you should begin to get tired at the right time. For this to work, it is important to be consistent and give your body time to adjust.
Don’t Try to Sleep; let it Happen
As discussed earlier, you brain operates on many different frequencies. When you try to do anything, you activate beta frequencies, which are the frequencies of the conscious mind, not the unconscious. To fall asleep, the body first has to shift into alpha, which is relaxing, and the brain is not actively thinking or trying to do anything, and then into theta, which is dreaming, and then into delta, which is deep sleep. Anytime you engage conscious thought, you activate beta frequencies and also your conscious brain, which is the opposite direction you want to go. This means that you can’t try to sleep, you can only let it happen. Your goal then is simply to allow the natural biology of your brain and body to work. Instead of trying to stop thoughts, which only activates your brain, let your brain wonder freely. If you are struggling with this last step, it may be time to see a therapist who can help you learn to do this. Thanks for reading this article all the way through and happy sleeping!
Ever tried to count sheep, think of nothing, or will yourself to pass out? Have you ever burned more calories rolling over at night than from a workout? Are you ever up the rest of the night after waking, even if you only slept a little bit? If any of these experiences are familiar, you could probably use these 5 tips for better sleep. You may also need a therapist to help.
Create the Ideal Sleep Environment
Your brain tracks where you are at any given time, and based on your location, your brain attempts to prepare your mind and your body for what you will need at that location. For example, if you go to the gym, your brain quickly learns that the gym is a place of exercise, so it does things to prepare your body, such as increasing blood flow to your muscles, before you even touch a weight or step onto a machine! For this reason, you must teach your brain that your bedroom is for sleep. To accomplish this, sleep scientists recommend using your bedroom for nothing but sleep and sex. This means no working, no worrying, and nothing mentally challenging in your bedroom. This way your brain never amps up your thoughts or your heart rate when it is time to sleep. It is recommended to remove as many electronics as possible, especially your laptop, and take all of your work and worrying somewhere else! It is also very helpful to design an ambient environment like a beach or lake theme to really help your brain know what you will be doing there, which is sleep!
Prepare for Sleep
Your brain works on several frequency ranges throughout the day and night, ranging from very stressed to deep sleep, but it can’t jump from a high frequency range like stress to a low one like sleep. It needs to shift one frequency at a time. For this reason, it is important to begin to reduce your physical and mental activity gradually, beginning about 30-60 minutes before you intend to sleep. Simply begin doing more relaxing activities and stop doing things like working and worrying. It also helps to do things that help your body relax like a warm bath, a cup of milk, or a massage.
Go to Bed Tired
It actually doesn’t help to go to bed before you’re tired. This leads to time spent in bed with nothing happening, so your mind gets bored and begins to activate. If this becomes a habit, your brain learns that bed is for thinking and being annoyed, and you don’t wan that. It is much better to do relaxing things and simply let your body get tired. You can’t force it. Once you feel tired, feel free to head to bed. If you find yourself in bed and not sleeping, just get up and go somewhere other than your bedroom, do something relaxing, and when you feel tired, then go back to bed.
Wake Up at the Same Time Every Morning
When trying to set a sleep schedule, most people do it backward. They try to change the time they go to bed, but this only leads to the problems discussed in the previous paragraph. The correct way to accomplish this is to regulate when you wake up. By doing it this way, your body learns when to start shutting down, and you should begin to get tired at the right time. For this to work, it is important to be consistent and give your body time to adjust.
Don’t Try to Sleep; let it Happen
As discussed earlier, you brain operates on many different frequencies. When you try to do anything, you activate beta frequencies, which are the frequencies of the conscious mind, not the unconscious. To fall asleep, the body first has to shift into alpha, which is relaxing, and the brain is not actively thinking or trying to do anything, and then into theta, which is dreaming, and then into delta, which is deep sleep. Anytime you engage conscious thought, you activate beta frequencies and also your conscious brain, which is the opposite direction you want to go. This means that you can’t try to sleep, you can only let it happen. Your goal then is simply to allow the natural biology of your brain and body to work. Instead of trying to stop thoughts, which only activates your brain, let your brain wonder freely. If you are struggling with this last step, it may be time to see a therapist who can help you learn to do this. Thanks for reading this article all the way through and happy sleeping!
Adjusting Your Nighttime Routine: Tips for Better Sleep and Good Mental Health
For those people who struggle to get a good night’s sleep, have you considered that you might be your own worst enemy? There are some definite do’s and don’ts to observe, which include important measures that have a direct effect on your ability to sleep and maintain good mental health. Consistent, restorative sleep is closely tied to mental health when you’re tired, your mood suffers, you’re impatient, and you have trouble concentrating. Consequently, your sense of well-being is compromised, and symptoms of depression and anxiety may occur as a result.
What’s more, sleep is especially important for people recovering from drug or alcohol abuse. Sleep has a powerful healing effect on the body and mind, bolstering the immune system and strengthening your metabolism. It also improves your mental outlook, an important factor in recovering from the ravages of addiction.
Consider the following points if a lack of sleep is affecting your mental condition and ability to function on a daily basis.
Observe a Sleep Schedule
Many of us get to bed only when our daily responsibilities have been completed and, as such, fail to get the necessary seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Your body functions best when you follow a regular schedule, and going to bed at the same time and waking up every morning at the same time is the best way to recalibrate your internal clock. Also, stick with your sleep schedule through the weekend and on holidays so as not to disrupt your sleep schedule. Eventually, your body will fall into line and let you know when it’s time for bed.
Winding Down
You can’t expect to climb into bed and fall asleep straight away if you’re experiencing sleep deprivation and insomnia. It’s important to spend an hour or two winding down, so prepare yourself to sleep by observing relaxing habits such as reading a book, taking a hot bath, or engaging in meditation. These activities can calm your thoughts and slow your heart rate, both of which are necessary for you to feel sleepy.
Sleep-Conducive Environment
Insomnia can be a serious problem, leading to both mental and physical complications. If it persists, it might be time to take a close look at your sleep environment. People often make the mistake of leaving a TV or computer screen on at night or keeping a smartphone on the nightstand. These are disruptions that can prevent sleep. What’s needed is a dark and quiet environment, so consider installing blackout shades and using a white noise app or machine to mask any disruptive external sound. Pay close attention to the comfort of your bed, rough sheets, and heavy blankets may drive up your body temperature, making it hard to get to sleep.
Don’t Force It
As a kid, do you remember being told by a parent just to lie in bed until you got tired? It’s a convenient piece of parental advice, but it doesn’t work when you’re an adult with a sleep problem. Whether you’re tossing and turning or just lying in bed thinking about next week’s big client presentation or an argument you had with your spouse, you’re only making the situation worse. Instead, get up and sit quietly in a darkened room, or do some light reading until your eyelids start to get heavy.
Limit Food and Drink at Night
Ingesting caffeine at night is a bad idea if you suffer from insomnia, as is eating a meal too close to bedtime. Your metabolism has to work to process the food, and you won’t feel like sleeping. Some people like to have a few drinks before bed, thinking it’ll help them wind down after a busy day. Unfortunately, alcohol undermines the healing, rejuvenating REM sleep you need to feel good and stay healthy.
Think through your sleep habits if you’re having difficulty at night. You might find that a simple adjustment will make a big difference. A consistent nighttime routine, a restful sleep space, and a little willpower in the evening can restore your mental well-being and leave you feeling refreshed and reinvigorated during the day.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Dr. Weil’s 4-7-8 Relaxing Breath
We live in anxious, chaotic times. Watch 10 minutes of any news channel or spend time on any social media app and notice your blood pressure rise. We pride ourselves on our abilities to multi-task. You’ve seen them (or this may be us), during rush hour, driving, talking/texting, putting on make-up (or dry shaving), and eating breakfast, all the while trying to navigate successfully to our destinations. Mindfulness is a call for us to slow down and focus on one thing, one event, one activity at a time…purposeful breathing is at the foundation.
Breathing you may ask, Don’t we know how to breathe? Clearly, it is automatic in the sense that we don’t even have to think about it. The medulla oblongata is the part of the hindbrain that detects levels of CO2 and O2 in the bloodstream and automatically determines if any changes are needed, sending nerve impulses to the heart and diaphragm to either increase or decrease activity. However, the breathing I am talking about in this blog is deliberate and intentional, to produce physiological calmness, emotional well-being, and mental clarity.
Dr. Weil offers us his 4-7-8 breathing rhythm, the relaxing breath. On his YouTube video, he explains that breathing in this manner over time can produce wonderfully pleasant states of consciousness and is one of the best ways to control anxiety and emotional reactivity (especially if you have been triggered in some manner).
