SLEEPING TOOLS & TRICKS
Here is some information and exercises you can experiment with to help get better nights of sleep. The key is to experiment and see what you can integrate into your routines, and what you find works for you. Your night of sleep starts well before you go to bed. For your body to understand that you are getting ready to go to sleep, you must send it some clear signals.
Setting the scene
> Routine - The human body responds well to more consistent, routine-based schedules and predictability. Associating certain actions/routines with sleep can help our physiological process of winding down and falling asleep. Getting into the habit of completing a set of activities before going to bed will help signify to your mind & body that you are ready to sleep. Typically these could include rituals around physical health (eg brushing teeth, face cleansing, shower/bath), mental health (eg reading, journalling, gratitude practice, mindfulness, meditation) as well as practical tasks (eg locking your front door, turning off lights, preparing clothes for the next day, reviewing what your next day looks like).
> Environment - How can you make your sleeping environment as comfortable and inviting as possible?
Think about your bed position and what suits you. For example, your mattress, pillow, duvet weight, etc... also consider the amount of light/darkness you might need and the temperature of your room. Additionally consider noise levels and aesthetics in your room.
> Remove obstacles - This sounds obvious but can be easier said than done.
This could include stopping all screen-based activities for the last hour as it has been well documented that it inhibits the hormonal process needed to go to sleep. Reduce strenuous physical activities that fire up the body, avoid loud environments or any cognitively stimulating activity that fires up your brain.
Assuming that you have taken into account all the above you might still find yourself restless, stressed or so awake that you are finding it hard to go (back) to sleep, these techniques can be used to quieten and distract your body and mind.
> USING YOUR BREATH
Breath is both obvious and often overlooked as a powerful tool to calm and regulate restless moments. The key here is to have several breath-regulating exercises that distract you by focusing your attention on your breath. This will allow you to bring your heart rate down and start the process of calming your nervous system down.
The key is to make it rhythmic in a way that works for you, your body, especially your ribcage as well as your natural breathing patterns. For example, a typical anxiety/stress-reducing breathing pattern is 4 in, 4 hold, 6 out, 2 hold. Yet any duration that feels comfortable and calming for breath works.
Think: IN - HOLD - OUT - HOLD.
See what feels soothing & restful to you!
> USING YOUR SENSES
When you notice yourself having negative thoughts or thoughts and feelings that make you anxious, or if you are feeling anxious/restless, say STOP! Then think about:
5 things you can see right now
4 things you can hear right now
3 things you can touch (and reach out to touch) right now
2 things you can smell or like the smell of
1 slow, deep breath.
Now focus on your breathing (with a longer outbreath) before shifting the focus of your attention onto something different.
> USING YOUR THOUGHTS
1. Positive thinking
Make a list of the regular stressful/worrying thoughts and beliefs you find yourself thinking about. For each of them, write something that would be more positive and useful. Whenever you hear a negative/unhelpful thought, replace it with the new, more positive thought.
This creates a new option for your brain to choose from rather than the default setting of negative thinking, and with practice, your mind will start to understand that you do not want the negative thought and go for the more positive instead. Just like rewriting a computer programme to choose one option over another.
2. Visualisation
When you are in bed trying to fall asleep, close your eyes, relax your body and imagine yourself falling asleep, having wonderful dreams and waking up rested and alert. Keep imagining what it would feel like for this to happen and set a task for your brain to help you do it. Unconsciously your brain will set itself up to meet your challenge.
> USING YOUR ENVIRONMENT
1. Allocated spaces: A simple way of training your mind to get into the right mood to fall asleep is to associate the bed with sleeping (this is called sleep efficiency ie the amount of time you spend in bed asleep Vs the amount of time you spend in bed awake).
What this means in practical terms is that if you have problems falling asleep for longer than 20 minutes, get out of bed, move to a calm location and do something that will occupy your brain without demanding too much effort. This could be reading, listening to relaxing music, doing puzzles/crosswords/sudoku, baking, or drawing. Any activity that is not too taxing or exciting that will not wake you up fully. Once you feel a little sleepy again go back to bed and try to fall asleep. Repeat this as often as you need to.
2. Creating the right atmosphere: Create a mood to help your body fall asleep, eliminating stimulating triggers (eg. Disrupting or loud noises, stimulating images, active physical activities, invigorating smells, etc...) Again this is highly personal so observe and test what works for you. Set up your room to eliminate unwanted distractions and promote calming vibes that will help your body get into the ‘falling asleep’ programme.
> USING YOUR BODY
1. Body scan - focus your attention on the sensations in your body imagining that a scanner light is going from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.
2. Grounding - Put both feet firmly on the ground and describe the feelings in the soles of your feet, your toes, and the strength of the pressure on the ground. Know that you are always supported by the ground.