There is nothing more important than sleep until you are faced with not getting it. For various reasons, I’ve struggled with bouts of insomnia my whole life, and I’ve felt first hand the effects these sleepless nights can have on health and functioning. It’s important to have a few techniques to break the cycle – below are 3 things I do to promote a better night’s sleep.
[I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge the difficulty some of you face when closing your eyes. There are many who are dealing with larger than life stressors and horrific memories that can really take over your thoughts. This is not a blog to minimize your troubles, it is more to acknowledge the struggle of stress and sleeplessness, and with the combination of the right care, the tips here can be tools in your tool kit to unwind and promote sleep.]
Part 1 – The Prep
Be mindful of things that negatively impact your sleep, e.g. caffeine intake too late in the day, taking a nap, an irregular bedtime (to name a few that affect me). Plan your day and get all your necessary stuff done as much as you can to clear your mind of added debris from the day. Consider writing down those things that you are recycling through your mind; a process I like to call, “name it and put it on the shelf”.
It is best to choose only relaxing, unwinding activities, such as a warm bath, before bed. Resist the urge to do a full yoga routine right before bed. Even a slow moving routine can release hormones affecting your wakefulness. It is best to do your exercises and stretching earlier in the day, at the latest 2 hours before bed (with the exception of a couple restorative yoga poses).
Part 2 – The Position
Make this the last thing you do before bed: the “revised” legs up the wall pose (see picture below). I find it particularly good for those times when my body is jittery with the leftover adrenaline of busy days combined with sleepless nights.
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Legs elevated higher than your chest and head
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A blanket for warmth
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Optional, but recommended: a heavy pillow or folded blanket over your chest and an eye pillow to block the light and gently stimulate pressure over the eyes.
Part 3 – The Guided Relaxation
Not everyone will find this helpful, but for some a guided relaxation or meditation recording will assist you in further unwinding before bed. It works great in conjunction with the position above. There are countless of free recordings you can find out there. Here is a ten minute one I recorded called, “Unwind and Drift”.