You’re
all-too familiar with the cracks and indentations of your bedroom
ceiling. Because you’ve spent one-too-many sleepless nights staring at
it. And staring. And staring. And staring some more.
You likely don’t struggle with insomnia or another sleep disorder, but on some nights, it’s simply tough to fall asleep–and stay that way.
Psychotherapist
Melissa Divaris Thompson, LMFT, noted that it’s tough to slow ourselves
down when our minds and nervous systems have been going, going, going
all day long.
“Our
brains, which have been computing and having input all day, may be
overloaded. We may feel overwhelmed,” she said. “Our nervous systems can
also get revved up during the day with so many things to do or managing
pieces of our lives we find stressful.”
So
when it’s time for our heads to hit the pillow, we feel anything but
relaxed or ready for sleep. What can help in lulling us into slumber is
having a transition time, which “settles your nervous system,” Thompson
said. One of the best ways we can settle our minds and our bodies is to
practice mindfulness-based techniques. Here are six to try.
Practice breathing techniques. “I
often teach clients conscious breathing exercises to encourage their
parasympathetic nervous system to come more online when they can’t fall
asleep,” said Vanessa B. Tate, LMFT, LLC, a psychotherapist who works from a somatic psychotherapy
lens with individuals and couples with complex trauma and early
developmental attachment trauma in Denver, Colo., and the San Francisco
Bay area.
She suggested practicing counted breathing, counting backwards from 100 down to zero. This “helps
focus the mind and slow the breath down, resulting in lowering the
heart rate. [This] tends to put a person more into parasympathetic rest
and digest state of the autonomic nervous system.”
Another
technique is to inhale for a count of three and exhale for a count of 5
for about 2 to 5 minutes, Tate said. How long you do this will depend
on your tolerance, because some people “get lightheaded as their body is
so unfamiliar [with] that much oxygen.”
Move your body gently. “Moving the body helps us get ready for sleep to let go of excess energy,” said Thompson,
a holistic psychotherapist who specializes in seeing women and couples
in their 20s and 30s in New York City. She recommended doing light
stretching, practicing yoga or taking a walk—and avoiding anything
rigorous right before bed.
According
to Thompson, cat and cow pose is helpful for stretching the back and
easing tension, and child’s pose helps to slow things down, as well. To
practice cat-cow, start with your hands and knees on the floor in
“tabletop” position. Begin with your back flat. Then inhale. On your
exhale, round your spine toward the ceiling, and tuck your chin to your
chest. On the inhale arch your back and lift your neck. Keep repeating
this sequence for as long as you like. Yoga Journal explains here how readers can practice child’s pose.
Focus on your five senses. Tate
suggested checking in with each of your five senses for 15 to 30
seconds “to see what arises.” What do you smell? What do you taste? What
do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? “This helps focus the
mind, encouraging a person to be very present in the here and now,” she
said.
Visit your happy place. According to Jennifer Williamson in her thoughtful, creative book Sleep Rituals: 100 Practices for a Deep and Peaceful Sleep, “Spending a long time in your ‘happy place’ prompts your brain to release serotonin, which feels good and helps override old panic patterns, carving a more positive pathway.”
Williamson
suggests picking a place that pleases you—such as a private beach,
field of wildflowers, enchanted forest, spa, favorite room, castle in
the mountains. Begin by getting into a comfortable position, closing
your eyes and focusing on your breath.
If
you can’t visualize your happy place just yet, focus on your journey to
get there: “the climb up to the top of the mountain; paddling across
the lake; anything that resonates with you.” “Imagine coming across a
protective archway made of light. It keeps the outside world at bay and
provides entrance to deep restfulness.” Next imagine yourself in a place
that’s exactly how you want it to be, and immerse yourself in the
sensory details. When other thoughts appear, gently return to the
visualization. “You can imagine the thought being carried away in a
bubble or by a bird.”
Take a
mental snapshot of this place, and remind yourself that you can return
here any time you’d like. Lastly, bring your attention back to your
breathing, and open your eyes.
Practice yoga nidra. Thompson
noted that yoga nidra, translated into “yogic sleep,” is “an incredibly
powerful tool” that helps to bring on deep relaxation. Tate practices
iRest Yoga Nidra with her clients in session. This meditation practice
is based on the ancient tradition of yoga nidra, and also includes 10
steps, such as setting an intention, noticing your breath, welcoming
your emotions and witnessing your thoughts. You’ll find 8-minute and
20-minute guided practices from iRest’s creator here.
Also, Yoga Journal includes this 10-minute guided yoga nidra practice (and delves into how yoga nidra works).
Practice stargazing. This is another beautiful visualization from Sleep Rituals. Stargazing is an especially powerful practice, because “there are fragments of stars within you,” writes Williamson, creator of AimHappy.com.
She
suggests going outside or looking out the window at the sky. You also
might play celestial music, and use essential oils such as lavender and
cedarwood. Lie down, close your eyes, and visualize what you saw (or
something more magical). Imagine yourself lying
on top of the earth, “connected above and below to the infinite beauty
and marvel of the universe.” You also might imagine both near and
distant stars, constellations, the moon and passing clouds.
“If
a distracting thought appears, picture it swirling like stardust upward
into the sky, where it is remade into a shining new star,” Williamson
writes. “You might notice fireflies drifting through the air around you
or crickets chirping…Ponder your shared ingredients with the stars and
your essential connection to everything you see, feel, and hear.” When
you’re ready, move your fingers and toes, stretch your limbs, and open
your eyes.
When we have full
days, it’s hard to immediately fall asleep. Thankfully, mindfulness
provides us with some relaxing, soothing options.
published in: https://psychcentral.com/blog/6-mindfulness-based-techniques-to-help-you-fall-asleep/
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