Beat insomnia – Fall asleep using your mind
THERE ARE perhaps many ways for those who struggle to sleep to actually get some kip; some ways work for some, but not for others. The method I have discovered should work for most. It might be a little hard to describe, but I guess if you’re chronically tired, you’re prepared to put in the time and effort, right? You have probably tried so many things!
The method
Whether it’s a nap or a night’s sleep, what you’re looking for:
1. Get into a comfortable position and begin to relax your muscles. There are many ways to do this. The way that will work best for you is something only you can change. Try to successfully “loosen” the most tense areas of your body first, perhaps starting with your upper back and neck, legs, feet or hands.
2. Breathe slower and deeper; take ten seconds for one inhale-exhale cycle, with a decent pause with all the air exhaled from your lungs, ie inhale-exhale-pause then repeat. Exhaling all the air from our lungs helps to relax the mind and body.
3. Clear your mind. Try to mentally divert your focus from any problems and stressors you may currently have and shift that focus to only the next very simple thing. But only do this when you are relaxed enough.
4. Try to imagine with your eyes closed how it would feel if your eyes rolled back very slowly and gently under your eyelids. This would mean that your eyes look up; or at least that feel that way.
5. What you are doing is not moving your eyes at all; you are so relaxed that you can “feel” your eyes falling asleep; so relaxed that they do what they do without tension: they fall asleep, and so do you.
6. What we’re doing here is simply replicating those initial moments of Stage 2 sleep (Stage 1 is drowsiness) going to the deeper levels of Stage 3 and so on. Imagine how your eyes feel, in the physical sense, when you begin to slip into the unconsciousness of sleep.
7. The mind is used here to focus on relaxation and clarity of purpose (ie falling asleep!) and the next thing we know we’re going to paradise. Actually, the next thing we know is that we’ve fallen asleep! not tense For some of you that will be a reward in itself.
Some people take sleep for granted, but not those with symptoms of insomnia. Of course, those who have persistent problems with lack of sleep, especially if it affects their well-being (including their safety due to fatigue-related injury risks), should seek medical help.
For me, the key to this tip, the real treasure, is in steps four and five. Something so difficult to describe in words is actually very easy to do once you know how to do it; therefore, it pays to persist until you get the hang of it. However, it is crucial that you are very relaxed before attempting these steps.
A bit like fishing, I find being patient is often the key to falling asleep, especially if I’m stressed. We should be more than ready to invest 15-20 minutes in the self-disciplined process of relaxing and relaxing before we finally fall asleep.
© 2010 SJ Wickham.