OVERCOMING ANXIETY AND AN OVERACTIVE MIND

A chattering mind or fear of not being able to sleep can keep you awake half the night. Easing into sleep and staying asleep can sometimes seem impossible because the harder we try the harder it is to go to sleep. The following tips may help you overcome two common sleep problems.

To calm a chattering mind; slowly repeat a relaxing word or phrase. You could choose something like “soooo sleepy”, or “deep sleep”, or “I’m getting sleepier, and sleepier, and sleepier.” Or you might sing yourself a favorite lullaby; either in your mind or out loud. These techniques give the left hemisphere of your brain what it likes – repetitive words and phrases that get the brain into slow-wave mode that takes you into sleep.

To overcome: sleep anxiety learn to think of new thoughts about going to sleep. Psychophysiological insomnia is the result of anxiety that comes from a few nights of insomnia. This can set you up to fear another sleepless night. Then, if you awaken for any reason, your body may start pumping out stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline that can keep you awake for hours. If you find yourself thinking, “I’ve got to get to sleep or I’ll be a wreck tomorrow”, you can replace such a thought with, “When I’m ready, I’ll get to sleep. After all, I don’t have to have this night’s sleep”. It’s important to take the pressure off getting to sleep right away. It’s best to shift your attention from making yourself to sleep to allowing yourself to go to sleep. This helps the brain slows down so you can relax and drift off to sleep naturally.