I know I’m not the only one to wake in the middle of the night with thoughts racing, finding it hard to fall back asleep.
Not only is this exasperating but, it’s potentially dangerous for one’s health!
Do you have the tools to manage those sleepless nights caused by an overactive mind?
Even if you’ve created a nightly ritual to prepare for sleep, what happens when you wake up at 2 or 3 or 4 a.m. with your mind working overtime? You’re not ready to get up for the day, yet you dread the possibility of lying in bed, unable to quiet your mind.
From research and personal experience, I’ve compiled four techniques to help you be prepared for those sometimes, inevitable middle of the night frustrations.
Here are four techniques to help you fall easily back to sleep:
1. Recite a prepared mantra in your mind.
A mantra is just a simple word or phrase that focuses the mind. Studies have shown that it doesn’t matter whether you recite a Sanskrit mantra, an affirmation, a scripture phrase, or a single word. As long as you repeat it with focused attention you will get results. And that result is a calm and quiet mind.
2. Write down the thoughts that are keeping you awake.
If lying in bed awake for over 20 minutes, get up and write down your thoughts. This process organizes your thoughts and reassures you that you can, if needed, come back to those thoughts in the morning. You can then let go of the worry that you might forget something important. Then, go back to bed, giving yourself permission to return to those thoughts tomorrow, if needed. A pleasant surprise might be to discover you may not need to return to them at all.
3. Breathe deeply.
Focusing on your breathing quiets the mind and shifts the body’s response from the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system to the relaxation response of the para-sympathetic system. Soon your body will relax and sleep can return.
4. Provide your mind with an unimportant distraction.
An inconsequential distraction is one technique I’ve used for years without realizing it was a recognized technique.
I would often think of something interesting to me but of little importance. For example, I would mentally imagine how I could rearrange the furniture in the rooms of my house or what colors I could paint the walls. None of it was necessary, but It was fun for me to imagine and was actually a restful exercise. It busied my mind in a pleasant, non-stressful way which was actually conducive to allowing the body to sleep.
These are just a few techniques that can be powerful in improving one’s ability to receive a good night’s rest.
However, remember that:
- There is no one right way. You’ll need to experiment and find what works for you.
- What may work one time, may not work another time. That is why, it is beneficial to have a menu of techniques to choose from.
- All these techniques require practice. The more you practice, the easier it will be to employ the best technique needed at the time.
Training your mind requires discipline but is worth every effort.
Sleep is our best restorative tool to being healthy, active and enthusiastic about our lives.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and successes on how you achieve a good night’s rest.
Please comment below.
With love,
