Stress is often the cause of insomnia, but it can also be the consequence. When you are unable to fall asleep due to daily worries, agitation or intense emotions, including anger and anxiety, you begin to fear that you will not be able to rest and sleep effectively, further reducing your ability to fall asleep. If all of this sounds familiar to you, here is a detailed program that will help you break this undesirable vicious circle.
Steps
Step 1. Prepare your mind
- Choose the right approach and stop obsessing yourself with sleep worries! Sure, a good night's rest is healthy, but before you drop dead, you can easily get through several sleepless nights. Sleep promotes concentration, but there are many who have to perform their complex activities in the best possible way despite lacking the right rest. Think, for example, of rescue teams or the parents of a newborn! Repeat to yourself several times throughout the day: 'I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight, even if it's not essential'.
- Take out the garbage. At the end of the day, think about everything that worries you and write it down on a piece of paper. Did a friend, colleague or family member make you angry? Write what you would like to tell them in a real confrontation. Are you faced with responsibilities in the office that make you feel overwhelmed? Break them down into small, practical tasks that you can constructively manage and carry out. It also lists all the commissions, debts and annoyances that keep you up at night, and analyzes how you can deal with them and resolve them the following day (canceling unused subscriptions? Paying the accountant? Thanking Aunt Noris for the greeting card received?). Also write down those things that are troubling you even though you can't solve or affect them, such as global warming or the safety of your children on a school trip. As you write, imagine that you are physically removing each of these concerns from your mind, transferring them to the paper in front of you.
Step 2. Prepare the surface
- Tidy up the bed. Just as a tidy desk helps us work better, a tidy bed helps us sleep. Prepare the bed with clean sheets coordinated with the environment. Choose a relaxing color, free of patterns, and a natural fabric suitable for contact with the skin. A tidy, comfortable and clean bed will promote sleep, or at least make your 'tossing and turning' in the sheets less annoying.
- Tidy up the bedroom. Remove all non-sleep related objects from the immediate vicinity of the bed. For example, move dishes, newspapers, computers, etc. Reduce the number of items on the bedside table: an alarm clock, a reading lamp, a book, a glass of water and nothing more. Finally, pack some clean pajamas on the bed, as you would for the best of your guests.
Step 3. Prepare the body
- Take a warm bath. Hot water will relax your muscles and eliminate stress. You can use an aromatic bath oil, such as lavender scented. If you don't have a tub, a long hot shower will be just as valuable.
- Make a cup of valerian tea. Valerian induces sleep naturally without creating addiction and will be able to relax you very quickly by letting you fall into the arms of Morpheus. Cover the cup and steep the valerian for 10-15 minutes on the bedside table before drinking.
- Get into bed. Relaxed and clean, in your freshly scented pajamas, lie back on your cozy bed. Sip the herbal tea slowly while reading a good book. Do you feel sleepy? Find a comfortable position, turn off the light and… goodnight!
Advice
- Don't be in a hurry to turn off the light. Try to read for as long as possible and don't stop until you are really sleepy.
- If you wake up and start thinking about problems and worries, try guiding your thoughts on a pleasant and interesting topic that requires concentration (not like counting sheep), for example try to recall some details related to the first date with your friend. partner, or at the opening dialogue of your favorite movie.
- Whatever happens, don't worry about not being able to fall asleep. If you start to panic, imagine yourself effortlessly coping with the next day even without having slept. A sleepless night will even make your eyes deeper, your voice pleasantly hoarse and your movements slower and more sensual!
- Find out what promotes your sleep. Doctors recommend going to bed early, having light dinners, sleeping in cool rooms, and completely blocking out the light. Despite this, many sleep soundly going to bed late in the day, after having eaten a heavy dinner, in a warm room or with a reassured small light on next to the bed. Find out what circumstances are capable of promoting your sleep and put them into practice.
- Choose a book that fully engages you and distracts you from your thoughts, and skips reading that creates tension and suspense. Avoid more demanding literature as well as mystery books, prefer light and funny novels.
Warnings
- Never take any type of sleep aid without a prescription.
- If insomnia continues for several days, or if it doesn't seem stress-related, see a doctor.
