Techniques to Get to Sleep Naturally

Sleep often evades us, we toss and turn, but you can learn simple techniques with dramatic affects on your sleep. After following your personalized nightly sleep ritual sleep ritual, here are a few other suggestions to help you get to sleep without pills and potions

Techniques to Get to Sleep Naturally

You keep looking at the clock, toss about, think of tomorrow’s meeting, read a bit more, but you can’t get to sleep. If your mind is busy, busy, busy you won’t get to sleep easily. Try these ideas first, and then if you are one of those people with a physical sleep disorder see your doctor for specific tests.

Temperature – Just Right

Just like Baby Bear (in Goldilocks), the temperature should be not too cold and not too hot, but just right. If you live in an environment where houses are not air-conditioned, use a heating pad or old fashioned hot water bottle to keep your toes warm. Or your partner! If you are going to use an electric blanket, make sure it is turned OFF before you get into bed to avoid contact with electro-magnetic waves. An open window with fresh air is perfect – if it’s not blowing a blizzard outside.

Whole Body Relaxation Technique

When you complete this process once or twice, your body feels totally relaxed, sometimes to the point where you are not aware of your toes etc. With this Progressive Muscle Relaxation Method (PMR) you deliberately tense then relax groups of muscles as you work your way up your body.

Here’s what to do. Lie on your back, hands at either side. Starting with your toes, ‘clench’ or tighten your toes on one foot into a tight ball for 10 seconds, let go. Now tighten your calf muscles on the same leg; let go, now your thigh muscles. Switch to the other leg. Next your abdomen, then each arm, chest, neck, throat, facial muscles and head. Tighten only the special muscles you are working on, keeping the rest of your body relaxed. Nice and slow. When you have completed one round you should feel very relaxed, but sometimes a second round will be needed.

This PMR Process not only has the affect of relaxing your body, but by the time you have completed this routine once or twice you will often find that you have fallen asleep before you finish.

A ‘Midnight’ Snack – before bed

If you feeling quite hungry before hopping into bed, a light snack is ok. There’s no point in going to bed with a ‘grumbling’ stomach to keep you awake. Surprise, surprise - this is not the time for a three course meal, or chocolate bars, peanut butter on bread or a tub of ice-cream. In fact research indicates that a light snack can help you sleep more soundly.

A warm milk drink is recommended because it contains tryptophan. This is an amino acid used by the body to make serotonin; serotonin is a brain chemical that has a calming, sleep-promoting effect. Tryptophan is also found in a variety of other foods containing tryptophan include turkey, tuna, cheese, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds and peanuts. When you include high carbohydrate food with the snack, such as wholegrain bread, the carbohydrates enable the brain to utilize the tryptophan, converting it into serotonin, which is believed to play an important role as a neurotransmitter, and affect sleep and mood.

Deep Breathing Exercise

Focusing to breathe like a baby – with deep abdominal breathing, is the single most effective strategy to reduce stress.

Here’s what to do. Lying on your back, place your hand beneath your rib cage on your abdomen and gradually inhale deeply through your nose until you feel this part of your body rise. Hold the breath for a few seconds, and then even more slowly breathe it out through your mouth – as if you were blowing on hot soup. Practice breathing in and out slowly and in a regular ‘flowing’ pattern, for about ten breaths, will relax and calm you. This abdominal breathing exercise can be used any time you are tense or anxious.

Sounds to Relax

Nature sounds are an excellent way to still your mind and body – sounds of the sea, birds and wind blowing the leaves. Use one of the many audio relaxation techniques available. You can literally put yourself into a peaceful state of mind by changing your brain waves – read about the revolutionary Holosync Meditation Process.

Visualization

Visualization of an enjoyable activity has the effect of taking your mind off worrying matters, or even just going over plans for tomorrow. While lying in bed, picture yourself in a relaxing place that you like – e.g. take an imaginary walk along a forest pathway, or picture yourself strolling along the beach. Recall your favorite holiday spot swimming in the pool, or sipping a tropical drink as the sun goes down, imagine yourself doing something you really like and ‘walk yourself’ through the scene. Pretty soon you will fall asleep. This is so much better than running through your head all the tasks for tomorrow.
The lazy man's way to meditate. Hundreds of thousands of people in over 172 countries have used Holosync to make dramatic improvements in their lives.

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