Having trouble sleeping lately? There is a great number of things that can keep a person up at night, and while some causes of insomnia are outside our control, some of them we can manage. There are tried and tested techniques, tools, and remedies that can do wonders towards helping you calm down before you go to bed. There is a time and a place for worrying, and bedtime is neither.
1 - Mindful meditation
You have probably heard about this method by now. Just lay in bed, focus on your breathing, and let your thoughts drift away. The truth is that meditation can often be easier said than done, especially if you approach it from a place of skepticism. If you want to improve your odds of actually experiencing what silencing your mind feels like, try to set aside fifteen minutes on a calm day to sit down and just breathe. You may not be able to force your mind to quiet down, but a moment of mental silence just might sneak up on you.
And once you know what a quiet mind feels like, that’s like discovering a new muscle. It’s much easier to pursue that feeling and cause it intentionally once you know what it feels like.
2 - Write out your worries
Worrying is a defense mechanism. It’s silly to expect your mind to stop worrying on command. What you can do, however, is let yourself know that you are aware of all the things that need to be dealt with, and have a plan for how to deal with them.
You can do so by writing about all the things that are worrying you a couple of hours before bed. You can keep it simple, just a list of concerns and when you plan to address them. By putting those solutions to paper, you can reduce the number of things swirling in your mind when you go to bed.
3 - Create a pre-sleep routine
Another thing that can help you relax is having a sleep routine. It’s hard to switch from worrying to relaxing if you jump into bed as soon as you finish answering work emails. Instead, find out what you enjoy, what makes you sleep better, and create a little routine you engage with before bed every night.
One good example would be having a warm shower, followed by going to bed with a warm cup of tea while listening to some soft music. The best part of this is that such routines tend to become more powerful over time, as your body starts to associate the many steps of your routine with going to sleep. Soon, just the smell of the tea you drink every night will be enough to make you feel sleepy, even during the day.
4 - Stay healthy
There are a great number of vitamin and hormonal imbalances that can mess up with your energy levels, either making it harder for you to go to sleep, or making it harder for you to work throughout the day. Such imbalances can be mitigated by the use of vitamin supplements and natural remedies. Check out www.cbd51.co.uk if you’d like to know more about a remedy that can help you relax and fall asleep.
Author, Freelance writer