1. Disconnect from your devices: Looking at the blue screen minutes before sleep time keeps us up. Also if you have your phone or a tablet lighting up your bedside table, it’s going to disturb your sleeping patterns. It’s best if it’s not in your room at all. It’s creating activity in your mind that you have to pay attention to.
2. Don’t force it: We have to stop trying so hard to fall asleep. Our brains are too smart for that. The moment we’re trying to do something, we’re creating stress on top of it. So we don’t want to try and fall asleep. See if you can let go of the notion of trying to fall asleep at all.
3. Try any type of meditation: Bring mindfulness into your sleep routine. Try a Yoga Nidra (on my August 2014 blog post), which addresses stress management, anxiety, depression, insomnia and many other issues. Or you can do a gentle body scan practice where you’re being curious about just noticing sensations in your body and your breathing. When your attention wanders or becomes frustrated, see if you can just take note of that and gently come back to being with what’s here. When we allow ourselves to be with what’s here, the body naturally goes to rest, which is what it wants to do. Or simply give your mind something to do by focusing on your breath and nothing more.
3. Try any type of meditation: Bring mindfulness into your sleep routine. Try a Yoga Nidra (on my August 2014 blog post), which addresses stress management, anxiety, depression, insomnia and many other issues. Or you can do a gentle body scan practice where you’re being curious about just noticing sensations in your body and your breathing. When your attention wanders or becomes frustrated, see if you can just take note of that and gently come back to being with what’s here. When we allow ourselves to be with what’s here, the body naturally goes to rest, which is what it wants to do. Or simply give your mind something to do by focusing on your breath and nothing more.
Enjoy. Peaceful rest.
