It has been a little over a week since I started my action plan to get better sleep. For the most part, my monitor indicates that I sleep better than most men my age. However, I have yet to use it while traveling; the indices captured while on the road will be more indicative of my overall sleep habits. That will happen over the next few weeks as I travel to the Far East.
One of the main things that I am focusing on now is relaxing before bed. Like many people, I often lie in bed and worry about things like work, people, finances, and things out of my control; in essence, I can't turn of my mind when it is time to call it a day.
Relaxing your mind is an important part of sleep fitness. According to sleep experts, a racing mind is a chief sleep stealer. When you can't let go of worry and stress, sleep is often disrupted throughout the night. In fact, stress causes tension; this tension, or hyperarousal, in turn causes the body to produce the hormone cortisol. Cortisol increases alertness and leads to less sleep.
Physical discomfort (i.e., muscles aches from workouts, headaches, and tossing and turning) also robs sleep. Physical stress makes it hard to fall asleep and also makes it hard to relax your mind. It is important to be able to both relax mentally and physically before bedtime.
So to relax and unwind, Zeo (www.MyZeo.com) has produced audio tracks designed to help relax my mind and body. There is an emphasis on deep breathing and muscle relaxation. However, I have found that Dr. Kimeron Hardin's recording "Drifting into Sleep" (an MP3 download from Amazon) has been very helpful. Shutting down my mind and relaxing my body at bedtime is a new healthy habit to build. It will take some time, like any new habit, to become a part of me. But, in the long run, it will be well worth it.
There are other approaches to relaxation. Some people use a "worry journal" to write down their worries. This seems to help in letting the worries go. By writing out all of your concerns at bedtime, a catharsis happens and your mind is relieved of the anxiety. Plus, now you have your concerns on paper and they can be addressed at an appropriate time.
A hot bath before bedtime also works. It relaxes your muscles and tells your body it is time to sleep. How? When you fall asleep, your body's core temperature drops. By cooling down after a hot bath, your body gives your mind a signal similar to the one it receives as you fall asleep--tricky!
Counting backwards from 300 by 3's seems to help. It works because it causes your mind to focus on the subtraction and forget about other things. It is particularly effective if you wake up and can't go back to sleep. Meditation and prayer also helps unwind the mind and also works when you wake up in the middle of the night. And, finally, stretching or yoga can help relax stiff muscles; however, it is advised to perform only light stretches along with deep breathing.
As I progress further in this quest for better sleep and renewal, I will keep you updated on what I find to be helpful. I have already inspired several people with this plan--it is a bigger concern than I thought for many. I hope I can help out.
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