You are so tired, you can’t wait to lay down and let the day become a memory. As your head hits the pillow in the dark and quiet, you start thinking; your mind wanders and you can’t seem to get comfortable. You lie awake, eyes wide and you turn to your phone in hopes of occupying your mind. After some scrolling, “liking,” and engaging, you place the phone down and close your eyes — hoping that sleep will soon be yours. It doesn’t work.
Many of us struggle with nights where sleeping, a natural and essential part of our humanity, feels far from reality. From the repetitive thoughts to being physically uncomfortable in our sleep space, we are familiar with the cycle of anxiety experienced when we are trying our best to get to sleep, yet not sleeping.
Enter Somatic Practices that may help induce quality sleep and may be easy to add to your nightly sleep ritual.
“Somatics” describes any practice that uses the mind-body connection to help you survey your internal self and listen to signals your body sends about areas of pain, discomfort, or imbalance.
These practices allow you to access more information about the ways you hold on to your experiences in your body. Somatic experts believe this knowledge, combined with natural movement and touch, can help you work toward healing and wellness. (SleepFoundation.org) Here are just a few to practice before bed:
Breathing: Slow, deep breaths is an easy and basic way to engage your body’s natural relaxation response. If you find yourself lying awake in bed, start by taking 10 deep breaths. This alone can begin to slow the breath and create a sense of calm. If you’re looking for other breathing exercises, here are a few to try. (source)
- Diaphragmatic breathing: Lie down, place your hands on your chest, breathe in deeply through the nose tighten your stomach muslces and exhale through pursed lips (like you would if you wanted to whistle).
- 4-7-8 Breathing:
- Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, right behind your front teeth (you’ll keep it here for the entire exercise).
- Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath for a count of 7 seconds.
- Exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds, allowing your exhale to make a natural sound like you’re blowing out a candle.
Visualization Exercises: Practices like Body Scans and Autogenic Training, help you engage the body’s natural relaxation response. These techniques rely on using mental images to create a sense of well-being in the body, which can reduce stress and help you fall asleep.
In addition to Somatic practice, here are a few more techniques to set the mood for sleep:
Stay away from heavy, greasy food or alcohol – Heavy, greasy food takes more time for your body to digest/process, and your body will keep you awake while its doing the work. Alcohol nterrupts the natural sleep cycle later on during the night. This can decrease the amount of restorative REM sleep that you get. ( 9 Foods to Avoid Before Bed)
Ditch digital devices at least 2 hours before bed (and decrease usage during the day) –Electronic back-lit devices like cell phones, tablets, readers, and computers emit short-wavelength enriched light, also known as blue light. Fluorescent and LED lights4 also emit blue light, which has been shown to reduce or delay the natural production of melatonin in the evening and decrease feelings of sleepiness. (How Electronics Effect Sleep)
Temperature of the room should be 68 degrees – Our bodies are programmed to experience a slight dip in core temperature in the evening. Turning the thermostat down at night may help with temperature regulation and signal your body that it’s time for bed. (The Best Temperature for Sleep)
Regular practice of these behaviors can prepare you with a “sleep plan” and works to alleviate anxiety.
Happy Dreaming!
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Sources:
Relaxation Exercises to Help You Fall Asleep
The Best Temperature for Sleep
Connie @ Naturesblendshop says
an hour without screens before sleeping is something really difficult
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