How to Unwind so You can Sleep

04/16/2012

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We all live in a stressful world.  We have work, family, unexpected issues and the last thing we think about is how it will affect us as we are lying in bed staring at the ceiling.  We do not think about what we can do to help solve the problem or prevent it.  Let’s take a few minutes to find a solution for you.

Oxygen is one of the great ways to reduce stress.  It is easily available and easy to get.  Take five minutes to breathe deeply and recruit more of your lung to help transfer the oxygen to your blood.  There are many routines you can use to help you to relax.  I like the inhale, hold, exhale practice.  Inhale through your nose for the count of six, hold for the count of 4 (you do not want to stress yourself), than exhale slowly through pursed lips for the count of six.  As you are inhaling imagine your lungs filling from the bottom out and when you are exhaling imagine them emptying from the top down.  Not only do you get benefit of increased oxygen level but the focus on breathing will help you to calm your mind. 

Practice a little yoga.  A simple routine can help you stretch your body, help you focus on your breathing and the health benefits will amaze you.  A simple routine is all you need and you do not have to worry about being perfect.  It is more about getting you ready to sleep.  I use Yoga.about.com for a website to choose my workout.  She has excellent routines you can follow.  Just remember you can modify the move for you.  When I first started I could not reach lower than my knees.  Now I can touch the floor most days.  Choose an easy one like a Sun Salutation to help you to get ready for bed.  This is to help you focus and deep breathe and calm your mind. 

Turn off the electronics.  The television, cell phone and other electronics are designed to stimulate you and your mind.  It is really hard to get ready to sleep when you are stimulated by light and information.  Try turning down the lights and journaling.  Not only will it eliminate the electronic stimulation but it will help you to put your ideas on paper so you can deal with them in the morning and turn them off at night.  It might also allow you to find solutions to what is bothering you and allow you to relax and fall asleep. 

Get out of bed.  If you are lying there staring at the ceiling lying in bed will frustrate you and keep you awake longer.  Get out of bed and read or do something for 20-40 minutes than go back to bed.  Take that time to relax and unwind.  Use one of the ideas above to help you.  Bed should be for sleeping and other activities should be done outside of bed.  So get up and relax than go back to bed when you are feeling more relaxed. 

Learning how to relax when you are having an occasional bout of insomnia is an important habit for you to learn.  These techniques can be used during the day to help you to relieve your stress, as part of your bedtime routine or as  a solution to the occasional night of stress induced insomnia.

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The Word of the Year is Balance

01/01/2012

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_ As we go through out review of the past year and look forward to our next year it is important that the time we take to review and pledge to move forward we considers all aspects of our lives. If we do not create a life that is balanced we cannot be optimally healthy. There are several steps you can take to make goals more successful when you are planning how to balance them.

Your health should always be your priority. You cannot be successful in other areas of your life if you do not care for yourself. If you find that you have more chores than hours of the day you need to prioritize. You should always write them down whether it is on your smartphone, on paper or on your computer. You will have emergencies arise but if you plan for things like exercise, meal preparation and your yearly physical than you are more likely to to accomplish them. The same is true of your sleep time. If you plan for bedtime than you are more likely to go to bed in a timely manner.

With bedtime in mind you might want to consider adding 10 minutes of stretching or yoga to help you to relax. Giving yourself time to unwind that is not electrical in nature will help you to go to sleep easier. The light from television, your cell phone or your computer can be too stimulating to your brain and keep you from going to sleep. The proper amount if sleep will help you be healthier, think clearer and lose weight of that is one of your goals.

Take time to pack your meals. Eating healthy is difficult but if you take a little time to pack your breakfast and lunch you will find you will eat healthier and feel better. In the morning if you do not have the time to eat a full meal consider a meal replacement shake. Having your breakfast will help you to not be so hungry at night. This is especially important for those with acid reflux, hiatal hernias or GERD because you really should not eat right before bed.

Plan your exercise time in advance. If you are not a morning person do not plan to get up early to exercise because you are setting yourself up for failure. If however you know you work late every night than plan to get up a little earlier and go for a walk or do a video. The nice think about videos is that no one else will see how uncoordinated you are.

Take time to connect to your friends and family. People who are connected are less stressed. When you have less stress you are less likely to suffer from insomnia. If you do have insomnia issues behavioral changes have been found to be more successful than medications for long term treatment.

Looking forward to the new year we need to find the balance between work, family and taking care of ourselves. It is not an easy goal but with a little planning you can put your health at the top of your list. As it is said when you feel good those around you feel good.

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I Do Not Want To Take Pills for my Insomnia

07/05/2011

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Many people suffer from insomnia.  Whether it is a child or an adult, a stressful time or an ongoing problem, or you can’t fall asleep or stay asleep.  Insomnia affects everyone at some time or another.  The issue is that although there are medications that might help many people do not want to start with medication to solve this problem.  So what care some solutions to help?
  • Look at your sleep environment.  Clutter can creep up on you or your child and can cause you to feel uneasy.  Clean up the bedroom.  Make it a relaxing place.  If there is a work desk in there make sure it is cleared and should not remind you of work that needs to be done.  This is especially true of children during the school year.  Make sure the curtains block out light and reduce noise. You want a comfortable dark quiet environment.
  • Is your per sleeping with you?  Pets can be very disruptive during the night.  They may be loving and affectionate but this does not help you to sleep.  If you have a dog that is prone to dreaming and nightmares they can disturb your sleep as well. 
  • Add relaxation techniques to your bedtime routine.  There are many ways of adding relaxation techniques to your evening routine.  Progressive relaxation is one of the easiest to teach yourself of your child.  You basically go through your body one part at a time and systematically tighten and relax your muscles.  You can use a CD of guided imagery to help you to relax your mind.  You can even do a simple yoga routine to help stretch your body and center your mind.
  • If you have been in bed for 30 minutes and are wide awake get up.  Take time to do a quiet activity like reading.  Do not watch television or get on the computer as they will stimulate the region of your brain that tells you it is time to be awake. 
  • Get some exercise in the morning.  If you go out and take a walk in the morning it will not only stimulate your body to be awake but the light will stimulate your brain to be awake.  This will help you to be more awake and less fatigued during the day so you are able to sleep better at night.
  • Do not take a nap.  This does not apply to young children who need more sleep because they are growing and learning.  This applies to adults especially on the weekends.  Sleep during the day will decrease your drive to sleep during the night when you want to sleep. 
These are just some ideas on how to help improve your sleep and reduce your night time insomnia.  If you continue to have issues with insomnia then visit your doctor and discuss your symptoms with him.  Your insomnia may be caused from something that your doctor can help you with.  The most important part is to not allow yourself to be too tired during the day because that will cause other problems you do not want.

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Don’t Let Daylight Savings Time Rob You of Sleep

03/02/2011

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Spring is a time for rain, plants, and the happiness of longer days.  It is also the time of year where we spring the clock ahead one hour; thereby changing the time we get up and go to bed.  Although the clock on the nightstand may say it is an hour later, our bodies do not change quite so easily.  Every year many people suffer from insomnia due to the inability to adapt to this change.  There are some steps you can take to help make the adjustment go a little more smoothly for yourself and your family.

The first step you should take is to go to bed at the same time.  That means the time on the clock.  If you go to bed at 10 p.m. then you should continue to do so.  Although you may not be tired you should continue to keep the same routine.  For example at 9:30 read for 15 minutes. At 9:45 wash up and brush your teeth, at 9:55 get on your pajamas and prep your bed and at 10:00 go to bed.  By keeping the same routine you tell your body this is bed time and that your brain needs to slow down.  This does not mean you will not have difficulty.   If you find that after 20 minutes you cannot go to sleep you should get up and do a quiet activity for a little while, then try again.  Remember that you do not want to be exposed to bright light during that activity because it stimulates the brain telling your body it’s daytime and that you should be awake.

The day of the change and the next few days it might benefit you to do a little more strenuous activity as this might help make you feel more fatigue, which will help you initiate sleep.  Go outside and play catch with the kids or do some extra gardening.  If the weather does not permit outdoor activities then go to the mall for a nice long walk. 

Keep in mind that it stays light later and you will need to keep the light out of the bedroom.  This is an excellent time to wash the curtains and change them out if they are not the type that block light.  This is especially true with the children’s room as they tend to go to bed earlier.  Our brains work on a rhythm, and light helps to stimulate the brain to say it is time to be awake.  At night we need the darkness to help us to go to sleep. 

The last thing is to make sure you get a good dose of sunlight in the morning.  Remember your brain is stimulated by light.  The florescent lights in the office and classroom are not the same as sunlight.  A minimum of 20 minutes of sunlight tells your brain this is time to be awake.  So as important as it is to keep your routine for going to bed it is just as important to not sleep in the next day and to go out for a little walk to get your brain going.  The mixture of the light, exercise, and adjusting your wakeup time will help you to adjust faster to the change in time.

Our body’s internal clock does not know that it is daylight savings time but with a little effort we can shift our rhythms so we can enjoy the extra time we have during the longer summer days. 

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We hve been included in the 40 best blogs to help with Insomnia

02/16/2011

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This is a high honor for us.  We try to help others and I am very appreciative to Dana for concidering our blog.

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