Falling asleep when you have an active mind, or what I call, Monkey Mind, isn’t
so much about falling asleep as it is about relaxing (see my blog post Taming Your Monkey Mind). Too often when we can’t sleep, we become anxious about not sleeping and hyper-focused on falling asleep. This isn’t helpful. The reason is the human body doesn’t have an “on/off” or “awake/asleep” switch. Instead, we fall into a slumber through progressive relaxation or increasing fatigue. So, stop focusing on sleep or your inability to fall sleep, and try to relax. It’s all about how to calm your mind and relax your way to sleep. Here’s how.

Falling asleep can be difficult at times for anyone. Also, it can be a challenge to stay asleep through the whole night or to fall back asleep once awoken. The truth is falling asleep and getting a good night’s rest can be tough for anyone with a busy life, many responsibilities, or just a lot on his/her mind. That’s most of us, at least, sometimes. You definitely aren’t alone.

However, you need to do something about it if it becomes chronic. Inadequate and disrupted sleep is a problem and a concern when it becomes chronic: over months or even years. It can provoke noticeable symptoms when experienced regularly (e.g., daily) for a shorter period: even as little as one week.

Effects of Chronic Sleep Deprivation

A regular or chronic inability to get at least six, and preferably seven to eight hours per night can result in a whole series of health issues, such as:

• Psychosocial stress
• Cognitive impairment
• Poor decision making
• Anxiety and depression
• Alcohol abuse
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Cardiovascular disease
• Increased mortality

Start by eliminating behaviors that impede, disrupt and/or reduce the quality of your sleep. See my blog posts on creating a good pre-bedtime routine or my podcast called Taming the Monkey, and the companion MP3 guided meditations mentioned on the podcast.

Three Simple Practices To Calm the Mind and Relax Your Way to Sleep

These three practices can be done while you’re lying in bed, which makes them ideal for both going to bed and falling back asleep if you’ve woken up. You can choose one or do them all. Breathing can be easily practiced simultaneously with the other two practices. But, to get familiar with them, initially try them one at a time.

1.   Breathing Practice – Take long full breaths to promote relaxation. Take a few deep belly breaths (drawing the breath into the belly) and exhale through your mouth. Try to make your inhales and exhales last for four to six seconds. But, don’t make it effortful. If that’s too long, just do what feels right. You can continue the long full breaths as long as you like. Although, you probably want to discontinue exhaling with your mouth open.

2.  Progressive Muscle Relaxation Practice – This practice uses a repetitive process of tightening a muscle group, holding for three seconds, releasing and noticing the sense of greater ease and relaxation. Start at the feet.

• • Curl and tighten you toes for three seconds and release. Notice the muscles relax, and feeling or more openness and space.
  • Squeeze your legs (calfs and thighs) for three seconds and release. Notice the change.
  • Squeeze your butt muscles for three seconds and release. Notice.
  • Squeeze in your torso (tummy and chest) for three seconds and release. Notice.
  • Squeeze your shoulders up toward your ears for three seconds and release. Notice.
  • Squeeze your upper arms into the side of your body for three seconds and release. Notice.
  • Squeeze or scrunch up your face for three seconds and release. Notice.
  • Notice that your whole body feels calmer and more at ease.

3.  Visualization Practice – Pick a place that is calm, peaceful, safe and soothing to you. Maybe it’s the beach with the waves gently breaking. Or, perhaps is a gentle summer rain, a walk in pine-scented woods, or a quiet winter night with fresh snow on the ground. Maybe it’s a comfortable room in your house, a hammock on the porch or lawn, your childhood home, or your favorite retreat spot. It can be anywhere as long as it’s peaceful, comfortable, safe, and soothing. Visualize it. See it in detail. Hear the sounds, smell the scents, feel the textures or quality of the air. Just bathe in the visualization as long as you like. Notice the calm, peaceful feelings that come over you.

Guided Meditations For Relaxation and Promoting Sleep

It may not be easy to settle down and practice one these suggested methods all by yourself. Guided meditations can be very helpful in this case, and particularly, as way to familiarize yourself with the process involved with each practice. With repetition, you’ll be able to lead yourself through them fairly easily.

Meditations are designed to relax you and lull you to sleep. A soft voice guides you to take steps that will help you let go of your anxious or overactive mind and cultivate relaxation. If this appeals to you, try my free downloadable guided meditations. Taming the Monkey

includes all three guided mediations discussed here.

For more information,

• Search my blog posts on sleep and relaxation
• Check out my Natural Healing and Wellness Workshops