Having trouble sleeping and wondering how you can get better sleep? This could be as a result of one of a number of things. Are you stressed? Did you just suffer a major life change? These are just two things that can send you looking for good strategies for overcoming insomnia. Turning to medication which is a good strategy for overcoming insomnia in some cases is not always the first line of treatment. If you turn to over the counter sleep aids these can help but can also lead to dependency. So what would happen is that if you stop taking the drug you would end up reverting to your insomnia. And there is also that little thing about side effects which can include a hangover feeling in the morning.
We are going to share some techniques you can try if you are suffering from insomnia. But before we share those, let’s talk about sleep patterns.
Understanding Sleep Patterns
There are a lot of misconceptions about sleep timing. There is the notion that good sleep is 8 hrs of uninterrupted sleep. However, we find that research suggests that our normal pattern of sleep is not uninterrupted but instead segmented. Segmented sleep refers to a period of 3 to 4 hours of sleep followed by a 1 to 2 hour awake period and then a second period of sleep for another 2 to 4 hours. Historical evidence shows that segmented sleep is not new.
Now let’s start looking at how you can overcome your insomnia.
- Cognitive Reframing
Your belief system of sleep may cause occasional insomnia. If you are worrying about having uninterrupted sleep this can cause anxiety which can then keep you awake. Cognitive reframing can help you by changing the way you think about your sleep patterns. You want to assure yourself that segmented sleep is OK and a few nights of unfavorable sleep will not do too much damage. You may need some help to perfect this art, and we have the therapeutic services that can help.
- Benign Reflection
Be kind to yourself and reflect to move your thought patterns from negative to positive right after you get into bed. You also want to practice this when you wake up in the middle of the night. Just put all negative thoughts aside and instead think of the positive things that are happening in your life and look at your many blessings.
- Shorten Your To-Do List
So often we see that insomnia is caused by the long list of items one may have planned for the next day. You may be ruminating about these things that you have to do, and this mental list can now cause you to stay awake longer than you really should. Keep a pen and some paper by your bedside so you can write those things down. This may help relieve your mind from ruminating about the tasks.
- Face the Music
Those demons that are keeping you awake may not always be bad things. Sometimes in your awake time you can get some problem solving done if you just reflect on what it is that is keeping you awake. Think through the issues and problems and satisfy the musings that need to be satisfied and then you will be able to get back to sleep.
- Get Up and Work
If you are awake and can’t go back to sleep, take advantage of the time to get something done. When you take advantage of those 2 hours you wake up and can’t go back to sleep, you can accomplish some tasks and enjoy your second sleep a lot better.
- Create A Routine
When it comes to sleep, sticking to a routine is the best thing to do. So pick a time to go to bed each day as well as a time to wake up each morning. If you find that you are lying awake in bed past your set bedtime, you should consider changing that bedtime to the time that you tend to fall asleep.
Whenever you have a bad night, don’t try to play catch up the next morning. Stick to your routine until you perfect it.
- Reduce Your Caffeine
Cut all caffeine prior to bedtime and alcohol too. Don’t have any caffeinated drink after 3pm as much as possible and try not to eat immediately before going to bed.
- Simply Get Up
So you don’t have any tasks to complete but you’re lying awake in bed. Even if you don’t have any set tasks to complete you can still get up and do something. Read a book or turn on some soothing music. Do something, as long as that doesn’t include turning on the TV or your computer.
Do you struggle with Insomnia?
We have clinicians expert on Insomnia, feel free to read about them, or book a free consultation to review your situation.
- Eat Healthy and Exercise
Ensure you are consuming a healthy balanced diet and getting regular amounts of exercise. This will help you to fall asleep. Too much sugary or salty foods and drinks on the other hand can contribute to you staying awake.
Do you struggle with insomnia?
We have clinicians expert on insomnia, feel free to read about them, or book a free consultation to review your situation.
Cognitive Strategies
- Silence the Voices
Most often problems with sleep are due to a cognitive process that is overactive. It could be worrying about your health, your work or just the mere fact that you are having trouble sleeping. Yes, thinking about insomnia could be the cause of your insomnia.
So you need to calm your active mind so you can sleep, silence the voices in your head so you can turn off their distraction.
- Segmented Sleep is OK
Segmented sleep isn’t something new. You don’t have to get a full uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep to get good sleep. Historians and sleep experts noticed this phenomenon called segmented sleep long ago. Our ancestors would wake up and visit their neighbors, talk, pray and even have sex before going back to bed. Whenever you hit that time that you usually wake up, get up out of bed and find something productive to do but nothing that will be overstimulating.
- Meditation and Relaxation
Deep breathing, meditation and other relaxing techniques can be a great help when it comes to getting you to sleep better.
- Talk to Someone
You can share with a family, a friend or your partner. Tell them about your worries and whatever is concerning you. They should be able to put your mind at ease if you share your true thoughts and feelings with them. Maybe they can even help you with a sleep strategy. Spending less time in your head can easily help you fall asleep and to have better quality of sleep.
- Reconditioning
This aims to have you associate your bedroom more with sleep, which is a good strategy for overcoming insomnia. It works because you change your life to only use your bed for sleeping or sex and you only get into it for sleep when you are feeling sleepy.
If the underlying issues for your insomnia are not ones you can work through on your own, you may need help from a professional. Contact us and set up an appointment so we can help you start sleeping better.
Do you struggle with Insomnia?
We have clinicians expert on Insomnia, feel free to read about them, or book a free consultation to review your situation.