So you finally made it to bed. You’ve done your bedtime routine and turned off all the lights. You’re exhausted, fully prepared for sleep, but your mind won’t stop racing — overwhelmed with thoughts, feelings, and to-dos. The longer it takes you to fall asleep, the more anxious and stressed out you become, making it even harder for you to drift off to sleep. Once your head hits the pillow, how do you actually relax into a peaceful slumber so that you receive the full benefit of a restful night?
Studies show that a good night’s sleep keeps us healthier, leads to better food and exercise choices, and according to this latest research from UC Berkeley, may mitigate Alzheimer's.
But all that pressure could keep you awake at night! Here are a few ways to clear your head and surrender yourself to the pleasures of sleep:
Unburden your memory. Are you lying awake cycling through your to-do list? Is your mind brimming with ideas for a big project or things you need to remember? One of the best sleep aids for overloaded minds is a single, reliable to-do system that you use to capture every thought, task, and idea all day long.
A trustworthy to-do system relieves your brain of the burden of having to remember things — and makes it much easier to go to sleep at night, knowing everything is accounted for. If keeping that notebook by your bedside comforts you and allows you to write down thoughts that float through your mind, do that. But be careful. For many people, the “bedside notebook” can act as an enabler — a bad influence that sends your mind a message that it’s okay to never shut down.
Create a sleep-friendly environment. Evaluate your bedroom to make sure it is a comfortable and conducive environment in which to relax and fall asleep. Here are a few small changes that can make a big difference:
Declutter your bedroom. It’s essential to keep your sleep space dedicated to relaxation. That means eliminating piles of everything from laundry that needs to be put away sitting on a chair in the corner to limiting the bedside table to whatever you are reading at the moment and a few beautiful objects or two. If you do happen to work from home and use your bedroom as a workspace, I highly recommend storing your work materials in beautiful boxes to make your space relaxing at night.
Get the air temperature just right. Studies say a cool 60-67 degress degrees is optimal for sleep. Open the window or turn up the AC to get as close as you can to that ideal. Moving air — care of a fan — also helps many people sleep better.
Use the power of imagery. There are a variety of clever ways to “trick” or lull yourself off to dreamland through guided imagery. Here are two of my favorites:
Imagine yourself falling. Not the kind of tripping downstairs that jolts you awake. While lying down, with your eyes closed, just picture yourself falling backward, perhaps through the sky, on your back. It’s amazing how you actually “fall” asleep. I read about this technique years ago and have used it ever since.
Imagine breathing out to the ends of the universe and breathing in from there back into your body. Mindfulness and meditation expert Jon Kabat-Zinn suggests following the breath as it moves in and out of the body and feeling yourself sink deeper and deeper into the mattress, descending farther with each breath.
Relieving the burden on your mind, turning your bedroom into a relaxing oasis, and employing relaxing meditative techniques can make a world of difference in both the quantity and quality of your restful hours. Before long, you’ll find yourself amazed by the effects that your improved sleep hygiene has on your energy, mood, productivity, and well-being during these demanding times.