Guest Post contribution by:David Sheptovitsky, sleepacademy.org

Difficulty falling asleep at night is a common experience for many adults. After a long day of work and caring for your family, you might think falling asleep would be a breeze. This is not the case. Many adults find it difficult to sleep due to their minds running about what they need to accomplish the next day. Thoughts are racing and anxiety is heightened making it much more difficult to relax your mind and have a proper night's sleep. Rather than turning to sleeping pills or other unnatural means to help you fall asleep, focusing on calming your body and relaxing your mind can be the most beneficial way to fall asleep and stay asleep at night after a stressful day. Below are some strategies to help promote relaxation in the mind and body before bed.

Tips to keep in mind before attempting any relaxation strategies:

The ultimate goal of any relaxation strategies before you are going to bed is to lower your heart rate and blood pressure, as well as to enable slow, deep breathing. These factors create an increased sense of well-being. Any strategies you use to promote body and mind relaxation should all create those results. 

While keeping those factors in mind, along with whatever relaxation strategies you choose to do, keeping a balanced sleeping schedule will also be beneficial in creating the best results for falling asleep faster. It is also important to keep in mind these relaxation strategies might take some practice before they are able to work in full effect. Ongoing practices of relaxation techniques are much more effective than short-term use. Lastly, It is important to be aware of what specific exercises work for you. Not all relaxation exercises may be effective for you. Only you know your body best and if you feel like one exercise just isn't cutting it, focusing on a new exercise to relax your mind may be more beneficial.

Relaxation Strategies:

Visualization Exercises:

A way of engaging in your body's natural relaxation process is visualization exercises. These exercises focus on using mental images to create a sense of well-being and promote a stress-free environment for sleeping.

Autogenic Training:  Autogenic training hyper focuses on the heaviness and warmth of each part of your body. The overall idea of this training is to be able to calm different parts of your body at any time. Below are the steps of Autogenic Training:

-       Start with a few minutes of controlled breathing

-       After breathing, focus on a single part of your body. For example your hands. Then say back to yourself “ My hands are very heavy, I am completely calm”. Say this a few times.

-       Then say, “ My hands are very warm, I am completely calm”. Repeat this a few times.

-       Repeat this process as many times as you feel needed, and to as many body parts as you feel needed.

Body Scan: A body scan is a type of meditation that calms different parts of your body. The goal of this exercise is to be able to calm your body parts to promote a relaxed mind. Below are the steps of Body Scan:

-       Start with a few minutes of controlled breathing

-       Focus on a specific body part, for example, your hands. Notice if they hold any tension in your palms or fingers

-       If there is any tension, visualize this tension leaving your hands and body. This can be through mental visualization or through controlled breathing

-       Repeat this process as many times as you feel needed, and to as many body parts as you feel needed.

 Breathing Exercises:

Controlled breathing is one of the body's most basic ways to engage in a state of relaxation. Overall, decreasing the speed of your breathing and focusing on the depths of your breaths can be beneficial in promoting a calm mind and body. These breathing exercises will help you create a stress-free environment that promotes a relaxed mind and body for a good night's rest.

4-7-8 Breathing: This exercise is an advanced breathing exercise. If you are not comfortable holding your breath, this exercise may not be great to promote a stress-free mind. The steps are below as follows:

-       Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, right behind your top, front teeth. Your tongue will remain here for the duration of the exercise

-       Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds

-       Hold your breath for 7 seconds

-       Exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds

-       Repeat as many times as needed

 

Diaphragmatic Breathing: This is a much simpler breathing exercise. This technique targets your belly, rather than lungs. This focuses on reducing stress while strengthening your diaphragm. The steps are below as follows:

-       In a lying down position, place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly, right below your rib cage.

-       Breath in through your nose, and feel your belly push against your hand. You should try to keep the rest of your body as still as possible.

-       While keeping your chest still, tighten your stomach muscles and exhale through your mouth.

-       Repeat as many times as needed

 

Sleep should be a priority in your life. A good night’s sleep is essential to participate in your daily activities to the fullest of your ability. Trouble falling asleep at night is something commonly struggled with by adults. Stressful days can turn over into stressful, sleepless nights. These exercises above promote relaxation in both your mind and body. Keeping a stress-free mind and body can result in falling asleep quicker, as well as staying asleep longer. Try a few of the practices above and see which relaxation techniques work best for you.

“Relaxation Exercises to Help Fall Asleep.” Sleep Foundation, 18 Dec. 2020, www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/relaxation-exercises-to-help-fall-asleep.

Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. “12 Ways to Shut Off Your Brain Before Bedtime.” Psych Central, Psych Central, 17 May 2016, psychcentral.com/lib/12-ways-to-shut-off-your-brain-before-bedtime#6.