Sleep

By: Christine Hargan 11/08/2011

How many times have you gone to bed dog tired and desperate to get to sleep? You lay there and sleep just doesn’t come… The harder you try the less able you are to sleep, and so the cycle continues...

There are many reasons that people have difficulty in sleeping. Some are medical, others physiological, others psychological. Most reasons for not sleeping are fairly obvious - changes in your life. Perhaps, your work has become erratic, maybe you’ve lost your job, or are worried about something, or someone.

Maybe your insomnia is a sign of illness; have you had a change of medication, hormonal changes, diet? Perhaps there has been a change of temperature, or climate, or partner?

Many people  have coped with a snoring companion… Having lived with not one but two companions who ‘drive em home’ I can empathise. I just wish someone had told be what a racket Boxer dogs make when they sleep, before the first chose me as a companion… For some people though it’s much worse, they have to sleep with their snoring companion!

There are almost as many strategies to help you as there are people, and a lot of the choice of remedy will depend upon the cause of your sleeplessness. Do you have something on your mind? Don’t lay there worrying about it take action. Get up and write it down. Writing down any thoughts that are buzzing round your head will often help. Once you’ve documented them your mind is free and you can go back to them when you’re more alert and able to do something about them if you choose.

If you can’t get to sleep within half an hour or so – simply get up and do something that doesn’t need a lot of thought until you feel tired and then go back to bed. Some people find reading helpful, other’s knit or do something repetitive.

Try to keep your bedroom for sleeping – working in the bedroom often has a detrimental effect on nocturnal activities, due to the subconscious association with work rather than relaxation.

Try to make a habit of getting up early in the morning – you will find you get tired in the evening! Don’t nap in front of the telly – make a habit of sleeping in bed, not on the sofa and try to keep to a routine.

Have you tried sleeping with your head facing North? Why should that make a difference? Apparently it aligns you with the magnetic pull of the planets, bringing you in tune with the earth.

If you have health worries go to see a doctor. That will at least put your mind at rest and confirm whether you are healthy, if all else fails you may choose to take some medication in the short term.

There are lots of relaxation techniques that will help– warm baths, milky drinks, herbal teas, a massage, a cuddle. Taking some gentle exercise an hour, or so before bed if you are able, often helps, too.

In addition there are lots of alternative therapies, self-hypnosis is brilliant. A good therapist can anchor a trigger to your subconscious mind to sleep. This will allow you to wake normally when you’re ready. A practitioner can anchor feelings onto part of your body – so simply pressing the place on your body where the feeling is anchored can recall a feeling that will help you in your life in this case the drifting feeling just before you drop off to sleep.

Christine Hargan, BSc (Hons) Psych; www.psychologicalsolutionsforme.com www.psychologicalsolutionsforpain.com