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At the end of a hard day, you feel tired and look forward to going to bed. But, as soon as the head touches the pillow, sleep takes off like a hand. You feel cheerful, overcome by various thoughts and anxieties. 7 questions to ask yourself tonight will help solve the problem.
Sleep is essential for preventing burnout, managing stress, and improving mood. Most people realize that from a health point of view, getting enough sleep is essential. “I know I need more sleep,” says Alexandra, 30. But what if I can’t sleep? I go to bed early enough to get at least eight hours of sleep. But then I just lie there, looking at the ceiling and thinking.” What prevents sleep?
1. Do you take your phone to bed with you?
Light from it stimulates the brain and can suppress the release of melatonin (a hormone that helps you sleep). The best solution is not to use gadgets after 9 pm or an hour or two before bedtime. But many find it difficult to give up this habit. If you are one of them, use a blue light blocking mode, such as the iPhone and iPad have a night mode, and reduce the brightness of the screen as much as possible.
2. What do you read or do before bed?
This is the second remark about the phone. Texting before bed is a bad idea. The thought processes you use stimulate the brain. Checking your email won’t help you sleep either, especially if you’re facing a stressful issue.
If you like to read before bed, choose a printed book to help you fall asleep faster. Give preference to light reading that does not burden the head and does not cause strong emotions. The work should not be so exciting that you could not tear yourself away until the morning.
3. What do you do in the evenings?
If you are having trouble sleeping, take care not to turn yourself on during the evening. Here are a few rules:
- If possible, avoid difficult conversations with family members in the evenings, do not start such conversations before bed.
- If you have to work in the evening, try to finish as early as possible.
- Pay attention to cases, questions, topics that cause excitement. Try to avoid them or move them to an earlier time.
4. What lighting do you use at night?
This is another key to evening relaxation. Before the advent of electricity, people slept an average of nine hours a night. The lights that we turn on at night in the apartment stimulate the nervous system, and can also suppress the secretion of melatonin.
Here are two end-of-day scenarios:
- All light bulbs are on. The TV roars. You are sitting at your desk, emailing while having a logistical discussion with your spouse. You are experiencing stress. You will need at least an hour of watching TV to direct your thoughts in a more peaceful direction. Not a good idea, because of the screen involved. Also, if it’s a really good movie or series, it will be difficult to turn off the TV in time.
- All the lights are out except for a warm yellow lamp in the corner of the room. Quiet music plays. You read calmly, your eyelids begin to get heavy, your head shakes as you fall asleep for a split second. Even though the dream came earlier than you planned, you get up and head to the bathroom to start getting ready for bed.
5. Is there anything in particular that you are concerned about?
Perhaps there is a stressful situation that you cannot stop worrying about. In this case, there are several options:
- If this is something serious, seek professional advice to resolve the issue and/or get the correct answer.
- Flip through a magazine before bed to take your mind off the problem and calm the flow of thoughts a little.
- Learn a relaxation practice, such as simple relaxation breathing meditation, to calm your mind and body before bed.
6. How do you use the bed?
Use a stimulus-control strategy. If you do many different things in bed: watch movies, work, take phone calls, then your body and mind get confused for the purpose of being in bed. If you have insomnia, it is best to use the bed only for sleeping. For the same reason, if you can’t sleep, get out of bed and do something calm and relaxing until you feel sleepy, then get back into bed.
7. How much caffeine do you drink?
Sleep experts believe that if you’re struggling with insomnia, you should cut out caffeine and any other stimulants entirely and see if that helps. If that seems impossible, start by eliminating caffeine in the afternoon. Sources of caffeine: coffee, non-herbal teas, chocolate.
It is worth remembering that some people who suffer from insomnia have problems such as generalized anxiety, bipolar disorder, or others. If simple interventions don’t help with sleep problems, talk to your doctor.
Source: psychologytoday.com