Does your mind active when you try to fall asleep? Don’t worry! We give you 6 tricks to avoid them
Sleeping is part of the invisible training.
Every athlete, professional or popular, needs to have a restful sleep that helps them balance the wear and tear suffered. But there are many people who, when they get into bed with the purpose of sleeping and resting, find the opposite: a very active mind, which despite being tired, gets entangled with problems.
Rest is vital. It is a source of energy. Repair our cognitive functions and the wear and tear suffered throughout the day. When you sleep soundly you also recharge your self-control and your willpower and your body and mind work better.
The idea of getting into bed and knowing that you are going to ruminate, that you will check the phone every two to three to see how many hours of sleep you have left, drives anyone crazy. You take a turn, take another, turn the pillow, get up, and all this leads to nothing but the frustration of not being able to carry out something as simple and natural as sleep.
If you want to feel the pleasure of relaxing your mind and being able to fall asleep in a state of tranquility, I suggest the following six exercises:
1. Have a routine that disconnects you
You cannot get into bed with your computer, tablet, or phone and continue answering work emails. No, if what you want is to sleep.
You can adopt a routine that is maintained each day and that educates your mind in the behavior of sleep.
Choose the order in which each night you will shower, have dinner, read, watch TV, check your networks, etc.
Try to always do it in the same order, leaving for the last thing that relaxes you the most.
In this way, your mind will know, when you start with the first step of the sequence, that sleep comes at the end of the routine.
2. Muscle relaxation technique
The practice of muscle relaxation generates a state of heaviness, relaxation, and peace that favors the reconciliation of deep sleep.
It is about tensing and relaxing muscles of the body, maintaining each state of tension and relaxation for a few seconds.
You can do it in order, starting with the face and ending with the legs or vice versa.
Once finished, your body will feel rested and relaxed, a state that favors falling asleep.
3. Meditation
Meditation means putting the focus of attention on a single activity, such as breathing.
There are many meditation techniques, from guided ones to those that you can program yourself.
People who meditate feel a series of benefits in their lives such as greater concentration, more connection with the present, fewer distractions, greater enjoyment, peace of mind, serenity, improved sleep, or decreased irritability.
Practicing meditation on a regular basis makes you more aware of everything that happens around you. Today we know that all these changes have the support of the scientific community.
One of the benefits of meditating is the improvement of attention thanks to gamma waves. These waves are the ones that oscillate 40 times per second in our brain and are related to the ability to attend, to and integrate concepts and other relevant cognitive functions.
Research further concludes that meditating causes significant changes in brain electrical activity, anatomy, and behavioral function (Wendy Suzuki, 2015) and improves mood in anxious people.
If you want to learn how to meditate I suggest two REM apps Back Home and Insight Timer. You can download them for free on your mobile.
4. Write down everything that causes you concern
Before going to bed and as a way to close folders, you can write down everything that causes you any concern, from calls that have not been made, emails not sent, an invoice that you have not sent to a client, or personal issues such as remembering purchase or congratulate your friend on his job change.
The mind likes that you don’t lose detail, that you don’t forget anything.
So having everything written down will help her relax and not feel obligated to remind you of everything when you go to bed so you don’t forget. Give your processor a break.
5. Three thanks or three beautiful moments
If your mind is one of those who love to party at night and dance with your problems, it is normal for you to end up awake and deranged.
To handle this situation you can try to educate her to focus on other issues.
These two exercises will lead your mind to be attentive to positive and serene aspects that help us stay calm, grateful, and relaxed.
When you get into bed, you can review the day and think of three thanks or three beautiful moments lived.
What are you grateful for? A smile from the person who sold you the newspaper, an attentive waiter, a compassionate boss, a helpful colleague, fluid traffic, a heated house, your son’s smile…
Life gives us these gifts daily but our mind is not always capable of paying attention to them.
Giving thanks for three things at the end of the day will focus us on feeling privileged and realizing the level of well-being we enjoy.
You will see how your emotional state automatically changes, you calm down, smile and feel comfortable with life.
6. Reading
Not everyone relaxes by reading. There are those who are so absorbed by a book that it can lead them to continue reading until they finish it.
But if you are one of those people who relax so much that they end up falling asleep on the page, reading is a very healthy option to fall asleep peacefully.
Try to make it a positive novel, without much drama. And above all, it is not a workbook.
