Cómo conciliar el sueño cuando su mente está agitada

How to fall Asleep when your mind is Racing

No, it's not just you that bedtime comes around, your body is exhausted but your mind is bombarding you with all kinds of thoughts and reflections about the experiences you've had during the day, the list of things you have to do and the challenges of everyday life.

If your thoughts are preventing you from getting a restful night's sleep, you can change this pattern that may be negatively affecting your health.

There are several techniques provided by different experts.  Today I present to you the ones that have been most effective with the intention that at least one of them may be useful to you.

  1. Make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary . Reserve your bedroom for sleeping and turn it into a resting space.  Try, as much as you can, to keep your room tidy, decorated with colors and textures that induce relaxation.  Also, try to keep your work materials such as documents, computers and screens out of the bedroom.
To help you build that sanctuary, consider using a diffuser with essential oils like lavender or Damask rose to help you fall asleep.

 

  1. Don't stay awake in bed. If you have not been able to fall asleep within 20 minutes of putting your head on the pillow, get up, do a relaxing activity such as journaling, reading, listening to an audiobook of stories or wisdom reflections, or sleep-inducing music.  When you start to feel drowsy, go back to bed.

This technique is known as stimulus control, and although it may sound paradoxical, many people find that doing a relaxing activity outside of bed helps them occupy their brain in a positive way.  This way, the negative association that people with insomnia or restless sleep develop in relation to bedtime is broken. ( article )

  1. Think positive. Highlight the pleasant aspects of your life or at least the positive things that happened during the day and be thankful for them.  Sometimes, keeping a gratitude journal allows you to weigh positive events against the not so positive ones that have happened during the day and will give you the opportunity to see that there are more positive things than negative things that make up your life and to be grateful for that.

 

  1. When dealing with insomnia at bedtime, controlled, deep breathing can help. It involves changing the rhythm of breathing, emphasizing slowing it down and making it deeper.  This will allow you to lower your heart rate and slowly distance yourself from feelings of anxiety and worry.
This practice is easy to do and can make it easier for you to fall asleep, or get back to sleep if you wake up in the middle of the night.
There are variations such as diaphragmatic breathing or abdominal breathing, pranayama whose specifications and step-by-step techniques can be found in my article and video ( https://youtu.be/AZWsrspe4s0 ) “Use your breathing to change your body”.
In a nutshell, it involves inhaling slowly (for a count of 6), focusing on the sound of your breathing, and then exhaling gently, causing a feeling of relief.
If your mind tries to wander, draw it back to the path of your breath in the present moment.

 

  1. Meditation . Meditation is often considered a practice for yogis or ascetics, but the truth is that it is much closer to home and concerns us all. 
By learning these types of practice, the structure and function of the brain begins to change and this is supported by several university studies and experiments.
A study revealed that just 30 minutes of meditation over a period of 15 days can achieve significant changes in the brain.  These include helping with smoking cessation treatment, pain management, addictive disorders, as well as depression and more.
There are several ways to meditate, including mindfulness, but my favorite, as I have already presented previously, is Wim Hof's method, which incorporates breath retention, showers or baths with ice water, some yoga postures and, above all, a commitment to yourself.

 

  1. Display. It's not about creating an image of yourself in the future, is it? The idea behind visualization is that you build a scenario rich with images, colors, tactile sensations, aromas and sounds that occupy you and at the same time keep you from unwanted thoughts at that time of night.

For this technique to work, it is important to draw on your sensory memory and do the exercise of acutely perceiving smells, textures, colors to immerse yourself in visualization.

 

  1. Progressive muscle relaxation.  Sometimes we can only become aware of how tense our muscles are when it manifests itself through back pain, headache, or when we feel or receive a massage in the affected area.

Progressive muscle relaxation is performed by consciously and orderly tensing of various areas of the body, for example:  Start by strongly tensing your feet, then your calves, thighs, buttocks, abdomen, chest, shoulders, neck and finally your facial muscles.  Hold for about 10 seconds and relax all muscles along with a relieving exhale.  Repeat this about 3-5 times.

 

  1. Schedule worry time before going to bed . According to Raj Dasgupta, MD, a sleep specialist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, repeatedly listing all the things you need to do (or haven't done) only works if you do it before bed.
Another option is to write a list of things you have to do the next day, you can even email it to yourself.  According to Dr. Vsevolod Polotsky, professor of medicine and director of sleep research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, this gives him satisfaction and the realization that it's nighttime and he can't do anything with that list until the next day.

 

  1. If exercise is part of your daily activities, make sure you have hydrated enough during the day . Sometimes, if your body has not consumed enough water or does not have the necessary electrolytes, discomfort, tension or even muscle cramps can wake you up in the middle of the night.  So try to drink enough water during the day, but avoid doing so up to 3 hours before bedtime so you don't have to keep getting up to go to the bathroom during the night.

 

  1. In the same realm of exercise, protein consumption is crucial and if you are training hard or following protocols such as intermittent fasting, ketogenic cycles or even vegan or vegetarian diets, you may find that your protein intake is insufficient and this can cause insomnia. In this case, it is advisable to consume a little dairy protein (if you do not have an intolerance) with your last meal because, “it is believed that the high amount of tryptophan (Try), from which melatonin is synthesized, contained in milk and dairy products can suppress the action of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The anti-inflammatory effects of milk and dairy products, due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components, as well as changes in activity in the brain-gut-microbiome axis, have recently attracted a great deal of attention in the scientific literature.” ( study ).

 

  1. Finally, the way you eat during the day can help you maintain energy and dynamism, but also, a healthy diet can help you sleep better.
A dietary protocol that maintains a balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals ensures restful sleep.  Specifically, it is advisable to avoid dense, spicy or high-sugar foods. 
The time at which you consume your food also has to do with it.  Nutrition experts generally recommend, as well as for patients with reflux, to eat dinner at least 3 hours before going to bed. 
Finally, avoid drinking alcohol at night.  According to an article in Sleep Health Solutions magazine, while it may seem easier to fall asleep after drinking alcohol, it actually tends to disrupt sleep patterns throughout the night. With just a few alcoholic drinks, people may experience restless or interrupted sleep. Additionally, alcohol can block REM sleep, which is key to feeling rested in the morning. For a better night's sleep, try switching to a non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverage like chamomile tea, which has calming antioxidants that decrease anxiety and help you fall asleep.

 

All of these mental “tricks” and relaxation tips are useful from a conditioning point of view. If your body starts to get used to the fact that these practices are followed by restful sleep, it will begin to adapt and will enter more easily into the state of relaxation, which will increase your chances of sleeping better.  Don't hesitate to put them to the test.

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