They say that there are three things you need in order to lead a successful life: intelligence, willpower and a good night’s rest.
Never mind all these people who claim to be able to exist on three or four hours sleep per night and work for the other 20 hours. The fact is that in order to function properly your mind needs to reset daily and that is achieved most efficiently through the medium of quality sleep.
We should also differentiate between sleep and unconsciousness.
It is very easy to achieve ‘pretend’ sleep through drugs or alcohol but if you have ever tried that you will realise that the following day can be a bit of an ordeal.
Insomnia has been the subject of thousands of articles and we could quite easily list a few hundred ‘techniques’ but on this occasion we will concentrate on the most important three causes and remedies... and we shall start with by far the most common cause of interrupted or, on occasion, a total lack of proper sleep.
1. Stress.
It is very rare for children to have sleep disorders through stress, as they don’t suffer what can only be described as ‘adult stress’ because they have little sense of ‘Future’.
If you understand that stress is all about the future, then you are a long way down the road to dealing with it.
Stress is caused by your brain thinking about the future consequences of a particular issue. As is the case with most negativity, the best way to deal with it is simply to deal with it!
For instance, let us assume that you have a huge bill that you have absolutely no chance of paying.
What do you do?
- You think about it occasionally until you receive a letter informing you that you have seven days to pay it.
- It is at that point that you think about it more or less constantly as the potential problem drift in and out of your consciousness.
- You begin to think about it when you go to bed and that is when your stress-related sleepless nights begin.
- However, if you had picked up the telephone or pen right at the very beginning and informed the creditor that you had absolutely no chance of paying the bill, it is no longer your problem
. It is their problem.
You may be surprised that the reaction is almost always very positive and they are most likely to say something along the lines of “How much can you afford?” or “ when can you pay it by?” etc.
Remember: Action destroys stress. As does meditating, and our meditation mp3 will help you have a great nights sleep.
2. Meals, Cigarettes and Alcohol.
Try not to eat a large meal within two to three hours of your bedtime. Your body needs to relax before it is ready for sleep rather than being busy digesting a large meal – and certainly try to avoid eating a very spicy meal within a short time of going to bed.
If you’re in the habit of watching TV in the evening, walk away when the advertisements are on. The vast majority of them tend to be about food and drink. That way you will avoid those evening visits to the refrigerator.
If you do change your eating habits and eat a couple of hours earlier than you do at present and feel a bit peckish in the evening, by all means, have a snack. But not within say 45 minutes going to bed.
The toxins in cigarettes can disrupt sleep but then again you already know that smoking is shortening your life, so if you do smoke, have your last cigarette well before bedtime.
Alcohol is a difficult one because they are small amount of alcohol will in fact help you to sleep whereas drinking yourself into oblivion may feel like sleep but quality wise, it is nearer to unconsciousness than sleep.
3. Bed Routine.
This may sound very obvious but your lack of sleep may be caused by an uncomfortable bed.
As you spend about a third of your life in bed, it is very well worth investing in a decent mattress and pillows. There are some who watch television in bed, read in bed, and even eat in bed. If you train yourself to accept that a bed is for sleeping, you will sleep.
Bed ‘routine’ means exactly what it says – and are not merely talking about brushing your teeth, having a shower, undressing etc.
Early evening is an excellent time for a bit of gentle exercise such as walking. If your body is just a little bit tired, it will help you to sleep. Try going to bed at exactly the same time every night.
There have no doubt been times when you possibly haven’t slept all night because you have been busy doing something or travelling. That will not harm your health one little bit.
Use this powerful meditation mp3 album to beat insomnia
However, if you are finding it difficult to concentrate, are depressed or find yourself nodding off during the day, feeling lethargic and beginning to worry about not sleeping, do try the three very basic steps above – especially the stress step which can be helped with meditation and you will be guaranteed that rejuvenating quality night’s sleep.
