Is Anxiety Keeping You Awake?
Do you remember the last time you had a really good sleep? That fully refreshed, mentally renewed feeling - your body awaking out of a deep, calm stillness. It’s a wonderful feeling, and developing your ability to slip naturally into that state is one of the benefits of the Self Therapy technique. Given that we spend approximately one third of our lives in sleep, and since the quality of that one third greatly impacts the other two thirds, taking some time to learn how to sleep well is definitely a worthwhile endeavor.
There are two aspects to improving sleep: the internal (mental/emotional) and the external (behavioral/environmental). To familiarize yourself with the external aspect, please the simple suggestions at the bottom of this page for behavioral and environmental changes that you may want to consider in order to enhance your sleep patterns. Although you may have heard these suggestions before, any of them could be the weak link in your sleep improvement efforts if being overlooked.
THE INNER GAME OF BETTER SLEEP
In many cases, however, the cause of sleep disorder is not external or environmental disturbance, but rather internal disturbance. And this makes insomnia more of a psychological phenomenon than anything else. The ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well is in large part dependent on our mental condition just before and during sleep. And while a major function of sleep is mental and physical renewal, the degree to which we receive that benefit is greatly increased if we develop a pre-sleep mindset where our body's natural ability to renew itself is maximized.
USING SELF THERAPY
While using Self Therapy as an approach to improving your sleep, you'll discover that just practicing the exercises during the day will actually enable you to fall asleep much more easily at night. However, optimal sleep levels will actually be achieved by using the "Part A" method sometime before bedtime, and the "Part B" approach from the MC2 Method.
OTHER TIPS
1. Eat dinner at least 2 hours before bed, so you stomach can rest too
2. Say goodnight to alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine - all sleep killers
3. Get a decent amount of exercise each day to release excess energy
4. Avoid over-sleeping, and keep your body on a regular sleep schedule.
5. Get some sunlight exposure everyday - studies show it helps sleep
6 . Choose your evening activities carefully - avoid nighttime TV and stress
7 . Think twice before taking that nap - it may leave you restless at night
8. Prepare your room for sleep - a quiet and comfortable environment
