I’ve always had trouble getting to sleep at night. All my life, except for a few golden teenaged years when sleeping was all I wanted to do, insomnia has been my nightime companion.
When I did get to sleep at a decent hour, it was not a restful and restorative sleep but one troubled with intense dreams. Sometimes I even walked in my sleep, waking up outdoors or in the empty bathtub!
Finally, however, I’ve found a way to calm my racing thoughts at bedtime, and drift off in a natural way. I’m sleeping well, and my daytime productivity has improved as much as my moods.
There’s no limit to the cures for insomnia, and some of them will work for many people:
- Go to bed when you’re tired, and not before;
- Stay away from tea, coffee, chocolate, and other sources of caffeine;
- Have a glass of warm milk, or a tot of sherry;
- Do some moderate exercise soon after supper;
- Read something dull for a few minutes before bed;
- Don’t argue or watch disturbing television in the evening;
- Try an herbal remedy, like valerian, if your doctor says it’s okay;
- Play a recording of soft repetitive sounds, like ocean waves;
- Dab a little soothing aromatherapy oil on a cotton ball under your pillow;
- Take a warm bath…
And so on.
None of those remedies worked for me until a friend suggested 7-11 Breathing. It’s a stress-reduction technique that she picked up at a seminar for business women, somewhere in her travels.
Here’s how it works:
Arrange yourself in bed as comfortably as possible, with room at your preferred temperature and the light level adjusted likewise — get your bedroom environment set for sleep, and get into your preferred sleeping position.
Then, close your eyes and think of the way a baby breathes when it’s asleep. Have you ever noticed how a baby’s little round belly will rise and fall with each breath? That’s what you want to do here.
Breathe in, slowly, taking the air in deeply and feeling your belly get big as the air goes in… counting to 7 as you inhale. Then, allow the air to leave your body again. Control the exhalation so that you’re breathing out slowly and smoothly, counting to 11 as you do so. Again, breathe in to the count of 7; and let the air out to the count of 11. In for 7; out for 11.
If you’re anything like me, your mind will start to wander — off on it’s usual path of worrying about the things that happened during the day, all the things that might happen tomorrow, chores to do and chores left undone, and whether Sarah will really be safe on that boat trip… But just keep at it!
Keep focusing on the breathing, slowly counting out 7, 11, 7, 11… and there soon won’t be room for the troubling thoughts. You’ll be asleep. Insomnia is banished, just by breathing like a baby!