We all know how ragged we feel after a night of tossing and
turning. Here are some ideas to help you get a good night’s sleep. Deep sleep is essential for the body to carry
out its daily maintenance routine; repairing and healing injuries and removing
old and damaged cells. Insomnia raises cortisol
levels (the stress hormone) and keeps them elevated.
Cortisol is essential as
part of the body’s response to stress, but prolonged stress with sustained
cortisol production is very damaging. High cortisol levels weaken the immune
system, and this is associated with serious illness, such as heart attacks,
stroke, fatigue, weight gain, lack of concentration leading to accidents, the premature
death of cells and early ageing.
1 Do a lazy
stretchy Sun Salute or a similar
whole body stretch. The emphasis here is on SLOW and EASY movements. You are
not raising energy but releasing wound up energy and tension and removing
stagnant energy so the body and mind can fully relax & do its maintenance
work as you sleep.
2 Have a bath rather than a shower. Physically, it is more relaxing to lie horizontal the body in a warm water rather than standing in a shower. But this is not the only reason for baths being better at bedtime. The running water of the shower flows negative ions over your body, invigorating you, which is why showers wake you up (and are great in the morning). Whereas, when you lie in the bath, positive ions flow around your body and promote a feeling of calm and relaxation. As you lie submerged in warm water it is also possible that there is a latent psychological memory of being bathed in the warm fluid of the womb.
3 Have a warm milky drink before going
to bed. Yes, it does contain calories, but it might come down to a
trade off between a good night’s sleep and breaking a pattern, before sleepless
nights become the norm and lead to chronic stress and more serious health
issues. If you are lactose intolerant you can substitute almond or soy or rice
milk. If you want to lessen the calories, add warm water.
There is debate about the positive effects of warm milk, but like much that is medical, it often leaves out important aspects. Milk contains the amino acid, tryptophan, which helps in the production of the sleep inducing brain chemicals, serotonin and melatonin. Some research has posited that a glass of milk does not contain enough of the chemical to induce drowsiness.
However, the fact remains that it does work for many of us, and other theories suggest that there maybe psychological and physiological factors at work here, on more than one level.
Consider that a glass of warm milk warms the body and when the body temperature is raised, body also responses slow. People sleep better when they are warm because the muscles relax more, and warm milk coats and soothes the stomach creating a sense of wellbeing, that is readily apparent when babies fall asleep after nursing.
Milk is associated with mothers and a mother's love and care. Comforting feelings and remembrances can produce chemicals in the brain that actually form a sensation of well-being and relaxation. This brain chemical, serotonin, is associated with sleep. This feeling of well-being and relaxation may cause the sleepiness.
If you are milk allergic, consider almond milk, soy milk or rice milk.
4 200 steps after eating. Many wakeful nights are the result of indigestion. That feeling of bloating, wind and discomfort often caused by a combination of too much food and alcohol, eating too late and food that is richer than our normal fare. Lying in bed slows the metabolism, at the very time when we need it to work well to digest all that food.
Swami Satyananda recommended that we go for a walk after eating, or if that option isn’t available, do at least 200 steps. Try jogging on the spot, especially with big arm movements before retiring to bed. This is a great way to shake down that food and allow the body space to do what it needs to do.
5 Play a Yoga Nidra track to help you sleep. Yoga Nidra is different from ordinary relaxations. It is a scientific yogic technique which relaxes on several different levels. It is preferable to stay awake in Yoga Nidra to get the full benefits, but if you do go to sleep it confers a much deeper and more relaxed sleep. This makes it ideal to play at bedtime, or if you are lying awake tossing with frustration.
Put on your earphones so you don’t disturb your partner and it doesn’t matter if you let it play more than once, before you wake up and turn it off, and roll over and go back to sleep.
The more you use Yoga Nidra, the more effective it becomes. (Make sure you have an authentic Yoga Nidra as there are many claims to this technique. Satyananda yoga is an authentic source and produces a large number of these CDs.)
It is really important to get a good night’s sleep. Don’t let the odd wakeful night become a habit. Act quickly to change the pattern.
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