Chronic condition or not, many people suffer from sleep issues. Today’s post is about “sleep hacks” By now, you’ve probably seen the standard tips from the National Sleep Foundation, but I’m including just in case you haven’t seen them in a while.
• Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends. It’s important for your body to have a regular sleeping schedule.
• Set a relaxing bedtime routine, such as listening to calming music, reading a book or taking a warm bath.
• Make sure your bedroom is cool. Your body temperature naturally decreases to initiate sleep. A bedroom temperature between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit helps promote sleep.
• Make sure your bedroom is quiet. Turn off noisy distractions such as a TV. Silence unwanted noise with earplugs or use “white noise,” such as from a fan, sound machine or an app.
• Make sure your bedroom is dark. Use blackout shade to block out unwanted light and dim the lights on your digital clock.
• Sleep on a mattress and pillows that are comfortable and supportive.
• Finish eating meals 2-3 hours before bedtime.
• Exercise regularly. A low-impact fitness program, like walking, swimming or yoga, is helpful for managing pain and stiffness and improving sleep.
• Try to limit how many caffeinated products you consume in the afternoon.
• Alcohol and nicotine in your body can disrupt sleep and can cause nighttime waking. For optimal sleep, skip them close to bedtime or altogether.
SLEEP HACKS: When you can’t fall asleep or wake up at 2 in the morning, and are desperate for sleep, below are some hacks to consider that work for me or others have told me that work for them. Keep in mind you'll find some that work for you and others that don't. The goal is for the brain to have something to focus on other than not being able to sleep, worries, fears etc., so it relaxes and lets you drift off to sleep.
• Cognitive Shuffle: Cognitive shuffling, developed by Dr. Luc Beaudoin, involves imagining random, emotionally neutral objects or scenarios to prevent the mind from focusing on worries, thereby promoting quicker sleep onset. The technique works by engaging the brain with straightforward, distracting mental activities, such as Serial Diverse Imagining (SDI), which involves switching between various images, words, or scenes to disrupt anxiety-inducing thought patterns and signal to the brain that it’s time to rest.
Variation 1: Word
1.Pick a simple word, like “chair.” It should have five letters, with no repeats. Make sure it’s a word that isn’t loaded with all kinds of meaning and can be distracting for you.
2. Break the word down into letters and for each letter, think of as many words as possible that start with that letter. So for chair, it could be something like:
C-Carrot, cabin, carriage
H-Harp, house, hippo
A-Ant, apple, ape
I-Igloo, ink, iguana
R-River, radio, rug
3. Visualize each word as it comes to mind.
4. If you get distracted by a worrying thought, gently bring yourself back to the word.
Variation 2: Alphabet/Category: Pick a category, such as animals, and work your way through the alphabet thinking and visualizing animals for each letter. For example. A can stand for ant, ape; B for baboon. This is by far the most successful approach for me. So below are various categories to try out:
• fruits,
• mammals
• plants
• vegetables
• outdoor activities
• names of people
• places-this can be categorized by places you’ve visited; cities; in a particular country; historical places
• things you’d fine in a house; an office; outside
• music related, band names, musicians,
• authors, book titles
You want a category or word that’s not too difficult so you become frustrated or too easy and you’re at Z and wide awake.
Variation 3: Maps This was a game I played a lot with my sister as kids. Name a country, town, or city and the next person would have to do the same starting with the last letter of the place given. So for example if the first person would say Poland, the next person would name a place that began with a D, such as Denmark. Another variation is trying to place all fifty states in their geographic location on a mental map.
• Breath Work: I tend to alternate between 4-7-8 breathing, inhale through your nose for four counts, hold for 7 and breath out through your mouth for 8-and cyclic breathing.
Check out 9 Breathing Techniques for Sleep
• Podcasts, books on tape: This is my current middle of the night go to. Before going to bed, I arrange my iPad to one of the Agatha Raisin stories so that if I’m up at 3, I can click and listen. Rarely make it to Chapter 2. I picked this particular series as you pretty much know how it will turn out, so I’m not spellbound by it. I find the person reading the book has a soothing voice for me and there are no commercial interruptions. I have other podcasts that I listen to if Agatha just isn’t doing it for me. There are whole series now like “Nothing Much Happens” that can put you to sleep.
My iPad is not tied to my phone so I don’t have to worry about alerts. My cell phone is turned off and in another room. I place the iPad face down so there is no light to disturb me. Other people use earbuds.
• Journaling: Write down what’s on your mind before going to sleep; write what your grateful for
• Sleep when tired: Lying in bed when you aren’t tired is the worst
• Be in nature during the day: Being outside, even for a short well, seems to make sleeping easier.
• Eye Masks: Many people swear by these.
• Reading: Have to be careful on this one, as I’ve spent whole nights finishing a book I’ve been engrossed in. However, I often unwind at night reading.
• White noise: That can be helpful in blocking out traffic and other sounds. Fans can serve the same purpose as well as background music. Keep volume at 50-60 dB, or no louder than a soft shower. There is now some research showing that while pink noise is used to improve sleep, it may reduce REM sleep. Penn Medicine study Pink noise features lower frequencies and is used in sound machines (steady rain, rustling leaves etc.). If you are using a noise machine to block outside noise, you may do better wearing earplugs.
• Aroma Therapy: Falling asleep to the smell of lavender or other scents can help. In fact there is now research that shows that in may be helpful in preserving memory.
• Get up and move to another sleep area: If I can’t sleep, or wake up in the middle of the night, I go into another room and utilize my iPad to drift off to sleep and it doesn’t disturb my husband
• Crossword puzzles: This is my husband’s favorite. He has his crossword book by his bed along with a pencil and uses it quite effectively. Sometimes if I’m having trouble falling asleep, I’ll ask him to give me clues. Focusing on finding answers to random clues helps me drift off.
• Blanket: I have a number of friends that swear by weighted blankets. In Scandinavia, it’s customary that each person has their own comforter that is right for them. Sleep improves when you aren’t too hot or cold..
• When Traveling: When I was traveling a lot for work, I purchased a travel pillow that was a smaller version of what I use at home. That helped to make my hotel room feel a bit more normal. If I’m traveling by car, I just bring a pillow from home. Other people I know used mini white noise generators and today there are apps for that. If scents help you fall asleep, there are mini scent diffusers.
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