These days, stress is a part of everyday life. Most people work challenging jobs, with little time left over for relaxation. For families with children, sports, music, and other afterschool activities can make it seem like there is never any downtime. Combined, all of these factors can contribute to problems sleeping. Luckily, there are some treatment methods and therapies available that can help you get better sleep at night.
Try Progressive Relaxation
This technique is most effective when laying down in bed. However, you can also use it during the day to help yourself relax. The process involves tensing and relaxing muscles throughout your body. This encourages mindfulness, making it easier to deeply relax. Here is how to do it:
- Focus on one muscle group in your body, creating tension in that area. For instance, you might start with the muscles in your neck. Contract the muscles and hold the contraction for 10 seconds.
- While holding the contraction, picture the tension in the muscle in your mind.
- At the end of 10 seconds, let go of the tension, allowing the muscle to completely relax. Visualize all of the tension melting away.
To get the best results with this technique, try to keep the other muscles in your body relaxed while focusing on a specific muscle group.
Look Into Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is used to treat a variety of mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. Researchers have found that it is also extremely effective at curing insomnia. Through CBT, you can pinpoint any negative thoughts or beliefs that are keeping you from sleeping. You can then change those beliefs, replacing them with thoughts that are more positive and supportive.
Here is an example of a CBT exercise. Start by scheduling 30 minutes where you can focus on worrying. During this time, write down any concerns that you have or thoughts that make you anxious. Getting them down on paper gets them out of your mind. After the 30 minutes is up, your worrying is done for the day, meaning that you aren’t allowed to worry anymore until the following day.
Another option is to write down anything that is bothering you before bed that may keep you from sleeping. After you lay down and close your eyes, picture these negative thoughts drifting away, creating a calm, peaceful mind that is in the right mood for sleep.
Don’t Lay Awake In Bed Too Long
When you feel tired, you should go to bed. If you find yourself laying awake longer than 20 minutes, however, try getting up and doing something else instead. Find a relaxing activity like reading a book. Avoid activities that involve lighted screens. Playing soft music or doing gentle stretching are also good options.
When you start to feel tired again, go back to bed. Over time, this will help you associate your bed with sleeping, which will make it easier to drift off to sleep.
One surefire way to get a better night’s sleep is with a mattress upgrade, take a look at these Saatva mattress reviews.
Try Sleep Restriction
How many hours do you typically sleep each night? If you only sleep five hours, try spending just five hours in bed instead of the usual seven or eight that most people spend. This technique is known as sleep restriction and involves limiting your time in bed to only the number of hours that you usually sleep.
When you first start using this method, you may feel a lot more fatigued. Over time, however, it should make it easier to fall asleep and should reduce the number of times that you wake up during the night. If you aren’t sleeping for more than a couple of hours each night, you should avoid using this method. Additionally, you should work with a CBT sleep practitioner instead of using this technique on your own.
