By: Amy Maricle

This is part 2 of my series on sleep. For part 1 on setting the conditions for a good night’s sleep, click here.

 

What If You Can’t Fall Asleep or Stay Asleep?

When do you most struggle getting to sleep? Are there any patterns or predictable triggers?

1. If you lay in bed awake for more than 20 minutes, get out of bed.  Sit in a chair and write in a journal, read, have a light snack, or do a visualization or meditation. You can do my five minute meadow visualization, found here.

2. If your mind is racing with anxiety or your to do list, get out of bed and write them down. This may help you let go of some of the worries since you won’t forget what you have written on paper.

3. Don’t watch the clock. Checking the time will likely only frustrate you and therefore keep you up more. Keep in mind that one night of poor sleep is not the end of the world.

4. Have a light snack of graham crackers or half a banana and warm milk. These foods all contain sleep inducing chemicals.

5. Let go. It’s easy to feel frustrated when you can’t sleep, but this will only wake you up more. When all else fails and you just are not sleeping, try to lay in bed at least reap the benefits of resting time. You may actually get some light sleep, or eventually fall fully asleep for a while, which is better than nothing!

6. Do some light yoga. There is some research that now supports yoga’s benefits in lowering stress, and possibly in promoting sleep as well. See the resources list for articles with pose suggestions and research articles on why this may work.

Talk to your doctor. If sleep is chronically a problem, you may want to consult your doctor about possible causes and interventions.

 

Help When You Can’t Sleep:

Yoga for Sleep

Yoga for Anxiety and Depression

Snacking for Sleep

 

 

What’s Your Sleep Advice?

No matter what advice you hear from others, it’s important to pay attention to your body and what most helps you particularly. While most research shows that reading in bed doesn’t promote sleep, some people find it very helpful. So can you share a bit with us about what helps you? Especially if you are someone to whom sleep does not always come easily, will you share your wisdom? What helps you fall asleep?

 

 

Work with Amy:

Curious about how art therapy might work for you? We can do a free phone consultation to figure out how I can help. To learn more, go to my therapy page, call: 508-964-2029, or email: amymaricle@gmail.com.

Related articles across the web

• 8 Simple Steps to Better Sleep
• How to Stop Having Nightmares
• The 5 Most Common Sleep Issues (and How to Find Relief)
• 6 Things You Didn’t Know About Insomnia
• How To Make A Toddler Sleep