Are you one of the many that struggle to get adequate sleep every night? Unfortunately, many people suffer from insomnia and other sleep disorders. Dealing with compounding stress and anxiety can make it increasingly difficult to sleep. Because of this, you want to take steps towards minimizing your stress levels to learn how to reduce your worries and make it easier to relax. One of the best things you can do is develop a bedtime ritual of sorts. That way, you can prep both your mind and body for sleep. For some, this means reading a book. For others, it could be a warm bath. Regardless, a nighttime routine can do wonders to prep yourself for sleep just like when you were a toddler.
A lot of people’s problems may stem from having poor daytime habits. If you are constantly stimulated throughout the day, it can be increasingly difficult to get yourself relaxed at night. Like the majority of us, if you are constantly allowing your email and smartphone to disrupt your day-to-day activities, you’re likely going to experience the same issues at night. After all, your brain becomes used to the idea of getting new stimulation very often. Therefore, it can end up becoming increasingly difficult to unwind when you’re not doing anything.
You can help yourself by scheduling specific blocks of time to check your phone, tablet, and social media. You should also try to focus on a single task at a time. That way, you can stay much more calm and relaxed throughout the day for optimal sleep at night. Ensuring that your mattress is comfortable and supportive will help you get a good night’s sleep. Find out more about King Koil mattresses.
1. Deep Breathing
One of the best things you can do is deep breathing exercises. By doing this, you can improve your body’s ability to relax. You want to breathe deeply from your diaphragm. That way, you can activate your body’s natural relaxation response to lower your blood pressure, stress levels, and heart rate. All of these things will make it much easier to fall asleep.
– Lay down and place a single hand on your diaphragm and one on your chest.
– Breath directly through the nose. You want to get in deep breaths. You’ll know if your diaphragm expands.
– Breath in through your nose and push the air out of your mouth. You want to feel your abs contracting throughout the exercise.
2. A Body Scan Exercise
You want to try to identify the different parts of your body that are holding excess tension. This can help you identify key areas that you should focus on. By focusing on the different key areas holding a lot of tension, you should be able to target it and release it. You need to practice mindfulness when you are performing this type of exercise. Allow yourself to focus on a single thing at the current moment.
– Lay down on your back and with your arms completely relaxed at your side with your eyes closed. Start breathing and focus on it solely for 2 minutes. Do this until you feel relaxed.
– Focus on your toes. Figure out whether or not there is any tension in them. Imagine that your deep breathing is going directly to your toe area. Do this for each area of your body for a couple of minutes or so. Continue with your hip, lower back, shoulders, and more. You should be able to tell what area of your body feels the most tension and your deep breathing should help release it.
When you are looking to improve your sleep, leverage bedtime meditation that uses a combination of mindfulness techniques, deep breathing, and even body scan techniques for the best results. By doing all of this, you should be able to much more effectively clear your head for optimal sleep.
