If you're suffering from insomnia you may want to spend less time in bed, according to Harvard Health Publications.
"People with insomnia often find that spending less time in bed promotes more restful sleep and helps make the bedroom a welcome sight instead of a torture chamber."
In addition to spending less time under the sheets, Harvard Health Publications also recommends relaxation techniques. Here's how to perform what they call progressive muscle relaxation.
Lie down on your back in a comfortable position. Put a pillow under your head if you like, or place one under your knees to relax your back. Rest your arms, with palms up, slightly apart from your body. Feel your shoulders relax.
Take several slow, deep breaths through your nose. Exhale with a long sigh to release tension.
Begin to focus on your feet and ankles. Are they painful or tense? Tighten the muscles briefly to feel the sensation. Let your feet sink into the floor or the bed. Feel them getting heavy and becoming totally relaxed. Let them drop from your consciousness.
Slowly move your attention through different parts of your body: your calves, thighs, lower back, hips, and pelvic area; your middle back, abdomen, upper back, shoulders, arms, and hands; your neck, jaw, tongue, forehead, and scalp. Feel your body relax and your lungs gently expand and contract. Relax any spots that are still tense. Breathe softly.
If thoughts distract you, gently ignore them and return your attention to your breathing. Your worries and thoughts will be there when you are ready to acknowledge them.
Have you gone through a bout of insomnia? If so, what did you do to overcome it?
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Sleepless in some city, part deux
There is truth to the "torture chamber" notion. I find that I sleep more soundly more often if left alone on the sofa. My darling groom learned early on in our marriage to never try to wake me to go to bed. If he did, I'd never get back to sleep.
My relaxation technique is to try to read more than one paragraph of a book, but this only works when I'm actually in bed. I don't know why that makes me nod off faster than pretending to be catatonic. But, whatever works, eh?
Posted: Thu., May 8, 2008, 05:05 pm
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