Can't Sleep? Try This Counter-Intuitive Trick.
Gretchen Rubin
6x NYT Bestselling Author | Host of the "Happier with Gretchen Rubin" Podcast | Order "Life in Five Senses," out now in paperback
A bad night's sleep affects the next day's work. Nothing's worse than yawning through an important meeting or presentation. Sleep matters.
When I was reading Josephine Tey's mystery, The Singing Sands, I came across a counter-intuitive trick for falling asleep. I’ve tried it now, myself, a few times, and it really works.
He put the light out, and resorted to his own cure for insomnia: pretending to himself that he had to stay awake. He had evolved this long ago from the simple premise that human nature wants to do the thing it is forbidden to do…He had only to begin pretending that he was not allowed to go to sleep for his eyelids to droop. The pretense eliminated in one move the greatest barrier to sleep: the fear that one is not going to, and so left the beach clear for the invading tide.
Brilliant!
Some people don’t get enough sleep because they don’t turn off the light, but some people do turn off the light, but then lie awake — which is horribly frustrating. If that’s your issue, look here for more, but fairly conventional, tips for falling asleep.
I’m a crazy sleep zealot. Sleep is so important. It’s a key to happiness and energy, and is also one of the crucial Foundation Four for maintaining good habits generally. (The other three? Eat and drink right; move; unclutter.)
Have you figured out any other unconventional tricks for helping yourself drift off? It's good to have as many tools and tricks as possible.
If you're interested in figuring how to change your habits -- sleep habits or others -- check out my book, Better Than Before.
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Gretchen Rubin is the author of the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project, and Happier at Home. She writes about happiness and habit-formation at gretchenrubin.com. Follow her here by clicking the yellow FOLLOW button, on Twitter @gretchenrubin, on Facebook, facebook.com/GretchenRubin. Or listen to her popular podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin.
Author at Belfort and Bastion
7 年I'm going to try this! What usually works for me is to tell myself that I really should get up to go do something trivial -- like close a window or put my purse on the dresser. It's just enough of a "should" that it really doesn't need to be done, but I think about it and it makes staying under the covers feel so much more attractive! And then I usually fall asleep.
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8 年Reading a good book is a real help.
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8 年https://namhinkabbo.blogspot.com/
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8 年I find getting up making chamomile tea & reading helps especially if I focus on being grateful for having this quiet time I quickly start to feel sleepy & get more restful sleep. If I know I absolutely have to sleep & that won't work I play meditations from YouTube. Guided ones don't tend to work for me however there are so many options that there's bound to be at least one that will lull you into a deep and restful sleep
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8 年Try the gratitude alphabet. Go through the alphabet (you can start at any letter) and for each letter think of something/someone you are grateful for. I have yet to make it to Z whether I start at A or P. I learned this from Lisa Ryan of Grategy.