What I Learnt While Overcoming My Insomnia

3 Habits That Help You Sleep Deep

I could sleep anywhere and at anytime. I could sleep through loud movies, wild parties, long drives in winding roads. Like clockwork 9.30 PM I would yawn once, 9.45 PM I would yawn again and at 10:00 PM I would be in bed, lost to the world, no matter what.

My sleep was great, until it wasn’t. And when it wasn’t, it was miserable. I would lie awake, toss and turn. I would go through work plans, relationship plans, fictional plans, plans I did not know I had, all bursting through my mind. I would count hours of sleep I would get if I fell asleep soon. And then instead of sleep I would spiral into the past, till I hear the birds chirp. It was truly dreadful.

And now my sleep is great again. It did not happen overnight. It was a slow process of fine-tuning my habits and training my mind to fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up feeling like a million bucks. 

Here are three habits that could help you sleep deep.

Learn To Leave It

It’s 6 PM — shut down that laptop and any other device that you can. And as you shut it down, become mindful that the day is done. Usher in coziness with softer lights, music and if you are like me, diffuse a few drops of sandalwood. Like the Pavlov’s dog, in a few days we imbibe these cues and synch up with our body’s natural way to release, let go and relax.

Now on, the time is for selfcare, selflove and bonding. Steer clear of debates, arguments and melodramatic content. Swap them with the heartwarming and the rib tickling. 

The next few hours is all about honouring the body to prepare it for the elixir of sleep.

Mindful Stretches

Most people who are unable to sleep, experience tightness in hamstrings, psoas muscles etc. And on the other hand, when we fall asleep the muscle tone reduces. So it’s only logical to ensure relaxed muscles for quicker, better sleep. A combination of gentle stretches and relaxing forward bends help greatly. Do try out this short video practice tonight. (Check with a physician before starting any physical practice, based o individual conditions, some therapeutic practices may be counter-productive for some of us)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q22TZLfCDU&t=1s

The best sleep I have had during my insomniac phase was when a friend in her kind voice talked me into sleep. With a decade of research and trainging exposure now I know that specific slow rhythmic breathing techniques and a calming voice can make all the difference. With all my love, here is a Sleep Whisper for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEnguqTpyMY&t=3s

Wishing you deep sleep tonight and a refreshing morning after. With patience we are able to retrain our bodies to reclaim the beautiful process of sleep.

Reach out to me if you would like to more about habits that ensure deep sleep.

Smiles and Light

Nuthan Manohar