Counting Sheep
Getting a good nights sleep is something we are all entitled to, so why can it be so hard? Stress, works, kids, babies, fear, worry just to name a few reasons. Here is a list of things you can do, or stop doing to help yourself.
Step Away from the Phone an Hour Before Bed
Make it a practice to turn your phone off at least an hour before bed and keep it out of your bedroom while you sleep. People who sleep with their phones on next to their beds are more likely to have trouble going to sleep and waking up in the night.
Keep you Bedroom Clutter Free
Clutter causes your mind to work. Your brain is wired to be able to keep track of a few details at once for a short period, so it can get overloaded when there’s too much going on.
Box Breathing Before Bed
Box breathing is a form of yogic deep breathing employed by the United States Navy SEALs and by stressed-out people everywhere. It reduces stress levels by activating the parasympothetic nervous system. Its common name, “box breathing,” refers to the fact that a box has four sides, a concept represented here by breathing while you slowly count to four for a total of four times — four counts of breathing in, four counts of holding your breath, four counts of exhaling and four more counts of holding after your exhale.
Practice Gratitude
Make a list of everything you are grateful for and repeat it a few times to let it absorb. Studies have shown that receiving and displaying simple acts of kindness activates the hypothalamus, and thereby regulates all bodily mechanisms controlled by the hypothalamus, out of which sleep is a vital one.
Hypothalamic regulation triggered by gratitude helps us get deeper and healthier sleep naturally every day. A brain filled with gratitude and kindness is more likely to sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed and energetic every morning (Zahn et al., 2009).
