This is a Type-A Parent paid post to discuss sleep issues, and to share a new insomnia resource from the National Sleep Foundation.
There was a time when I could sleep anywhere, anytime. Even a pile of pesky pets (lovable as they may be) couldn’t keep me awake.
That picture was taken about 15 years ago. Things are a little different now.
Sleep is a hot topic where I work. We gather around the coffee maker, rubbing our eyes, mouths gaped wide open in a chorus of yawns. If we had better pitch we might be on to something.
I can’t speak for them why they didn’t sleep well. For me, it seems to be a combination of several things.
- Clearing my mind can be difficult. I can sleep with a minor lingering thought or two.
- Body stiffness creeps in and takes over more and more the longer I’m lying in bed awake. This makes getting comfortable difficult.
- Staying asleep or falling back to sleep is often a challenge.
I have had some success falling asleep by practicing circular breathing. This is done by counting off seconds as you breathe in, hold your breath and breathe out. This focuses my mind on the breaths and off the problems of the day.
I still need help staying asleep and/or falling back asleep.
A new resource I’ve discovered is The National Sleep Foundation at sleepfoundation.org/insomnia.
There you will find a wealth of resources for insomnia and trouble sleeping.
An option I’ve found on their site is to try Stimulus control. The idea behind stimulus control is to build a positive association between the bedroom and sleep by limiting the type of activities allowed in the bedroom.
One suggestion would be to get out of bed if I’ve been awake for 20 minutes or more. This makes sense to me since I am a clock watcher. Getting out of bed and doing something relaxing for a few minutes helps break the pattern.
Another suggestion is to set wake times and bed times and try to stick with it even on days off. Good advice. When I think about it, I don’t really feel any more rested by sleeping in on weekends. Come Sunday night I’m back to thinking about if I’m going to get enough sleep since I slept in that morning.
These actions would help break the cycle of going to bed and trying to force myself to sleep because its late and just lying there.
Be sure to check out a new resource from the National Sleep Foundation at sleepfoundation.org/insomnia – a good place to start if you think you have insomnia or aren’t sleeping. The National Sleep Foundation is your trusted resource for everything sleep – understanding how sleep works & why it’s important, learning healthy habits, creating a relaxing bedroom & bedtime routine, & finding solutions to your sleep issues.
This is a Type-A Parent paid post to discuss sleep issues, and to share a new insomnia resource from the National Sleep Foundation.
