How to Put An End to Sleepless Nights

Are your worries keeping you awake at night? Do you find yourself tossing and turning in the early hours, unable to switch off and stop your mind flying round at 150 mph?

Loss of sleep means your concentration, productivity, enjoyment of life and health are compromised as we need periods of rest to recover fully from active days. If you regularly experience sleep loss, the body and mind can get into a ‘habit’ and you can come to expect a poor night. So we have to remind ourselves that it’s OK to let go and drift off.

Insomnia or interrupted sleep patterns is just one of the signs of undue stress and here Annie Lawler gives 6 great tips for getting a great night’s sleep. Following her career as director of a London ad agency and experiencing the ill-effects of undue stress herself, Annie Lawler, qualified in Stress Management, Hypnotherapy, Psychotherapy & Reiki and set up her business, Breathing Space Therapies & Breathing Space for Business. She is a member of the Complementary Medical Association and the Institute of Stress Management.

1. Concentrate on your breathing. Shift your focus by taking some deep breaths, filling the abdomen & chest cavity right up to the collar bone. Then let the breath out, concentrating on releasing and letting go. Feel any tension in your muscles release and notice the quality of the breath in and the breath out. Not only does this help you relax, it distracts your mind from troubling thoughts and shifts your attention.

2. Focus on different parts of your body, working up from the toes & feet and feel each area start to relax and let go, as you imagine feeling warmth and calm move gradually through each part of the body, ending with the forehead, eyes, cheeks, ears, jawbone and chin. You’ll often fall asleep before you get much more than half way up the body.

3. Keep a notepad and pen near the bed and write down all the things that are troubling you or which you’re telling yourself you ‘mustn’t forget’ or you ‘should have done’ and haven’t. This has an instant download effect and allows you to relax about what’s to be done tomorrow and simply get a good night’s rest, leaving you refreshed and alert in the morning.

4. A few drops of lavender oil on a tissue or your pillow can help you relax and drop off to sleep. Lavender is one of the few aromatherapy oils which you can apply directly to the skin, so you can also put it on your pulse points at the temples and wrists.

5. If absolutely necessary, get up for about half an hour or so. Avoid the temptation to switch on the TV as this will merely excite your brain. If you find reading relaxing, then settle down and read a few pages of a good book or listen to some soothing music whilst sipping a cup of chamomile tea, which has relaxing qualities. This is often sufficient to break the pattern of ‘whirling ab dabs’ so that you can return to bed and let yourself drift off to a restful sleep.

6. Finally, if you find yourself lying in bed thinking ‘Oh God. I can’t sleep’ and becoming increasingly frustrated and conce
ed, tell yourself silently to ‘STOP’ and repeat to yourself over and over, ‘I am drifting off into a comfortable, rejuvenating and restful night’s sleep and can allow myself to relax and enjoy it.’

One happy customer who tried these tips and worked with Annie’s recording, ‘Blissful Sleep in a Box’ said, “My husband says to say thank you! Because I’m sleeping so much better, so is he and I can’t tell you how grateful we both are.” n nnn