Photo by Bruce Mars
Getting the correct amount of sleep is important to your health, overall efficient functioning of your body and possible prevention of future health problems. As everyone knows, it is recommended that adults get between 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Sure you can function on 5 to 6, but it is not optimal for the body on a long-term basis. When you exercise, it is especially important to get a good night’s sleep to allow for your body to regenerate and recuperate properly. Unfortunately, many people don’t get the required amount of sleep. It could be for a variety of reasons: a busy lifestyle, a lot of work hours or odd hours of work, excessive stress or life problems that are keeping you awake and preventing you from falling asleep. Even falling asleep after exercise is more difficult if you are a hot sleeper.
Here are a couple of techniques that I like to use to help to fall asleep. Both are designed to block anything negative like stress or problems encountered during the day or issues requiring attention the next day that may prevent you from falling asleep quickly. They are designed to put your mind in a more positive state, relaxing your mind thus getting your body ready for sleep. By blocking and eliminating any agitation of the mind and external influences, you will be able to fall asleep much easier and faster.
Breathing Technique
This technique I borrowed from my weight training about 15 years ago and applied it to sleeping. My neighbours in the summer used to have backyard parties very late into the night. I used this method to block out all the sounds to create a peacful environment and enable me to quickly fall asleep. After that, I continued to use it more of a meditative and calming means of falling asleep.
It is a very simple breathing technique. By just focusing on breathing exercises, this technique will replenish your mind and body with fresh oxygen while at the same time eliminating all outside noise and interference like your daily problems, things to do tomorrow, etc... It basically calms your body and mind and prepares it for sleep.
Taking part in Yoga classes is one good way to teach yourself proper breathing techiniques. Regardless of the type of exercise activity that you participate in, proper breathing is an integral component to increased stamina and endurance and success - be it weight training, running or any other sport.
First of all, find your comfortable sleeping position. I prefer lying on my back. Now slowly breathe in through your nose with long deep breaths and slowly breathe out through your nose. Repeat again, just focusing and concentrating on your breathing. In a relatively short period of time you will fall asleep and the next morning when you wake up, you will not remember how many times you breathed in and out before you fell asleep. Done properly, it works every time!
Think of A Positive Event or Moment In Your Life Technique
This method of falling asleep I discovered just a few months ago and it seems to work all the time. The key is to pick one thing or one event that makes you feel happy, positive and good or a moment in your life that is beautiful.The key is to pick the same event or moment each and every time otherwise you will keep thinking of one all night and never get to sleep or, think of one before you go to bed. Again this technique also clears your mind of any problems and puts it in a more positive place allowing you to fall asleep. I find that it does not take long before I am asleep.
Conclusion
You can try either of these techniques when you have difficulty in falling asleep to figure out which one works best for you. I find both work well for me. The first one I have been using for about 15 years or more. The second one I just recently discovered and I have been using it lately and I find that it works extremely well.
The key to either of these techniques working is that you have to clear your mind of absolutely everything else and focus on these tasks. If you don’t, neither of these techniques will work.
