Five Tips for Peaceful Sleep
Do you hear those things that go bump in the night? Well, occasionally, I do, and I feel miserable when my sleep is interrupted by invisible voices in my head. If you relate to losing sleep because of those middle of the night harassing voices inside your head, you might want to read this article. Best of all, I am going to share my five tips to help you get a more peaceful sleep.
Any way you look at it, INSOMNIA sucks. Lack of quality sleep can play havoc on us. With foggy mornings and midafternoon crashes, it is no wonder we are a little snappy, disinterested, and lack the energy to do anything more than what we must do to survive.
Get up, go to work, come home, make dinner, do laundry, read a story to the kids, and go to bed exhausted, only to find ourselves wide awake at 2 am listening.
Maybe you are one of the ones that have trouble falling asleep, or perhaps you are like me, suddenly awake the middle of the night and struggle falling back to sleep. Do you toss and turn, hearing those repetitive voices telling you stories of past failures or, worse yet, future failures? Do those voices seem to get louder the more you argue with them? Mine do.
What keeps you up at night?
Honestly, I admire people that can sleep for 10 hours, or stay in bed all day. It is just something that I can’t do. I have come to acknowledge and accept that I can live on a solid 6 hours of sleep daily and have been since my kids were born. Less than that amount of good quality sleep leaves me feeling restless and even angry. Can you relate?
Over the last few weeks, I have found myself in this repetitive nightmare of insomnia. Sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night and lay wide awake at 2:30 am listening, silently arguing with the accusing voices, tossing and turning until I finally doze back off, only to get up at 630am to greet the day again. What a vicious cycle!
Thankfully, I have found some relief. Remember, I am not a doctor nor an advocate of sleeping pills, and I am only sharing out of my personal experience. Pain, anxiety, and depression are all genuine, and if you are experiencing these symptoms, I urge you to seek professional help.
Five tips that helped me sleep:
Here are my five tips for a peaceful sleep. In addition, these techniques are natural ways to help with insomnia that have helped me.
Gratitude:
Expressing gratitude is as simple as saying “Thank You”. You can be thankful for a great day with your family or even for the peaceful sleep you are about to have. As I prepare for my slumber, I quietly reflect for a few moments on a few of my favorite parts of the day and then whisper, “Thank You”. Making this simple statement of gratitude signals your mind to relax and be at peace because of all of the good and beautiful events and blessings you have in your life.
Intentional Dreaming.
Sometimes I find myself in need of answers. As I lay my head on the pillow, I ask the specific questions that I am contemplating. Unfortunately, that answer sometimes is the thing that wakes me up at 2:30 am. Dr. Joseph Murphy discusses this in great length in his book “Power of the Sub-Conscious Mind.
Meditations:
I have found some amazing guided meditations. A few years ago, I was experiencing awful physical pain. My back, knees, heart, neck, head, and hands hurt so badly; I could hardly function. The physical pain was a manifestation of some emotional situations going on in our home. During that time, I relied on Barbara Clarke’s meditations that addressed the physical manifestation of emotional issues. I would fall asleep while listening to them. They did wonders for me!!!!
Self-Hypnosis:
Sometimes, I imagine myself laying comfortably preparing for a massage. Starting at the crown my head, I begin to feel the tingling sensation of hands relaxing my temples, the crown of my head, my ears, nose, and mouth. I work my way down my body, paying attention to areas that hold tension and stress. I speak to my mind that I am becoming more and more relaxed as I move my focus further and further down my body. Most times, I drift off before I get to my hips. Drake Eastburn talks a lot about this in his book “Power of Suggestion.”
Let it play out.
What I hear and often entertain in those dark hours are the voices of accusation. That bully voice that reminds me of every mistake I have made throughout my 56 years. It says things such as “remember when you insulted that customer,” or “how about that time you got fired,” or “hey, remember that time you got so drunk..” and even ” you are spending too much money.” I would wrestle and argue over and over with those haunting thoughts, until just recently. A new theory was presented to me twice by different sources. How’s that for confirmation? (Unfortunately, I did not record who they were. I will backtrack my research, find their names and update this portion of the blog).
Basically, the study suggests that when the taunting voices pay a visit, let them have their say rather than arguing with them. Eventually, the scene will play out, and the imaginary conversation will end. The authors do not suggest that you should neither agree with them or banter with them. They say, just let them talk, just as we do with the blowhards in our social circles. The voices will talk themselves out until they finish their story. Once they do, you will drift sweetly off to sleep again.
One night, those pesky tormenting voices started a conversation in my head. Immediately, I took this newfound suggestion and tried it for myself! Without judgment or the need to argue, I allowed them to talk and talk and talk. I no longer wanted to defend myself, nor did I apologize once again for something that happened 25 years ago. I know those situations are in the past, and there is nothing I can do to change them. Furthermore, most of them are so stupid and irrelevant to my life now, anyway.
What was the result? The voices left my head and have not been back since! I am excited to say that I am back in my 6 hours of uninterrupted blissful sleep. There are no more accusers, no more drama, and no more arguing; just sweet, peaceful sleep.
Sweet Dreams and Peaceful Sleep
Sleepless nights are no fun for anyone. For you that suffer from insomnia, I hope you find some relief. When I tried these different exercises, my slumber improved dramatically. Undoubtedly, we all deserve sweet, peaceful sleep, and I hope these five tips will help you.
The next time those voices wake you in the middle of the night, give one or all of these tips try and let me know how you made out. We can talk in the morning!
For those that have found some other natural ways to enjoy a good night’s sleep, will you share them?
In the comments below, drop us some “sweet sleep” if you found this helpful.
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