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I went through two spells of massive insomnia in my life. The first one I only cured by quitting my job. The second one I had, I bought this book to try and help me. The techniques are very interesting and innovative, but I can't say that they worked all that well for me. In the end, the only thing that would help me sleep was medication. But I tried!
I will write up some parts of this book that piqued my interest in case they help someone else.
"Insomnia is just a (bad) habit." - Paul McKenna
Insomniacs think about how much they are going to stay awake at night. They all have one thing in common : they are focusing on the problem, not on the solution.
Some basic functions like our heartbeat are difficult to control. But we can influence them using our powers of imagination. Imagining yourself in a scary situation can increase your heartbeat, whereas if you vividly imagine a scene which you find calm and relaxing, such as lying on a warm beach hearing the distant rhythmic crash and hiss of the waves, or dozing on a comfortable sofa in front of a log fire and watching the flames flicker, or walking through a quiet and beautiful forest with the light dappled through the trees, your heartbeat will become calm and steady and your body chemistry will release endorphins and other hormones to make you feel calm and relaxed.
Poor sleep can be a symptom of depression. But, improve your sleep, and you might help your depression. Sleeping better is one of the two most effective remedies for depression. The other is exercise.
'PUSH' NUMBER 1 : Get up 30 minutes earlier than your usual wake-up time.
'PUSH' NUMBER 2 : Go to bed only when you are sleepy.
'PUSH' NUMBER 3 : Don't take naps during the day.
Physical Effort:
(1) The body has muscles that are designed to work every day, and if they don't, the muscles get weaker and our body begins to store energy as fat. Work out more!
(2) Exercise is one of the best ways to flush out the toxins that stress can create in the body.
(3) It is scientifically proven that exercise improves sleep.
However, make sure you finish exercise at least three hours before you go to bed.
Tryptophan:
It can help you sleep. You can find it in Turkey, Milk and Yoghurt, Fish, Red Meat, Poultry and Eggs, Bananas and Mangoes.
But never eat with less than three hours to go before bed.
Switch off the TV at least one hour before going to bed.
DON'T CONSUME CAFFEINE AFTER 14.00
Your Sleep Environment:
There are only three things you should ever do in bed:
(1) Sleep
(2) Make Love
(3) Read a Book
This means no TV, no eating and no smartphones. Leave them outside!
If you like awake in bed for more than twenty minutes, get up and do something boring or practice being drowsy: (1) Remember a time when you felt really tired and how your body felt.
(2) Keep the feeling and surround yourself with others who also feel tired in your imagination.
(3) Notice that one of them yawns, triggering off yawns all around.
(4) Notice how you feel and see that some people are struggling to keep their eyes open.
(5) Let yourself join in the yawning.
(6) Notice your eyes wanting to close. Imagine them closing again and again.
(7) Yawn (for real) and keep imagining the circle of tired, yawning people.
(8) Notice a comfortable feeling spreading around you and go back to bed.
Keep your bedroom really dark at night or use an eye mask.
Keep warm in bed in a cool room.
You can't solve your problems while tired and lying awake in the bed. So running them around your head won't help anything.
Instead, tell your mind : "This is how I want things to go" and think positive thoughts.
The Power of Your Internal Voice:
Where is your internal voice, the one thinking and making decisions and comments?
Is it at the front of your head or the back? Inside or outside? Is it higher up or lower down?
Is the voice sad, or neutral? Is the tone Frustrated? Angry? Depressed?
The amazing thing is that you can simply choose to change the tone of your internal voice and it automatically changes how you feel. Try it!
As you become good at it you will be able to send yourself to sleep by making your internal voice slow and sleepy sounding. Talk to yourself in a drowsy voice before going to bed :
Spend 10 minutes talking to yourself in slow, monotonous voice.
SYSTEMATIC RELAXATION:
(1) Use your most comfortable, tired, drowsy boice and simply say each of the following:
Now I relax my eyes
Now I relax my jaw
Now I relax my tongue
Now I relax my shoulders
Now I relax my arms
Now I relax my hands
Now I relax my chest
Now I relax my stomach
Now I relax my thighs
Now I relax my calves
Now I relax my feet
Now I relax my mind
(2) You can go through the process again several times to deepen the relaxation.
What to do when your head fills with thoughts:
(1) Set aside twenty minutes a day to think about your own priorities and to work out a way to achieve them. Find a quiet place. Take a pad of paper and pen.
(2) For the first five minutes just let your mind wander.
(3) Then ask yourself "What do I want to do that is really important to me?" Make a note of everything that comes to mind even if it's ridiculous.
(4) When you are done, re-read the list and add anything else that comes to mind.
(5) Divide the list into two parts : Important to Have , and Nice to Have.
(6) Choose one of the Important to Have things and ask "What is the smallest, achievable step I can take tomorrow towards reaching this goal?"
(7) Think about it, make it realistic and sensible and commit yourself to taking that step. Make a promise to yourself and keep it.
YOU WILL SLEEP BETTER AND BETTER.
YOU WILL MOVE, STEP BY STEP, TOWARDS GETTING WHAT REALLY MATTERS.
Phobias are feelings that are shouting at you too loud and too often.
If you have a nagging bad feeling that won't go away, use the following exercise :
(1) Let yourself feel the emotion. Don't react to it, or act on it or resist it or reject it.
(2) Notice if there is a tension in the body related to that feeling. Where and how does it feel?
(3) Ask yourself "Why do I feel this?"
(4) Whatever the answer, then ask "Why does this matter to me?"
(5) Whatever the answer ask again "Why does that answer matter to me?"
(6) Keep asking until the answer is something positive that you want or care about. This is the positive value which your emotions are telling you about. You will know that you have arrived at the right place when :
It is a positive feeling - something you wish for, not something you reject.
It is personal - it is about your value, not about what anyone else things, does or feels.
The original feeling is noticeably reduced or changed.
(7) Pay attention to this positive, personal feeling and you will notice now that your original feeling has been transformed into something positive and motivating.
ASKING THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND TO HELP YOU
Read this exercise through carefully before you do it.
(1) Before you go to bed, sit quietly for a few moments and think about the goal with which you want some help.
(2) Formulate a request for your own unconscious which is simple. Don't ask for lots of things at once. If necessary break down a big goal and deal with one bit at a time. Make it one short sentence.
(3) Make sure your request is positive, for example not "I don't want to faily my exam" but "I want to remember all I have learned. Not "I don't wanna be fat" but "I want to be healthy."
(4) Make sure your request is clear - have a clear picture in your mind of what you will be able to do when you get it.
(5) When you have a simple, positive, clear request, repeat it a few times to yourself with your internal voice, then carry on and go to bed.
TO SUMMARIZE:
Sort out your worries during the day - set special time aside to organize your thoughts.
Keep pen and paper by the bed to make a note of ideas that come to you as you relax.
If you are bothered by feelings, make sure you receive their messages.
IF YOU STILL CAN'T SLEEP:
You need to release the day. Some people are anxious all day until they lie down in bed. But the thoughts don't stop. Go back through the day, remembering events and what was said. Then say goodbye to the day and let go. You can't solve anything now.
Sometimes people are stressed about the very thought of not being able to sleep, which makes them more stressed so they stay more awake. It's a vicious circle.
NIGHT-TIME WAKING:
Some people find they get to sleep OK, but they wake up during the night and find it difficult to get back to sleep. There are several reasons this might be happening. Eating too late and drinking too much alcohol in the evenings can cause you to wake in the middle of the night.
Other potential issues are stress or pain or worry. You could even drink TOO MUCH water!
Q&A:
I've got a big event coming up and my mind keeps going over and over it and I know I won't be able to sleep till it's over. How can this system help me?
THE GOLDEN RULES OF SLEEP:
(1) Get up regularly 30 minutes earlier than your usual desired waking up time.
(2) Go to bed only when you are sleepy.
(3) Don't take any naps during the day.
(4) At least 3 times a week, take 20 minutes exercise.
(5) Finish eating at least 3 hours before you go to bed.
(6) Don't have any caffeine after 4pm.
(7) Cut out alcohol!
(8) Switch off screens one hour before you go to bed.
(9) Do only three things in bed :Sleep, Sex, Read.
(10) If you are awake in bed more than 20 minutes get up and do something boring.
(11) Keep you bedroom pitch black at night.
(12) Have a warm , comfortable bed in a room that is not too hot.
(13) Don't watch the clock!
(14) Read this book again.
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