Can't Sleep? You're Not Alone
Welcome to Soulful Sunday #7 for February 26, 2023.
If you recently subscribed to The Power of Change, welcome, and thanks for spending a few minutes of your day with me.
Here’s what I have for you this week:
I. Can’t Sleep - You’re Not Alone
II. Master Your Monday - A mindful tip to help you start the week.
III. Vision For You - An idea, image, or belief to help you create a vision for your life.
Can’t Sleep? You’re Not Alone
Many nights I struggle to fall asleep.
Turns out, I’m not alone.
Sleep issues affect people of all ages.
I’ve struggled with insomnia for many years due to my illness. I know a poor night’s sleep can affect me the following day while getting a good night’s rest helps me wake refreshed. Because poor sleep can trigger or worsen an existing health condition, I’ve tried to minimize the effects of insomnia and prioritize sleep.
It’s not easy!
If you’ve experienced insomnia, you know how frustrating it is to be unable to fall asleep or stay asleep.
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder marked by problems getting to sleep, staying asleep, or sleeping as long as you would like into the morning.
Insomnia is believed to be caused by a state of hyperarousal that disrupts falling asleep or staying asleep. Hyperarousal can be both mental and physical, and various circumstances and health issues can trigger it.
According to The American Academy of Sleep Medicine:
· 30-35% of people have brief symptoms of insomnia.
· 15 -20% have short-term insomnia lasting less than three months.
· 10% have a chronic insomnia disorder that occurs at least three times per week for at least three months.
It’s no wonder nearly 50% of Americans say they feel sleepy during the day at least three times a week!
What Causes Insomnia?
Insufficient sleep or poor-quality sleep can be due to several factors, including:
· poor sleep habits
· an irregular sleep schedule
· medical conditions, including anxiety and depression
· physical illnesses
· chronic pain
· medications
· specific sleep disorders
Getting proper sleep can be more difficult if you suffer from a medical condition that causes insomnia. And if you’re like me and need adequate rest to keep your chronic illness symptoms at bay, it’s critical to do everything possible to find a way to sleep.
Healthy Sleep Habits
Creating healthy sleep habits can go a long way to improving sleep.
I started by looking at my daily activities, especially before bedtime.
Your daily routines – what you eat and drink, how you schedule your day and spend your evenings can significantly impact your sleep quality. Even slight adjustments can mean the difference between sound sleep and a restless night.
Sleep Tips
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine offers these common tips to help create healthy sleep habits:
Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
Set a bedtime early enough to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep.
Establish a relaxing bedtime routine. (It’s especially important to avoid electronics before bed.)
Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing.
Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
Turn off electronic devices 30-60 minutes before bedtime.
Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime.
Limit or avoid caffeine in the afternoon or evening.
Avoid alcohol before bedtime.
Reduce fluid intake before bedtime.
If you’re like me and you’ve already tried the common tips but still suffer from sleep issues, you may find these suggestions helpful:
· Listen to soothing sounds (ocean, rain, or any sound you find soothing)
· Bedtime meditation – you can find many on YouTube. I’ve found this helpful.
· Utilize different breathing techniques.
· Listen to an audiobook instead of reading.
· Listen to sleep meditation music.
· Try Qigong for sleep.
· If thoughts of things you need to do the following day keep you up, try writing them down in a notebook you keep by your bed.
Mindful Intentions
When 2023 began, I set several mindful intentions. One of my intentions was to ensure I got proper sleep because it’s essential to my health. If you missed the article on creating mindful intentions, you could find it here. We’re six weeks into the new year, and I’ll confess I need to do better in this area. It’s part of the reason I wrote about sleep this week.
I’m recommitting to this important intention.
But as I’ve mentioned before, when setting intentions, it’s also important to be realistic and give yourself some slack if it takes longer than anticipated to accomplish your intention.
II. Master Your Monday
A mindful tip to help you start the week.
Trust yourself.
Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all of your life.
Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility
into flames of achievement.
— Golda Meir, former prime minister of Israel
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III. Vision For You
An idea, image, or belief to help you create a vision for your life.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I see the good in things. I see opportunities when challenges arise. I see potential instead of problems.
I wasn’t always like this. Growing up, I was hard on myself and held myself to an impossible standard. I wanted to excel at everything I tried, and when I didn’t, I thought I had failed.
I can’t point to an exact moment when things changed, but I was so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother when my son was born.
Soon after, I started writing daily in my journal again - letters to my son so he would know how important he was. That process of journaling led to a gratitude practice, one that I’ve maintained for nearly twenty years.
When my son was four, I brought him into the mix. Before we began our nightly ritual of bedtime stories, one of our cherished pastimes, I asked him to tell me something he was thankful for from the day. Of course, I had to do the same, and the kicker- we couldn’t be grateful for the same thing twice. It became a great way to end our day and a better way to see the blessings in our lives, even if things were challenging at the time.
Some people think gratitude is wearing rose-colored glasses. It’s not.
Gratitude is not about denying your reality.
Gratitude is a conscious choice to focus on the good instead of your worries and fears.
Practicing gratitude regularly can rewire neural pathways, reduce stress levels, and build emotional resilience. You can read more about overcoming adversity and gratitude here.
Life happens. Challenges and disappointments are natural. But during difficult times, if you have a gratitude practice, you’ll find it easier to be hopeful and find the strength you need.
Developing a gratitude practice is something anyone can learn to do. If a four-year-old can do it, you can too. It only takes a few.
So, before you end your day today, I challenge you to take a moment and think about something for which you’re grateful.
I’m thankful for all the readers who spend a few minutes with me every week.
I’m grateful for the growing community at The Power of Change and the opportunity to connect with so many of you.
Wishing you a restful, peaceful night’s sleep and the opportunity to live mindfully every day.
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