Hello and welcome,
My name is Payam.
I hope you find my second talk on creating a ritual to sleep better helpful.
In the first segment,
I mentioned your body is designed to welcome sleep.
Please don't overthink it.
You can remind yourself the simple fact that sleep is a natural part of life and you deserve to rest.
Normalizing this process can reduce the anxiety you might have about sleep.
I also encourage you to create a supportive bedtime ritual.
Your bedtime ritual can include taking a minute and reminding yourself of a few things you feel grateful about the day you just had.
By practicing gratitude,
You are starting your sleep journey on a positive note.
In general,
Embracing gratitude can help your body and mind shift into a calming state.
Your bedtime ritual can also include giving yourself a hug and really love and appreciate yourself.
This practice of loving yourself can help reinforce your attempt to help your body and mind shift into a relaxed state.
Finally,
In the previous talk,
I mentioned when you are in bed,
Instead of focusing on negative self-talk or anything else that might be on your mind,
Try to connect your body in a positive way.
For example,
By taking a deep breath and bringing your awareness to comfort and the sense of support your body is receiving from the mattress,
You can help your nervous system to relax.
This awareness of a sense of comfort might help you fall asleep faster.
I am now going to briefly talk about a few more ideas that you can consider for your bedtime ritual.
Before I do that,
I'd like to encourage you to talk to your doctor and make sure there aren't any underlying medical issues that might contribute to having challenges with sleep.
I also encourage you to implement basic sleep hygiene.
For example,
Avoid large meals,
Caffeine and alcohol before bedtime.
Make sure your bedroom is quiet and dark with the right temperature for your comfort level and avoid using electronic devices close to your bedtime.
Now let me discuss a few more ideas that might help you sleep better.
When it is time for your bedtime,
Let yourself become aware of feeling sleepy.
Allow yourself to welcome that feeling.
You probably had a busy day and naturally your body needs rest.
By noticing a feeling of being tired or sleepy,
You are listening to your body's need for sleep.
You might want to scan your body and identify specific areas of tiredness.
For example,
You might notice heaviness of muscles around the eyes.
Your eyes have been active most of your waking hours and now they are tired.
Most probably,
Your whole body has been busy working during your waking hours.
Naturally,
Your body can feel tired at the end of the day.
Focus on how good it feels to be in bed and resting.
By letting yourself sleep,
You are nurturing your body and mind.
You don't need to fight your way to go to sleep.
You gently let your thinking brain step aside and let the wisdom of your body lead you to a pleasant dream state.
The key is to relax and trust your body.
In case you wake up in the middle of the night,
Don't scare yourself by thinking you won't go back to sleep.
Don't overthink it.
Focus on how good it feels to be supported by the mattress or the pillow and letting your tired body rest.
Sleep is like a gentle river.
It can drift you to a dream state.
It is a journey that can end with waking up and feeling refreshed.
Finally,
If you wake up few hours early and still need more sleep,
Try to remain in your bed and rest.
Give yourself permission to relax and you might fall asleep again.
No need to get frustrated by waking up earlier than you wanted to.
Instead,
Let yourself focus on the quietness of the early morning.
Allow yourself to trust and have confidence in the wisdom of your body to help you go back to sleep.
In general,
You cannot think yourself into sleep,
But you can relax your body into falling asleep.
The key to a better sleep is to help your body and mind feel safe,
Relaxed and deserving of sleep.
Make sure you consciously give yourself permission to have a good night's sleep.
It is important to affirm that.
Your body listens to all your thoughts,
So make sure you affirm the permission for a peaceful sleep.
I hope you find some or all of these suggestions about creating a comforting sleep ritual helpful.
Please be patient and give yourself time to make progress in this area.
Be well.
