I am so pleased to have you join me today.
So I'm going to put you to sleep.
Well,
Not actually put you to sleep,
But I am going to show you methods that can help you put yourself to sleep.
Too many of us suffer insomnia.
We just are not getting enough rest.
So I'm gonna share some of my best tips with you.
Hi,
I'm Peggy Silfan.
I'm an internationally known personal development coach,
And I am trained in Western and Eastern traditions.
So let's talk about sleep.
You might be like one of my clients who complained to me that her day starts backwards.
She told me,
I wake up tired and I go to bed wide awake.
This can be a problem.
Many of us have these challenges and not getting enough sleep is extremely debilitating.
You can't think clearly,
You tend to not have enough energy to really guide you through your day.
Cortisol and other stress hormones are being released.
So you're craving carbohydrates,
You're gaining weight.
It is a recipe for disaster and certainly not having a happy,
Healthy,
Productive life.
It can actually compromise your coping mechanisms.
So you're more vulnerable to irritations.
In fact,
I remember one guy telling me how his wife announced to the whole family as she got up one morning after a miserable night's sleep.
And she said,
I'm wearing a lovely shade of I slept like crap,
So don't piss me off.
So there's a lot of reasons why sleep is so essential and why it's really important to pay attention to methodologies that can help you sleep better.
So begin by developing a regular sleep routine.
Go to bed,
Get up close to the same time,
Even on weekends.
Try to stick to a schedule.
What this does is it really helps your body's internal clock regulate hormone levels.
We have a natural circadian rhythm that aligns with sunrises and sunsets.
So you need to set yourself up on a regular schedule as much as possible.
A great habit to develop is actually having a pre-bedtime routine.
Time to unwind,
Relax,
Quiet your mind and ready for sleep.
So it's helpful to avoid watching news or action-packed movies or working on digital devices.
Many of our digital devices emit a bright white light that actually disrupts the body's release of melatonin,
A hormone that signals the body's natural rhythms to slow down.
And instead,
The light from the devices actually signals to stay awake.
So try a digital detox at least a half hour before you go to bed.
Instead,
I recommend listening to calming,
Relaxing music,
Read,
Soak in a warm bath,
Give yourself a foot massage,
Have a warm cup of chamomile tea,
Which is very relaxing.
One of the routines I like to do is put my legs up against the wall at a 90-degree angle and just to stay in that position for 10 to 15 minutes,
Relaxing,
Doing some deep breathing,
And just allowing my body to really calm down,
Unwind from the full day.
It helps relieve tensions in the hips,
Legs,
Feet.
It improves blood flow to the rest of the body.
Try to avoid caffeinated beverages.
I find for myself,
I cannot drink any coffee in the afternoons.
I have to stop drinking by 1 o'clock.
Also avoid heavy meals in the evening,
Which become very difficult to digest.
I work with a lot of clients who have trouble going to sleep because they're so full of uncertainty,
Worries,
Fears.
Their thoughts are uncontrollable,
And they dread going to bed.
So part of that is learning to be in harmony with your thoughts,
Quieting those thoughts.
And one way to do that is to write them down.
Get them out of your head,
Put them on paper,
And then give yourself permission to think about them in the morning so that you don't go to bed with that on your mind.
You've gotten it out of your brain,
Out of your mind,
Onto paper.
Because what happens when you don't deal with these disturbing thoughts is that you get into a pattern of behavior where every night you start fearing going to sleep because you know it's going to be a battle.
So you need to stop the war.
And you can stop the war in a variety of ways.
Meditation is another good way to just give yourself permission to quiet your mind,
Just to turn off,
Even if it's only for five minutes.
Again,
It's really about establishing good habits that allow you to go to bed unencumbered by all these thoughts.
And also,
You might need to really evaluate what might be keeping you awake during the night.
So is your spouse tossing too much or snoring?
Do you have a pet in bed?
Are you in physical pain?
So there are specific things you can look at and address.
Just pay attention to the things that are bothering you.
Another really important recommendation is creating a really conducive environment in your bedroom for sleep.
So your bedroom needs to be dark,
Cool,
Quiet.
Really have nice bed sheets so it feels really good just sinking into your bed.
And please do yourself a favor.
If you have a television in your bedroom,
Remove it.
When I was living in New York City,
I literally set an alarm system so that at night,
I would go to sleep listening to news.
And I would wake up in the morning listening to news.
And all day,
I was irritated,
Agitated,
Nervous.
And I didn't understand the correlation.
And now through science and again through all the studies I've done,
I know that is not healthy for you.
And it's an incredible disturbance to quality sleep.
Another disruption that I do not recommend are using alarms.
They really halt sleep in a way that actually causes high blood pressure,
Really increases your heart rate.
It's better to awake with natural light.
So if you need to be up before sunrise,
Set lights on a timer so that you wake up at the same time every day and your body just adapts to the sleep schedule.
And there are new alarms on the market that actually bring light up subtly over a certain period of time,
Maybe 15 to 20 minutes.
And that's just a calmer way to begin your day.
So a few of my personal sleep hacks,
I use and I'm trained in Yoga Nidra,
Which is a yogic sleep.
I call it integrative relaxation.
And in just 20 minutes,
It's been shown to be the equivalent of three to four hours of deep restorative sleep.
But some of the other things that I will do is make sure that I have enough exercise during the day,
At least 20 to 30 minutes.
I have a rebounder in my office,
Which is like a mini trampoline.
And I'll sometimes just use that to add steps or just to get my energy activated during the day.
If I'm seeing that I haven't reached my daily goal.
And then sometimes when I'm lying in bed and all these thoughts start pummeling at me,
Keeping me awake,
I will just recite an affirmation or a mantra.
One of the things I use a lot is using Ho'oponopono,
Which I just say to myself,
I love you,
Please forgive me.
I'm sorry.
Thank you.
And I'll just repeat that over and over and over again.
And the next thing it's morning.
So I've fallen asleep.
And that works very effectively for me.
What is important is for you to experiment for yourself and find what works for you that can become a habit,
A pattern so that you no longer have fear of going to sleep.
And you no longer suffer that insomnia all night where you wake up in the morning exhausted.
If sleep truly becomes a struggle for you,
You may have a sleep disorder and need a sleep specialist.
So don't delay,
Explore,
Find solutions so that you don't suffer and don't compromise your health and wellbeing.
I hope you've benefited from your time with me today.
I'm sending you love and light.
May you live fully with passion and purpose.
