Optimal Environment For Deeper Sleep

Let's talk about deep quality sleep. Here is a quick guide on how to create an optimal environment for deeper, quality sleep with ease. This talk can be followed by a short mediation practice called Deeper Sleep. I invite you to combine both for the first time to create an environment that will bring you to focus on the present moment and wave you into a deep nights sleep.

Transcript

Welcome,

My name is Melanie Kiss.

I am a wellness and life coach with a NLP approach.

And today's talk is about how to create deep sleep,

Long deep sleep,

And having that optimal environment to be able to sleep with ease every night.

So during this practice,

I'm going to share a useful technique to lessen worry and stresses and anxiety and really create a feeling of relaxation,

Deep sleep with ease.

So for many people,

It can be very difficult falling asleep.

Repeating thoughts won't seem to stop.

Memories of maybe events that day have created stress.

It's keeping you up and preventing you to relax.

You may start to plan out your day for tomorrow,

Not allowing yourself to relax.

That mental to-do list is just going on and on.

This energy in the body is keeping you from sleeping.

All it's doing is making you toss and turn,

And all the while you're getting frustrated around not sleeping.

And what happens is that you start to create more worry,

More stress,

And that energy is being created in your mind,

Preventing you from relaxing and feeling calm and peaceful.

This is more common than you think.

We live in a society filled with expectations and pressures and stresses.

It's no wonder that our minds are filled with media images,

News stories,

Financial stressors,

Worries maybe about loved ones,

Friends,

Things that are happening at work.

The list goes on and on.

Even hearing me talk right now about these things probably creates a physical reaction in you.

Tightness,

Tension,

You feel that?

Well,

It's very understandable and very common that our mind would be filled with one or more of these stressors or even happening on a consistent basis,

Preventing us from getting as much rest as we should be getting or that we would even like to get.

I get it.

Fortunately,

There are many ways to address this,

Such as getting to know your body sensations,

Worry,

Anxiety,

And trauma,

Being in tune with what triggers you,

Whatever it feels more predominant,

Without feeding that energy with thoughts.

But there are other methods,

Particularly useful when it's time for sleep.

Rest is so important.

Your body and your mind,

Your soul needs to rest,

To function at its best.

Optimal,

It would be 68 degrees is the ideal temperature for sleeping.

However,

Some might like it a little cooler,

A little warmer,

But not to go to the extremes either.

You don't want your body waking up due to a room being way too hot or way too cold.

So you may need a fan,

Maybe open a window,

Maybe close a window,

Maybe a heater,

Whatever is for you.

If that feels too cold,

Put extra blankets over you.

But like I mentioned before,

Really not to go to the extremes.

You want to be able to your body,

Once it's asleep,

Stays asleep.

Next,

When the hours before going to sleep or taking a nap,

Try to avoid anything that's upsetting,

Such as TV or upsetting music or,

You know,

News or social media or going through your emails or maybe a conversation that you had with someone that just needs to be set aside for now.

Anything that can trigger your mind into worry,

Stress or discomfort.

That's what you want to avoid.

Not just five minutes before bed.

You want to do this,

You know,

At least a good hour before bed.

Also,

It's important to sleep in a room that is as dark as possible.

Without any TV,

Tablets,

Phone screens around you,

Shut those curtains so you could let your eyes know and your brain know that it's time to rest.

And when you lay down,

Try to lay flat on your back.

If that's comfortable for you,

Try to lay flat with your legs uncrossed.

I know some people like to sleep on their stomach,

On their side.

But when you first go into your bed,

Try to just lay down flat on your bed,

On your back,

Comfortable.

Of course,

Readjust anything that needs to be readjusted so you can feel the comfort of your mattress and your sheets,

Your blanket.

Start paying attention to those things.

What do the sheets feel like?

What do the covers feel like?

What does your pillow feel like?

Your brain is busy noticing these things,

Practicing the present moment,

Which starts to bring you into sleep mode.

Start to feel the weight of your body pressing against the mattress.

What does it feel like?

Notice any sensations as you're lying down.

Then what you want to do is start to take deep breaths.

And for each inhalation and exhalation,

You want to relax the body.

As you notice what it feels like,

Inhale and exhale simply while you're lying down and allowing yourself to simply be there as you focus on your breath.

As you're focusing on your breath,

You start to enjoy that sensation that's going through your body because what's happening is that it's relaxing slowly,

More restful.

You're offering your tired,

Weary mind and body that opportunity to just relax.

So give yourself that moment.

Deserve it.

Then it's important to enjoy noticing those sensations of your body,

Consciously releasing any tightness or tension each body part to the next.

Start to notice and release,

Notice and release.

And with a sense of calm yet curious kindness,

Give yourself the gift of having that space and embodiment that you deserve.

As you continue doing this throughout the body,

Wrapping it up with an exercise of wishing yourself and others a genuine sense of care.

Sleep is so important.

Deep,

Relaxing sleep is so important.

And as you wish for a peaceful sleep and sweet dreams and a refreshed body,

Wake up the next day with great energy.

It's really quite simple.

Nothing fancy about trying to have that optimal rest area,

Sleep area,

Room.

So I invite you right now to try.

So if you can,

Position yourself lying down.

It's not possible.

Just imagine it for this night coming to you to be able to have that amazing sleep.

Start to notice how your body feels.

How do you feel?

Feeling more relaxed?

Are there tensions in your body?

Maybe you have tensions and often people when they have tension,

They have it in the same area.

So soften that area.

Reposition yourself if necessary.

And I recommend you using this technique every night so that you'll get a better and better sleep.

And you'll get better and better at it as well.

It's practice.

And without creating stress when you hear the word practice,

But just allowing your body and your mind to become more and more conscious that it needs this moment of relaxation,

This moment of really great sleep.

And if one night it doesn't happen,

That's fine,

Because it's not going to happen 100% all of the time.

Just learning how to prepare the body for a full night's rest is part of life.

It's part of learning,

Part of your evolution.

But with practice,

You'll notice that if you bring a genuine sense of care and some effort to soften the sensation in your body,

You'll gradually taste the fruit of reducing a worry and anxiety and stresses and increasing calm,

Relaxation,

A sense of embodied ease.

You deserve it.

And so to recap,

Remember,

It's perfectly normal and understandable to feel frustrated at times by a mind that is filled with stress.

It's common and it makes sense,

Given everything on our plate sometimes these days.

But you are the owner of your body,

Are the owner of your self-care.

So authorize yourself this moment to be able to have great sleep.

And so remember,

A nice dark room with a temperature about 68 degrees,

Without any screens around,

At least an hour before bed.

And when you lie down,

Remember to feel your body,

Feel the bed,

Feel the sheets,

Feel the weight.

There might be even a nice smell that you could spritz on your bed,

Maybe some lavender.

Any tightness or tension in the body,

Soften it and let it go.

And continue softening and letting it go and loosen.

And as you breathe naturally and calmly,

Find yourself slowly going into a deeper,

More restful sleep.

I hope these tips and exercise will be useful for you.

I thank you for listening.

Thank you for your mindfulness.

Namaste.