Madmen - A Question

[smurfchops]

Re your previous post - please tell me how you breathe, to help you get to sleep ! I find my mind just races sometimes and I toss and turn ... I am sure there are other ABers who need this question answered ! TIA

[Gran67]

I got this info from this website, http://www.normalbreathing.com/how-to/how-to-fall-asleep-fast.php

"Relax all your muscles while you are lying in bed on your stomach or left side. Focus on your breathing pattern. Next, instead of taking your usual inhalation, take a slightly smaller inhalation (only about 5-10% less) using the diaphragm and then immediately relax all body muscles, especially the upper chest and all other respiratory muscles. Take another (smaller) inhalation and again completely relax.


With each breath, take a smaller or reduced inhalation (in comparison with your usual breathing) and then completely relax. You will soon experience a light shortage of air or an air hunger. Your goal is to preserve a mild, but comfortable, level of air hunger which helps deal with not being able to fall asleep."

It worked for me.

[MadMen]

Hi Smurf,

I apologise for the delay in getting back to you. I've only just noticed this thread :-)
Unfortunately, I've not got some amazing secret that is guaranteed to get me to sleep without any problems but, touch wood, it seems to be working and has made a *huge* improvement to me actually getting to sleep in the first place, and also me not waking up at numerous times in the night - which was a major problem for me, every night.

I've made no secret of the fact that I suffer with anxiety. For some strange reason, this mainly happens at night time, just as I'm 'settling down' for the evening.
My usual coping method would be to put the TV on, pour myself a large glass of wine, and open my laptop. I've done this for the past, 8 or 9 years, on and off.
Just recently I started looking into meditation, and other ways for me to relax my body and mind. Ways which were far less harmful than sinking a bottle of wine a night.
I used YouTube to get a better understanding, and over the last week I've been practising it every day - up to three times a day.
A few people have been quick to rubbish it, and tell me it's all a load of botox, but I cannot stress just how 'different' I feel, and how I've got this sense of calmness. I also have huge amounts of energy, just from getting a good nights sleep and not putting my body through the whole 'fight or flight' response every night, when my anxiety takes over.
Certain things still stress me out, and make me feel anxious, but I'm finding that as soon as I get to that certain point where I know it's going to escalate, I can sit for 20 minutes and concentrate on my breathing exercises, and get rid of all those negative thoughts and fears.
Unfortunately, it's not made any difference to my stupid OCD rituals I have to do every night, but hey, I'm only on week one and I am very hopeful - something I've not been in twelve years.

So, I think the most important thing when it comes to relaxation before sleep is to get rid of anything electronic! Laptops, phones, TV - switch them all off at least an hour before you're going to go to sleep. This has made a massive difference to me.
I tend to meditate about half an hour before I get into bed. I make sure all my 'jobs' are done first, so I know once I've finished and I come out of meditation, I can get straight into bed. This is usually enough to relax and calm me down, but I also do progressive muscle relaxation, whilst in bed, which will not only relax your body, but also your mind.
I will put the link to the website that I used, so you can have a read of it.
Whilst doing this exercise I also focus my mind on deep breathing. In through the nose to the count of 5 and out through the nose to the count of 6. Last night was wonderful, and I managed to fall asleep just by concentrating on that count.
Getting a good night's sleep is a big thing for me, and just by doing a few simple breathing exercises, it's made a massive difference to my state of mind and wellbeing. It's still very early days, but the future is bright! :-)

I'll post you a few links to look at. When I first looked into meditation I was sceptical and had a bit of a giggle, but it's the one thing that can take me away from my anxiety and if you're having trouble sleeping at night, I would urge you to give it a go.
I'm not sure how much help any of this will be, or if it's what you're looking for, I can only speak from a personal point of view. I do know how much sleep deprivation can affect you though, and how much better I've felt since getting a full and undisturbed 8 hours :-)

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.htm

[MadMen]

Ran out of room... :)

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.htm

I love this one. Just the voice itself is incredibly relaxing...

[magsmay]

Madmen -what a great post! If only more people would meditate there would be a lot less medication having to be taken. I'm sure your advice will help a lot of people -you just have to work out your 'triggers' for anxiety and then practice your meditation - people tend to think its a bit 'new-agey' and its all joss sticks and chanting which is isn't.

[MadMen]

Thanks Mags :)
I could have carried on and on, but I run out of space... which was probably a good thing :) Poor smurf will be bored to tears when she reads all that!
I'm hoping once I start my CBT that will help me to get a better understanding of what my triggers are.
I think sleep deprivation has a lot to do with it, and I've also realised that alcohol seems to have an adverse effect.

Thanks for all your help on the subject, I just wish I'd discovered meditation years ago now!

[magsmay]

Madmen -CBT will help enormously - especially as you have already identified some of the triggers and the Therapist will work on other aspects of your personality -your automatic thoughts, explore your core beliefs -you will enjoy the Therapy -its a bit of a specialist subject of mine having started my professional life as a CB Therapist -doing the studying for it changed my outlook on life a lot and made me realise why things affected me and why I reacted to certain situations - and helped me to work out strategies that I use to this day -good luck!

[MadMen]

Thanks Mags. I am actually quite looking forward to it. It will give me something else, something positive, to focus on.

[albaqwerty]

I hope it works out well for you Maddy xxx

[MadMen]

Thank you :-)

[society]

Maddy, a good post. Thank you.

Meditation is a great tool. I find it very helpful in every aspect of my life. It also help me to find answers to solve issues or make decisions.

[MadMen]

It's wonderful isn't it. I'm just gutted it's taken me this long to discover it's benefits.
If someone had mentioned it to me a few years ago, I'd probably have laughed and thought they were 'crazy'. Just goes to show, huh :)

[smurfchops]

Thank you so much Madmen. I have been sleeping badly for over 20 years, waking up every two hours, even knowing the time before I look at the clock. Sometimes to go to the loo, sometimes just turn over. But I am finding it harder to get to sleep in the first place, and to get back to sleep once I have woken up. I don't worry about anything, just random thoughts sometimes race through my mind. I am so careful about what I eat or drink after 7pm, no caffeine etc. Dark room, quiet, etc. But I will definitely try your method and thanks again so much. Really appreciated.