These eight methods may be able to help you at night when you can't sleep.
Text: Womany Phoebe
Whatever the reason, most people have experienced insomnia at some point or another. Your head is obviously very tired, and you want to have a good rest, but you can't sleep in any way, so you turn over and over, and repeatedly restless in the quilt all night, the more you sleep, the more anxious you become.
Foreign media BBC has published a classic documentary "10 Things You Need to Know About Sleep" in the past, through interviews with scientists and experts, providing a variety of different suggestions, trying to help the public overcome sleep difficulties, the content mentioned that you can take a hot bath before bed, adjust your eating habits, etc. However, more than a decade later, do those methods still work in modern times? The answer may not be really.
So, in 2019, BBC journalist Simon Mundie interviewed a British sleep expert, Guy Meadows, again to provide a new version of the insomnia guide. What exactly do sleep experts recommend? I'll take you to see it now!
Before you solve your insomnia problem, choose the treatment that is right for you
There are many types of psychotherapy, but in addition to the most common cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), there is also an "acceptance and commitment therapy" (ACT). According to the BBC, "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy" refers to "improving sleep by changing people's associations with insomnia and symptoms: for example, thoughts that go out of control, fear, anxiety, etc."
According to Guy Meadows, ACT can reduce people's anxiety and fear of night and insomnia, and achieve the goal of falling asleep smoothly by reducing fear. And there are several practical ways to do the ACT, and there are eight steps.
If you want to improve your insomnia, start with these eight steps
- Accept the fact that you can't sleep
First of all, you have to accept that you can't sleep "right now", so that you don't let yourself struggle and get anxious about it, and let your mood calm down.
- Learn to relax
The feeling of not being able to sleep is certainly anxiety-inducing, but Guy Meadows says that the more you think about it, the more nervous you become, and the farther away you are from your goal of falling asleep.
- Turn the negative into the positive
If the reason why you can't sleep is because there is an important press conference, speech, etc. the next day, instead of passively letting anxiety swallow you up, it is better to take back the lead and try to face and welcome it, instead of running away and being afraid.
- Practice mindfulness
Guy Meadows suggests that if you really can't sleep, find a quiet corner or place to sit and take in everything around you, divert your attention, and feel the changes in your body and heart in the moment.
- Try to have a regular schedule
Maintaining a regular routine is also very helpful in slowing down insomnia. Going to bed too early or waking up too late can disrupt your circadian clock, so it's best to go to bed at the same time and sleep the same length every day. (Recommended reading: Stay up late tonight and make up for sleep on holidays?) Let's take a look at the risk of cancer from a disrupted circadian clock)
- Think about what's most important to you
Guy Meadows says that many people reject all social life and leave behind the things that matter to them in order to solve insomnia. And he advises that it is better not to do this, otherwise if you don't succeed, your aversion to insomnia will become stronger and stronger, and you will become more and more unable to accept each of your states.
- Don't touch caffeinated drinks in the afternoon
Caffeine, one of the common causes of insomnia, Guy Meadows advises, is OK to drink, drink early.
- Stay in bed
Many people start swiping their phones and listening to music as soon as they feel they can't sleep, which may not help them sleep, but rather make them disappear. The best way to wait is to lie in bed and stay where you are. (Recommended reading: Obviously tired to work, I still can't help but play with my mobile phone before going to bed: Are you also a member of "Revenge Staying Up Late"?) ）
Insomnia has become a common physical problem in modern people, but the most important thing is that you can accept yourself despite insomnia. Learn to get along with your body, don't overdo it, amplify your perception, and believe that your body will give you something in return!