The mindful way to forty winks
WHeN I am struggling to sleep, the first thing I attempt is deep breathing. It has been shown to reduce stress by activating the parasympathetic system (part of your autonomic nervous system) which causes your heart to slow and your blood pressure to drop.
Start by taking a slow, deep inhale through the nose, allowing the air to fill your lungs.
Put a hand on your belly — you should feel it inflate. Hold it for a count of two, then breathe out slowly through your mouth.
The first few times you do it, it will feel unnatural, so you need to practise during the daytime.
You will notice that as you do this, your heart rate will slow and you will start to feel more relaxed.
4-2-4 BREATHING
Breathe in deeply through your nose while mentally counting to 4. Hold your breath to a count of 2. Breathe out through your mouth to a count of 4.
ALTERNATE-NOSTRIL BREATHING
Start by breathing out through your mouth and then use your right thumb to close your right nostril.
Breathe in deeply through your left nostril to a count of four. Really fill your belly.
Now switch sides. Block your left nostril with your left thumb and breathe out fully to a count of four.
Repeat 10 times. If you feel at all dizzy, which I did the first time I attempted this, you are trying too hard.
Don’t push yourself. This is supposed to be relaxing.
PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION
WHIle you’re inhaling, contract one muscle group (for example make a fist with your right hand) for five seconds, then exhale and at the same time release the tension in that muscle.
As you do so, imagine those stressful feelings flowing out of your body. Then you give yourself a brief break (10–20 seconds), squeeze your eyes shut, and relax, before progressing through these muscle groups: right hand and forearm, right upper arm, left hand and forearm, left upper arm, belly, right thigh, and so on.
MINDFUL SLEEP
MINDfulNeSS helps you sleep because it encourages you to accept that you are awake and that is fine. Once you stop worrying about not going to sleep, sleep is more likely to come.
Sit up straight, close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath, focusing on your chest rising and your lungs filling as your breath moves in and out of your body. No need to slow it down or speed it up.
If you notice that your mind has wandered, which it will, return to focus on your breathing. Don’t dwell on the thoughts, simply notice them and let them drift away, like leaves on a stream.
The art of mindfulness is to keep doing this, but for progressively longer periods of time. If you can manage 10 minutes once a day, you will be doing well — 20 minutes would be better.