5 Ways to Sleep Better, to Get Well
When it comes to your health, when you sleep better, it’s easier for you to get well. After 26 years helping people to sleep well, I’ve seen time and again how repairing sleep issues almost invariably helps everything else going on with my patient. Whether they’ve had pain, anxiety, digestive issues, stress, diabetes–it’s all lessened. And with good reason. Our immune system rises and falls on our ability to get rest. Sometimes my patient doesn’t mention that they are feeling better from the ‘other thing’ until I ask them about it. That’s natural, though. As someone who specializes in sleep issues, I know that people have got a lot on their mind. Like trying to figure out how they’ll get sleep. Helping people sleep is our specialty at Blue Phoenix Wellness
Tactics People Use to Beat Insomnia
I use a combination of tactics to help patients beat insomnia and start to get well. After giving them a list of things they can do for themselves, we typically will do acupuncture. If they are available for hypnotherapy, we use that as well. If my diagnosis reveals a hormonal issue at work, I will suggest we do targeted supplements to get the glands back on track. My goal, as always is to help the patient sleep better in order to feel well, both physically and emotionally.
So how do we define insomnia/sleep disorders?
Inability to sleep in a timely manner
Waking shortly after falling asleep and being unable to resume sleeping
Inability to sleep soundly
Waking up too early
Inability to sleep at all
Sleep that doesn’t replenish (waking up feeling like you’ve been running all night)
*Best 5 Way to Sleep better To Get Well:
- Drink cherry juice. It’s rich in melatonin, as is barley tomatoes, rice, sweet corn, oats, oranges and bananas.
- Allow yourself to create a relaxing visualization, and simply go with it. Perhaps a beach scene if you like the ocean, waves in the distance, gulls above, gentle rippling of the tide coming in and out, repetitively, in, and out…that sort of thing. Now, while you’re doing that, start taking long, deep breaths from your belly. If you’re not used to breathing that way (most of us believe we’re supposed to breathe from our chest) lie down and just place your hand on your belly. Start breathing so your hand rises as you INHALE, and flattens on the exhale.
- Try not to go start thinking about projects you’re going to start tomorrow. Leave that for tomorrow. Instead bring your thoughts back to the nature setting, whether it was ocean, forest, etc. If you like, before going to bed you can write down 5 projects for the next day on a piece of paper. Say out loud, these are tomorrow’s worries, and put it aside.
- Turn off all visual stimuli an hour before going to bed. That includes phone, computer, television. Shut down social media (it really is the devil) and give yourself the gift of a nice, maybe even a little bit boring, book.
- Adjust the temperature so it’s a little cooler than you might normally have it. A slight drop in temperature actually helps you get to sleep! That said, don’t get too cold or let your feet get cold—that’s not helpful for getting to sleep. the ideal temperature for sleep is roughly 68 degrees.
- If you are motivated to start sleeping better, you can also read my book: Rewired for Sleep: The 28-Day Insomnia Repair Program. It is full of exercises from Neuro-Linguistic Programming you can do, acupressure points, facts that can ease anxiety around sleep, and many other ways you can help yourself. If you are curious about it, go to the site rewiredfirsleep.com
If you found this helpful and would like to handle your sleep issues without resorting to drugs, set up a free consultation or here, or call for an appointment. (646) 489-9003
Sweet Dreams from Dr. Dan Bernstein!