Those of us of a certain age were repeatedly told that the best way to fall asleep when you cannot is to close your eyes and count sheep as you visualize them wandering in front of you.
While many of us wish going to sleep was just that simple, for Americans dealing with a wide variety of anxiety and stress these days, falling asleep can be an enormous undertaking fraught with tremendous frustration and harmful repercussions.
Sleep is vitally important to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and if falling asleep is difficult for you, it’s easy to start obsessing about not having enough rest when your day begins, or worrying about getting the recommended total hours of sleep each night. The result of those unproductive thoughts is it becomes harder for you to fall asleep.
Escaping this vicious cycle is of utmost importance and in doing so you must learn to better deal with stress and anxiety in your life. Learn to adopt ways to calm your mind before going to bed and make sure your bedroom is optimized for good, quality sleep.
One of the best ways to deal with anxiety is to keep a journal on all the activities that you’re undertaking. Divide those projects into things you’ve already dealt with and those you have a plan for dealing with. If you can’t produce a solution for certain unresolved issues prior to going to bed, get peace of mind by writing down a plan that dictates how you’ll deal with them going forward.
In your journal you might want to keep track of your daily habits, including foods you ate and the amount of exercise you had. By reviewing those notes, you may discover what combination of those activities is more conducive for you to get a good night’s sleep.
Speaking of exercise, working out is good for your body and your mind, and it’s especially helpful in fighting anxiety and stress. If you haven’t already, do all you can to get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. While regular exercise will help you relax at night so you can sleep, try to avoid stimulating exercise right before you go to bed. Giving your body a few hours to rest and wind down prior to going to bed is always a good idea.
Other tips that will help you sleep include establishing a relaxing to routine in going to bed and getting up in the morning at the same times each day. For some, meditating, taking a hot bath, or doing deep breathing exercises are useful in preparing the body and mind for sleep.
Take some time before you go to bed to dim the lights in the room you’re in and try to ignore electronic distractions that help keep you from falling asleep right away. Turn off the TV, put down your laptop computer and stop looking at social media on your cell phone for about 30 minutes or so prior to going to sleep.
For the best sleeping conditions, your room should be cool, dark and quiet. If it works for you, use a fan or white noise machine to help drown out outside noises.
If you have concerns or questions about your health, the health of someone in your family or are in need of a primary care physician for yourself or someone else, please call 317-880-7666 or visit www.eskenazihealth.edu/doctors.
Dr. Nydia Nunez-Estrada
Family Medicine Physician at Eskenazi Health
