The Secret to Sleeping Like A Baby

A few weeks ago, I wrote about managing to stay pretty Zen during a particularly hectic time in my life.

To make that point, somewhere in the post, I mentioned that in spite of the chaos and the stress, I was sleeping like a baby.

“Wait, WHAT???”

I’ve never gotten so many reader responses – and they had nothing to do with the post itself. Everyone wanted to know how a 52-year-old woman was “sleeping like a baby”, with or without chaos.

Hot flashes, snoring partners, body aches, and most common of all – swirling thoughts – are keeping women awake across the board. 

You NEED sleep.

Many who wrote in have resigned themselves to the thought that they’re just going to spend the rest of their lives exhausted.

Please don’t.

Research at Harvard Medical school confirms what you already know, adequate sleep:

• Improves memory

• Boost performance

• Lays the groundwork for learning

Without it, you’re risking:

• Impaired judgement

• Skewed perception

• Mood swings 

• Decreased motivation

Not to mention, we look like hell when we don’t get enough sleep.

What’s a gal to do?

Hopefully, you already know about good sleep hygiene which should include:

• A bedtime ritual like a hot shower, journaling, reading etc…

• A dark room (BTW, clocks give off a TON of light!)

• Cool sleeping environment – 60-67° F is ideal

• Cotton or silk pillowcase (They stay the coolest.)

• NO SCREENS for 30 minutes – 1 hour before bedtime

Good sleep hygiene will help you fall asleep more easily, but what happens when snoring, hot flashes, or racing thoughts get in the way of staying asleep?

Mindfulness.

A strong mindfulness practice will guarantee your ability to get back to sleep more quickly, regardless of the external (or internal) forces keeping you awake.

How?

By repeatedly directing the mind to pay attention to the present moment, a mindfulness practice rewires your brain to focus on what you choose for it to focus on.

It’s very simple. But it’s not necessarily easy. 

In order for it to work for you, you must practice. 

A lot. 

I recommend doing a quick (60 seconds) mindfulness exercise at least 5-10 times each day. This is easily done when you attach it to something that you already doing that often– like going to the bathroom or getting something to drink.

The more you practice when there are no stressors present, the easier it will be to choose what to focus on when there is a stressor present – i.e. swirling thoughts at night.

This Week:   Using Mindfulness to Sleep Like A Baby

If you’re not doing it already, start a simple 60 second mindfulness practice and do it at least 5-10 times every day. I like to use ONE STONE – it’s simple and you can do it anywhere. 

Get ONE STONE Mindfulness Practice 

• Practice good sleep hygiene.

• When you’re unable to fall asleep or fall back to sleep try the following:1. Start by focusing on your breath. Allow each inhale to fully expand your body and each exhale to melt any tension away from your muscles.
  2. Next, picture, in your mind’s eye, a large ball of swirling energy in a color you choose. (I always use glittery gold.) As you inhale, see the ball expand – color swirling. As you exhale, see the ball contract – color deepening.
  3. Each time you notice yourself thinking about anything other than your breath and the ball, bring your very next thought back to them. 

WARNING: This is not magic. It’s a practice, just like going to the gym. And just like going to the gym, the more you do it the better you get at it.

Nighty night.

BIG Love – 

Wendy