Sleep Tips

  I hope everyone has slept well! If not, I have a few ideas that might make tonight a little easier for you. I’m going to share my experiences as I experienced them. I would like to address issues at all stages of my battle with insomnia, so the thoughts and ideas will be sharing at first will be very basic. I realize they will seem obvious to some, but I figure… “best to start at the beginning”

As I said last time, I feel that relaxation is key to achieving a good night sleep. The challenge is in learning how to relax in a fast paced world. I find it difficult to not carrying the pace of my day, into my nights. I just can’t slow my brain down. I worry about dead lines, I carefully scrutinize the day’s events, I critically analyze how I dealt with situations. These are character traits I must strive to overcome if I am to ever relax. It is important to recognize the source of your stress or anxiety if you wish to gain control over it. If I go to bed with my brain still in high gear, I can guarantee that I will lie awake obsessing about some current concern. Each time I look at the clock my frustration increases and I begin to obsess not only about what I was previously obsessing about, but about how that obsession is keeping me from going to sleep. This becomes a vicious cycle, and once it begins, I have little or no control to stop it. I often compare my brain, on nights like this, to a hamster feverously racing on an exercise wheel, running to the point of total exhaustion and getting absolutely nowhere. I now know, if I go to bed stressed or preoccupied, I will not sleep. Nightly I struggled to prepare myself for that trip to my dreaded bed until I found the relaxation strategies that best work for me. I started putting on music in the early evening that I knew I found soothing, I took a hot bath, and spent time identifying and considering my accomplishments that day. It took a while to learn not to think about the things I hadn’t accomplished, but with time and practice, I’ve now become quite good at it. I’m aware this is not an instant fix,

Search this site and listen to some of the offerings, they’re really good. And as you listen, don’t try to force yourself to relax. Just allow yourself to experience sounds and take notice of how they make you feel.

For tonight I would encourage you to put on a favorite recording, not loud, and not stimulating, something that just makes you happy when you hear it. See if this helps.

Sound Sleeping,
Karen

Sleep Disorders

 My name is Karen, I’m 45 years old, and have suffered with a chronic sleep disorder for as long as I can remember. I have expended a great deal of time, energy, and study in an attempt to, if not overcome, at least to minimize the occurrences of those long, sleepless nights. I’ve done a great deal of research and with the help and advice from medical professionals, therapists, friends, and family, I have come to better understand my disorder, and develop strategies that help me. I’ve found this site quite helpful and in return I thought I might share some of my experiences with those of you that also come to visit and learn in hopes of a good nights sleep.

As with many disorders, the causes and cures for insomnia vary with each individual, but I do believe that the two most common causes of sleeplessness are stress and anxiety. In my experience it is those busy periods, times of uncertainty, occasions when things of concern are out of my own control that my sleep deprivation is at its most severe, all those times when I need my brain and body working at its best. Life runs at such a fast pace that I often get caught up in it, rather than setting my own course. The key to setting my own course is slowing down, taking time to step back, clear my mind, and breathe; in short, RELAX. What I have discovered is that by taking this time I see ways to increase my productivity and enhance my quality of life. I have found that sound greatly affects my mood and through avoidance of negative sound stimuli, and seeking out positive sound stimuli, I have a control over my stress and anxiety. This sight has provided me with information and resources that have helped me achieve this control. I can’t say that my sleeping disorder has been alleviated, but it has certainly become less severe.

I encourage anyone who is new to SoundSleeping to take some time and investigate it fully. It can really help, and it sure can’t hurt. And please, those of you that have had similar experiences with sleep problems, share with me your thoughts, experiences and strategies. Knowledge is power and I would like to learn to better achieve a “Sound Sleep”.

More later,
Karen