Want to Beat Insomnia? Here's the System You Need For Better Sleep
We lie down in a comfortable position, close our eyes and for many humans, this is sufficient to create the internal and physical conditions necessary for sleep.
We lie down in a comfortable position, close our eyes and for many humans, this is sufficient to create the internal and physical conditions necessary for sleep.
In order to fall asleep, there must be an overall decrease in metabolic activity. Physiological and psychological stimulation needs to be reduced. Muscles relax, and this signals the brain that its functions are not required for the time being. Oxygen consumption is reduced, blood pressure and heart rate are reduced, and body temperature is reduced, compared to sitting or standing.
When we close our eyes, light is blocked out out, decreasing environmental stimuli.
Yet, simply lying down and closing your eyes isn’t always sufficient, especially when we’re under stress — particularly unremitting or chronic stress and hypervigilance, or feeling like in order to stay safe, you have to be on alert. To learn more about what the physical symptoms of anxiety or hypervigilance feel like in your body, click here.
When stress is present, it produces a heightened sense of arousal — increased mentally and physically. Relentless stress produces excessive, unremitting arousal — or “hyperarousal.”
The Sounder Sleep System is a natural and effective way to beat insomnia
Michael Krugman, creator of The Sounder Sleep System, writes “we cannot maintain a state of arousal all day long and then expect to turn it off instantly at bedtime. The body doesn’t work that way. The stress we endure during waking hours persists through bedtime and beyond, delaying sleep onset, causing shallow, fragmented sleep or both.”
In other words, we have to be well-rested in order to be able to sleep.
(And we need to be calm and not stressed in order to be well-rested.)
Krugman, a teacher of The Feldenkrais Method®, and an insomniac for much of his life, put 3 related types of practices together that involve bodily movements, the ability to pay attention to and sense these movements, and the breath.
Over a period of 3 weeks he was able to produce improved sleep, as well as tools to relieve stress and anxiety during the day (which, he says, is the primary cause of insomnia for most people).
1. Breathing
The first component of Krugman’s system is designed to restore the natural rhythm, pattern and pleasure of the breath, which for most people, has been lost as a result of chronic stress. This gentle breath awareness practice provides a foundation for the other components of the system.
It’s a common recommendation in our society to be encouraged to breath deeply when stressed, but this is not utilized in this effective practice. When we take big deep breaths, we’re communicating the message to our NS that we need to prepare for action — we breathe deeply when we need power. This is the opposite of what we’re looking to do when we prepare to relax or sleep.
Instead, Krugman uses gentle, natural breathing as the foundation of his system. He called this breathing “Guided Natural Breathing.”
2. Daytime Relaxation Practices
In addition to natural breathing, daytime relaxation practices are the second component of the Sounder Sleep System. They’re designed to actively offset the constant stress of living and calm the hyper-arousal that can delay the onset of sleep or make sleep shallow and fragmented. These are done for short periods of time, a few times each day, either sitting up or lying down.
Practicing these during the day actually set the scene for easier, more restful sleep at night. By practicing these short movements during the day, you’re essentially “training” your nervous system to regulate during the day, when there’s no pressure to sleep.
3. bedtime relaxation practices
The third component of this system are special movement practices done when lying on your back or your side, in your bed. They help you fall asleep and if you awaken during the night, they help you get back to sleep with ease.
Both the daytime relaxation practices and bedtime relaxation practices include movements of your hands, eyes, lips, and tongue. The hands, mouth and tongue take up 70% of the sensory cortical real estate in your brain, which makes these tiny movements extremely effective for calming your nervous system overall.
In conclusion, you have to be rested in order to get a good night’s sleep. Going to bed in the same stressed state you’ve been experiencing during the day, doesn’t set you up for good sleep. But practicing tools to decrease stress and regulate your nervous system during the day, will help you create the inner environment for peaceful sleep.
Sleep Like a Baby: One Simple Practice For Better Sleep
If anyone has ever experienced a period of time when sleep has been elusive, you know firsthand the benefits of a good night’s sleep!
If anyone has ever experienced a period of time when sleep has been elusive, you know firsthand the benefits of a good night’s sleep!
The benefits of sleep include:
• better concentration, brain function, and productivity;
• better health and lower weight gain;
• higher immune function;
• health benefits, including lower risk of heart disease;
• lower inflammation; and
• better athletic performance and stamina.
Many factors can cause a person to be unable to sleep. If this is your issue, no doubt you’ve already done some research yourself: sleep apnea, nutritional deficiencies, alcohol or caffeine, lack of exercise, dehydration, screen time before bedtime, physical pain, hormonal imbalance, etc. (Of course, it’s recommended that if you experience lack of sleep for an ongoing period of time, you should consult with your medical practitioner.)
For many people, a side effect of holding emotional, mental, and physical stress in their bodies is not being able to fall asleep and/or not staying asleep.
This can be true whether you’ve experienced a life event that has left you holding relentless tension in your body, such as going through a contentious divorce, which leaves you constantly on edge; a narcissistically abusive relationship, where you’re waiting for the next attack, caring for a loved one who is ill, where you’re never sure when the next health crisis might happen; or if you’ve recently lost a spouse, leaving you feeling alone and afraid.
And whether you’re suffering from life stress, work stress, or emotional stress, when you hold this stress and tension in your body, your brain and nervous system send the message to the rest of our body that it’s not safe to let go.
When we’re under stress or emotional tension, our anti-gravity muscles go into overtime.
When upright, we must constantly use certain muscles to support ourselves against the force of gravity. We call these muscles the “antigravity muscles,” and they include the calf muscles, quadricep muscles (muscles group on top of the thighs), the big muscles along the front and back of the spine—the quadratus lumborum (QLs) in the back and the psoas in the front, and even the jaw and the eyelids.
When these muscles are engaged, the nervous system says “It’s not sleep time,” making it harder for the brain to shut down.
The Feldenkrais Method® offers a possibility for relief from this constant holding of muscular and mental tension. Through slow, small, gentle movements, you are guided to sense and feel the comfort of each movement, and as this sensory information is processed by your brain, almost spontaneously, these unnecessary unconscious muscular contractions let go. To learn more about how The Feldenkrais Method® works to release unconsciously-held muscle tension that keeps you from being able to down-regulate and sleep, click here.
Throughout a lesson, you’ll notice an overall feeling of relaxation throughout your entire body. There is a letting go of muscle contractions overall and students often find themselves breathing more freely and easily, as well as having a sense of calm and well-being. The parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) kicks in, and most people report a good night’s sleep after just one lesson.
Feldenkrais® can be done either in private in person sessions or in group settings — either on line or in person. To learn more about weekly classes offered on line, click here.