The Irony Of Sleep Advice
The Importance of Sleep
If you’re reading these blog posts, you’ll see the importance of getting restful sleep. There are also a lot of places you can find lists and tips on how to get a better night’s sleep. For example, this is a good one from my colleague Dr. Ellen Vora, this one is also great, too. You can find even more lists of reasons why sleep is so important.
Worrying About Sleep Can Lead to Insomnia
One thing I’ve often felt is missing from many conversations around the importance of sleep is the understanding that those with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder know they should be getting more sleep, but these conditions create real obstacles towards doing so.
Yes, improving sleep is very important and it’s absolutely necessary to work through the steps to improve yours. However, I’ve also found that simply worrying about not getting enough sleep can be enough to keep the cycle of insomnia going.
Steps To Improve Sleep
What I’m suggesting is that for many, worrying about not sleeping can become counterproductive. It is no easy task to focus on improving your sleep while the worry of not sleeping is increasing your cortisol and adrenaline levels!
Please do follow the sleep hygiene tips in the links above. But also realize, working through the foundational steps of decreasing inflammation, getting enough exercise and sunlight, practicing the relaxation response, improving nutrition and correcting possible underlying nutritional problems can also have a profound effect on improving your sleep quality. If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, consciously remember you are still resting and restoring yourself in the quiet still moments. This is often where guided imagery can be very helpful in maintaining that rested state. (Please don’t watch the video while trying to sleep, just listen!)
Doing The Work
I know it’s not as simple as “just not worrying about it.” That’s one of the reasons that I’ve been highly recommending this program for around 10 years. It is a systematic way of de-emphasizing sleep anxiety while working towards improvement. Like everything else, those that have taken it seriously and done the work report great results.
P.S. To aid you in your journey towards nighttime rest and relaxation, click here for the iTunes link to Bellaruth Naparstek’s guided imagery.
