Tips for Overcoming Problems With Falling Asleep

Tips for Overcoming , Problems With Falling Asleep.

Well+Good recently spoke with sleep experts for tips on dealing with sleep difficulties.

Here are some of their top suggestions.

Make time for worrying, If laying in bed and worrying about things is what's keeping you awake, make time and space to worry before going to bed.

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This just means taking a few moments before bedtime to write down any worries that are on your mind, whether they are small or large, Rebecca Robbins, PhD, associate scientist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, via Well+Good.

Paradoxical intention, This cognitive behavioral therapy technique involves getting into bed, leaving your eyes open and focusing on staying awake instead of falling asleep.

It’s just about staying in bed and saying to yourself, ‘I’m going to stay awake,’ without doing anything else or looking at any screens, Shelby Harris, PsyD, Author of 'The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia' and a clinical psychologist and sleep specialist, via Well+Good.

"Cognitive Shuffle" , This imagination technique was created by Luc Beaudoin, PhD, an adjunct professor of cognitive science at Simon Fraser University.

This practice involves first thinking of a word with at least five letters and then thinking of and visualizing words that start with each letter of that word.

The visualization and neutral aspect of this technique can help turn off the analytic, verbal narrative part of the brain that often keeps us up, Shelby Harris, PsyD, Author of 'The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia' and a clinical psychologist and sleep specialist, via Well+Good.

The practice has the same core concept of counting sheep, but it is more engaging and imaginative.