Insomniac-08

Chapter 6: Switching Off

Battling Insomnia

Fighting insomnia is an uphill battle. When you are trying to cure

insomnia, you are actually trying to stop your mind from being

too active at night. There is no reason to be afraid of staying up

for countless nights in a row and wondering if it is all going to

end.

Worrying will only

bring about

sleepless nights. So

stop battling

insomnia in your

head! All that you

need to do is ‘Switch

Off’ your monkey

brain.

At night, you want your mind to slow down to the point where

you can quickly fall asleep. Having a proper amount of sleep

helps you to stay fully alert the next day, and ensures a good night

rest. One of the reasons why people struggle to fall asleep is

because their monkey brain refuse to shut down. More often than

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not, they start thinking about useless things that serve no

purpose but only hinder them from falling asleep.

Switching off needs practice. For many busy adults, the only time

they reflect upon their lives is during bedtime! It’s good to reflect

once in a while, but not during bedtime. Often times, this is the

biggest culprit that stops you from falling asleep.

So for those who want to reflect on their lives, consider waking

up earlier to have time in the morning to do so or even schedule

some time in the evening to do some reflection.

Stimulating Night = Bad Sleep

Another reason why people fail to switch off is that they have

many activities at night that are over stimulating, causing them

to stay awake instead of feeling tired. Some even love to have

caffeine at night! No wonder people are struggling to fall asleep!

So stay away from coffee, from your mobile phones, laptops,

televisions when it’s bedtime. Avoid activities that force you to

think and require physical exertion at night. And most

importantly, avoid ‘Blue-screen’ from the electronic devices.

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Never Miss Another Night of Sleep

Another key to fall asleep is to schedule your sleep. Most people

don’t do that. Instead, they choose to fall asleep only when

they’re tired. But what they should do instead is to set up their

routine and schedule their bedtime. Upon repetitions, your mind

will be conditioned to switch off when the clock hits the usual

hour to fall asleep.

Having a regular sleep

routine is arguably the

best technique to ensure

a better quality sleep. In

fact, our bodies thrive on

consistent sleep schedule

and regularity. Although

there’s no one-size-fits￾all solution, having a

consistent sleep routine

will definitely help in beating chronic insomnia once and for all.

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How To ‘Switch Off’ At Night

The first thing you should do after you have eaten dinner and

cleaned up for the night is turn off any of your electronic devices.

Having your phone or computer switched on when you are

getting ready for bed will stimulate your brain and it will

eventually hinder your sleep. Admit it, your electronic devices

are addictive, and you won’t know when to stop.

The light will interfere your sleep pattern and cause you to stay

wide awake. It’s recommended to avoid using your gadgets at all

costs at least 1 hour before bedtime.

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Reading before sleep is fine, but not through your electronic

devices. Reading a physical book as a hobby before bed actually

helps you in getting ready to sleep. It’s better not to read in your

bedroom. You’re encouraged to read in another room since you

do not want your mind to be active in the room that you need to

fall asleep in. Again, to condition your mind to switch off the

moment you step into your bedroom. If you can completely relax

when reading a book, then it’s fine to do it while laying down in

bed. Otherwise, it’s best to read in another room.

The next thing you can do is listen to music and write down any

kind of reminders that you will need for the next day. The music

will help you to calm your mind and remove your stress away.

Try to listen to music that is smoother and slower in rhythm.

Listening to anything that is loud or exciting will stimulate the

mind, and it will be harder for you to fall asleep. For instance,

you’ll find yourself in a much-relaxed state when you listen to

classical music than rock music.

Another tip is to

plan your days

ahead before sleep.

Writing down

reminders for the

next day helps to

clear out your mind.