Do you struggle to fall asleep on a regular basis? Sleep, or rather, quality sleep is one of the most important factors to quality of health and quality of living. Regularly going with six or less hours of sleep per night has been proven to produce mental states similar to being intoxicated. The negative effects of poor sleep quality touch on almost all of our chronic diseases and disordered psychological states on some level.
Trouble sleeping is all too common, and can occur for various reasons. Some of the more common reasons are pain, symptoms of stress, anxiety, demanding schedules, or chronic health complaints. The fascinating thing is that even though sleep can be disturbed by any of those things, it can also perpetuate any of those things. One of the first priorities of things like pain relief and stress management is finding a way to improve sleep quality, as it’s in quality sleep that our bodies are able to heal, recover and reset.
When we talk about the ability to rest, one of the first places to take into account is the neurological state (a.k.a. the state of the nervous system). The easiest way to access this system is via our breathing, which is one controllable function that taps into most of our vital systems including the nervous system.
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In times of stress, pain, or environmental change, the nervous system will default to a reactive state known as the sympathetic state. This state is not conducive to rest and recovery. While given the opportunity, the body will ease out of this state when it feels safe to do so, we can mechanically shift the gears of the nervous system by tuning into our breathing.
Think of it this way. What is the first thing we do when we are surprised, shocked or facing something unexpected? We take a quick inhale. What’s the first thing we do when we are relieved of stress, able to relax? We let out a sigh of relief, or extended exhale.
Next time you’re struggling to fall asleep, try out a few rounds of one of these breathing exercises to help your nervous system wind down for the night.
- Diaphragm breathing: Laying on your back with your knees bent and feet resting on the floor or bed, place your hands on either side of your lower rib cage with a little pressure inwards and practise directing your inhale into the pressure of your hands for four to five seconds. On the exhales, let your hands follow your ribs back in and add back a little pressure. Repeat this pro- cess for 10 to 20 rounds, working to increase the length of your inhale and exhale, or until you doze off.
- Extended exhales: Do a couple of rounds of coherent breathing (equal length inhale and exhale) for four to five seconds in and out. Then practise inhaling for four to five seconds and exhaling for six to eight seconds. Repeat this for 10 to 20 rounds, or until you doze off.
- Held exhales: Take a natural inhale breath and exhale all the air out. Hold at the bottom of the exhale for as long as possible. Eventually the body will force an inhale to happen. Allow it to, and repeat this process on your next exhale for 10 to 20 rounds.
- Box breathing: Inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and hold for four seconds. Repeat this process for 10 to 20 rounds. You can increase or decrease the length of breath as desired or needed. Do what feels comfortable to start and you’ll increase your capacity from there.
If issues with sleep are a recurring thing for you, it is important to seek out professional resources as to why that might be. From mattress upgrades, medical conditions, or chronic pain points there are lots of correctable reasons your sleep may be interrupted. For most people seven to nine hours of sleep is a significant factor in the maintenance of quality health and well-being.
