Get Some Sleep
No mind, no problem.
Sleep is arguably and ironically one of the most vital activities we can do with ourselves, though it is a whole lot of non-doing. For many varied physiological, psychological and emotional reasons, healthy sleep is essential for optimal enjoyment of living. Many people struggle with sleeping, whether it is falling asleep, staying asleep or waking too early. There are people who prefer more sleep than necessary which would be another topic altogether.
Good sleep hygiene is the name of the game. The experts in this field have many suggestions to optimize the experience and benefits of proper quality and quantity. However, even when educated, most people don’t follow these basic guidelines because, like many things in life, it would require changes that seem challenging or inconvenient. For example, the best practice recommendations include sleeping at the same time every night in an extremely dark, cool room that does not have a cell phone within reach. As well, though it is so enjoyable to read and watch tv in bed to “wind down” or “get ready” for sleep, these are not neurologically helpful activities to maximize sleep. The bed itself needs to have a brain association only with sleep, and not other activities. Reading BEFORE bed, and not in bed, cultivates the brain wave states that facilitate deep and restorative sleep.
If you follow all these guidelines and still cannot fall asleep or stay asleep there is an ancient breath practice I highly recommend for its ease and efficiency. It’s not so deceptive name is simply the “4-7-8”. So it’s really 4-7-8-SLEEP. This technique helps engage the mind in something very mundane and uninteresting, while stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system response that enables rest, and ultimately the elusive, deep sleep.
TRY: Next time you’re in bed and not sleeping for any reason, try breathing in to the count of FOUR, hold the breath to the count of SEVEN and then exhale to the count of EIGHT. Do this for as long as it takes to fall asleep.