Getting to sleep quicker

Emily said:

The thing I struggle with is how to get in the right mindset to mediate. 

I find it helps to clear your mind of things you are trying to remember for the next day or are processing - getting a notebook to write these down for recall in the morning is the quickest way to get there.

Doing this clears a lot of stuff so you can focus better.

Cutting out screen time for an hour or two before bed also helps a lot - get into the habit of reading, ideally something not too stimulating (eg horror, spicy or anything likely to change you state of mind).

If you are studying for any qualifications then do this in the run up to bedtime too - I always found it bored me so much I was dropping off at the end.

Having a nice warm shower also helps the muscles relax, and if you do that sort of thing, have a little play in the shower as the release of endorphines will also help sleep later on.

I used focussed relaxation techniques that I learned decades ago and through the conditioning of training I can now get to sleep in seconds - I highly recommend earning the way to do this.

Lastly, if you are lying there in the dark, fretting that you are not getting to sleep then do something else like read - the anxiety caused by worrying about not sleeping snowballs quickly and makes it worse so do something to help your mind relax rather than keep trying and making it worse.

Does the eye mask also do white noise as I find that relaxing and it would be nice to listen to soothing sounds without worrying about waking my parents up in the night. The thing I struggle with is how to get in the right mindset to mediate. 

Hi Emily

I don’t sleep terribly well either. My brain is racing sometimes or if not I’m trying to help my son regulate as he struggles at bedtime. I brought a sleep mask from Sleepathy. They have headphones built in and I listen to sounds to help settle me, it also helps with my tinnitus as well. My personal favourite is heavy rain with distant thunder. 

I also meditate 

Thank you for the advice I will have a look and see if I can find any good relaxation things to do before bed 

Hi, I can sympathise as I have horrendous issues with sleeping.

I think mine is stress related as my brain will not "slow down" for any length of time.

If you go to the GP you'll be advised to practice sleep hygiene, which is always a good start. You could try meditation or relaxation techniques. They are always reluctant to give you anything for any length of time. Try promethazine which is a drowsy type of antihistamine, it looses it's effectiveness if you take it for more than a few days but it might kick start some sort of sleep pattern. You could try the herbal ones. Sometimes they will offer melatonin which is often given to autistic kids to help with sleep.

Take care