Some Important Information

Sleep is divided into REM and non REM sleep. 20-25% of sleep is spent in REM sleep – this the cycle where you sleep. 75% is spent in non-REM sleep. One of the cycles (stage 3) is called slow wave sleep; which is the sleep you need to feel refreshed.

As we age, we get less and less of slow wave sleep which is why we become vulnerable as we age to aches, pains and sounds. It’s not uncommon for an elderly person to have trouble sleeping, because they have very little slow wave sleep.

Napping can be great, but use naps with caution. If you nap too late or too long, it can decrease your sleep drive; so then you have trouble sleeping at night which becomes a vicious cycle. You start napping…you don’t sleep at night because you napped too much…then the next day you’re tired…and vicious cycle continues. You don’t want to rely on naps. Your goal is to get between 7-9 hours of sleep every night.

What Can You Do To Start Sleeping Now?

1. Try to get in bed the same time every night and get up the same time every morning.

1. Bright lights keep us awake. The bright light fools the brain into thinking it’s time to be awake. So at night¸keep your bedroom lights very dim.

1. Stop drinking caffeine by noon.

1. Avoid use of alcohol. As alcohol metabolized in your body, it stimulates the brain and body and can keep you awake.

1. Associate the bed with sleeping. If you can’t get to within 30 minutes or you wake up and can’t get back to bed within 30 minutes; get out of bed, sit quietly in another room. Read something or use EFT (the tapping technique, until you’re ready to sleep again. If you stay in bed tossing and turning, you will associate your bed with anxiety and you won’t sleep.

1. Exercise can promote good healthy sleep, but not too close to    bedtime. It will overstimulate you, as exercise increases adrenalin; your body will feel more revved up.

1. It is also very imperative that you learn to quiet the anxious mind. One of the most important factors to clear your sleep problems is…. To heal anxiety. Chronic worry and negative thoughts depletes the immune system and our ability to sleep easily. Stressful live events can trigger insomnia as your mind becomes active. Your spirit and heart need to be calm.

• Meditation - When I began this process to heal the chronic insomnia I suffered, I ended with a short meditation. There are many ways to mediate. A simple way, is to focus on the in and out breath, or you can focus on one word- repeating the words such as peace, calm …
• Write in a journal before you sleep to help release your rushing thoughts and worries. This helps release the constant chatter in your mind and can also help you become aware of feelings that you need to pay attention to. Your journal really can become your friend. Here you can release and vent and learn to let go of thoughts that keep you awake at night.
• Tap- use EFT – Emotional Freedom Techniques to balance and harmonize your energetic system and reduce anxiety. Below is a short video of sleeping tapping to heal restless sleep and insomnia.

Here’s a video of a live tapping to heal insomnia: