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When you wake, relax again at once before
you have time to become alert and tackle your problems. Be disciplined
and don't allow yourself the indulgence of thinking. It has been said
that if you can't sleep it is because you don't really want to. So put
tomorrow's problems away, and let go and relax. Don't get angry at
whatever woke you because this will release powerful hormones whose
task it is to make you alert and ready for action.
If You Are Still Awake And Not Drowsy
If, after twenty minutes or so, you are
still awake and not drowsy, don't fight it. Get up and do something
instead of fretting. Make a drink, have something to eat or do
something useful. Cool off physically so that when you go back to bed
it is welcoming and warm. Then do your relaxation routine without
feeling anxious and promise yourself an opportunity to catch up in the
day or by an early night. Don't panic, because anxiety is the worst
enemy of sleep.... it produces the chemicals that keep you awake.
One sleepless night will do no harm. Students anxious before an
exam can rest assured that one bad night will not affect mental
performance. But try to catch up the next night. Don't get 'hooked' on
not-sleeping.
Once you have got the better of your sleeping problem don't let
yourself get into the state of continued high
arousal that caused it. Once you are sleeping well you can manage with
less time sleeping because your sleep is more efficient.
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