Tommi
There are certain "activities" that no one is really keen on. This includes counting sheep. If you are looking forward to a good night's sleep after a hard day and then lie awake for hours, you will almost automatically get frustrated. And maybe you know it from your own experience: If you then realize that you absolutely have to fall asleep now in order to be able to perform at your best the next day, then bed rest is completely over. Instead of brooding, it's better to do breathing exercises. They are an excellent way of helping to calm down and have already transported many a stressed mind to the land of dreams. Do breathing exercises always help? No, sometimes other causes than restlessness are behind insomnia. You should have this checked out by a doctor. An attempt is always worthwhile and experience has shown that it is often successful.
A hard day's work comes to an end and all you want to do is sleep? If you're super stressed out, this plan is likely to backfire. Because no matter how worn out and exhausted you feel: Sleep is a science in itself And the truth is, it's hard to sleep when you're stressed. It is therefore more promising if you come down first. Various bedtime rituals help, but also breathing exercises. You can do this "prophylactically" before bed, or when you find you can't fall asleep.
The movement of the abdomen gently rocks you to sleep
A wonderful blend of mindfulness and breathing practice is to notice the movement of your abdominal wall as you breathe. This allows you to concentrate, which in turn leads to relaxation. So just follow these steps:
- Lie comfortably on your back.
- Place one hand on the middle of your stomach.
- Breathe in deeply and as slowly as possible through your nose.
- Be aware of the movement of your stomach, which rises gently.
- Exhale and feel your stomach slowly but surely drop back down.
By the way, you increase the relaxation effect even more if you count your breaths. Speaking of the stomach: it shouldn't be too full before you go to bed. The little "bedtime treat" is allowed, because you don't sleep well when you're hungry. A glass of warm milk, for example, has proven useful. Do not you like? never mind there are various milk alternatives and more bedtime snacks.
Bee buzzing means pure relaxation
Bee humming is the name for a popular breathing exercise that has nothing to do with the busy little creatures. Rather, the name comes from the slight hum that occurs during the exercise, for which you sit upright on the edge of the bed and plug your ears with your thumbs. Wrap the other fingers around your head and begin to gently inhale and exhale. The peculiarity is that they make your lips vibrate slightly when you exhale, which creates the typical bee hum. The exercise comes from yoga and is said to even increase blood flow. You will notice that after just a few minutes you will feel wonderfully relaxed and fall asleep.
Consult a doctor if insomnia persists
But even breathing exercises reach their limits: If you suffer from persistent insomnia, you should contact a doctor to be on the safe side. Sometimes there is a medical reason behind it that needs to be treated. You should also be alert if you fall asleep quickly and seem to sleep well through the night, but are constantly tired and exhausted during the day. Possibly lies with you called sleep apnea syndrome before. This definitely belongs in the hands of an expert. However, the causes of insomnia are often harmless and can be easily remedied. For example through breathing exercises, as you now know.
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