Author: Melike Hussein Category: Health, Men's Health, Sleep, Women's Health
share

Exhausted but can’t stop your brain racing at bedtime? Melike Hussein explains how

You had a busy day, feeling mentally and physically fatigued, and yet can’t put that racing mind to bed. Sounds familiar?

Most of us assume that sleep happens automatically – something that your body just does at night. Unfortunately, it is not the case. When you get into our bed, perhaps the only quiet time and rest you had all day, your mind gets busier – thoughts about the day’s activities, your worries, urge to plan for the next day, all comes rushing in. Whether it is stopping you from easily falling asleep or staying asleep through the night, an unsettled ruminating mind is a major obstacle to a good restful sleep.

‘Tired and wired’ is a term coined to describe this peculiar form of being simultaneously tired but unable to sleep. Research has shown that sleep problems often arise when our nervous system remains in ‘fight or flight’ response. Regardless of how tired we feel, continuing the release of stress hormones and the resulting vigilant state, makes it very difficult to switch off our mind and relax our body, and therefore interferes with our sleep.

In order to sleep well, our nervous system need to be at a certain balance, where the ‘fight or flight’ response is calmed and ‘rest and digest’ response, which drives our body’s natural relaxation state, is activated.

In this article, I will share with you two of my top tips, as well as Breathwork techniques that you can easily incorporate into your day, helping you balance your nervous system and calm your busy mind, removing a major obstacle to slumber.

What makes us tired and wired?

As we juggle multiple responsibilities and feel the pressure of doing more, we lose the habit of having any downtime built into our day. Even when we have precious minutes to spare, we tend to check our mobiles for emails, news or social media so that we don’t miss a thing and stay on top of our to do list.

While we think that we are using our time effectively and being productive, our brain sees it in a different way. Our brain, just like any muscle in our body, requires regular breaks in between activities to recover and recharge, so that it can concentrate and function at its best when the next task comes around.

If it is constantly bombarded, the brain not only becomes overloaded and but also gets restless, accustomed to reaching for the next thing to do. Then it will gradually become harder to switch off at night – after all the brain is not used to taking a moment to just pause and rest.

Furthermore, our brain literally cannot differentiate between real (physical) and perceived threat. This constant state of activity triggers ‘fight or flight’ response, in the very same way as if we are being chased by a pack of dogs. This vigilant state with our body and mind feeling unsafe, on the lookout for danger, hampers our ability to sleep.

So, what can we do to sleep well?

Our ability to feel safe and relaxed, essential to fall asleep and remain sleeping, is driven by how we work and live during the day and their impact on the nervous system.

By incorporating the following tips and techniques into your daily routine, you can help balance and calm the nervous system, which can not only help you feel less stressed out and anxious throughout the day but also to sleep well at night.

Here are my top two science-backed practical tips:

1. Pace your day with regular breaks

Research has shown that taking regular breaks with non-work activities that we enjoy not only help engaging our attention but also help reduce stress – calming ‘fight or flight’ response.

By taking regular breaks such as having lunch away from your desk, going for a short walk to get some fresh air and a micro-break of few minutes between your meetings, you can keep the stress levels in check and maintain the nervous system at a balance.

2. And Breathe

A vast library of scientific research has shown that by voluntarily controlling your breathing – changing its depth, pace and rate – you can hack into your nervous system and change your emotional, mental and physical state within minutes. Your breath is always with you, offering a discreet tool that you can use anytime and anywhere.

Here are two tried and tested breathing techniques that you can safely practice at different times of the day.

2 Minute Balancing Breathing

This is ideal to practice to start with and during the day whenever you need a clearer head space. It will help to balance your nervous system by calming its ‘fight or flight’ response and stimulating its ‘rest and digest’ response.

Practice

Start by finding a comfortable position (seated or lying down)
Close your eyes or drop your gaze
Take a moment to allow your body to relax, drop your shoulders and relax your face
Place one hand on the belly and the other hand on the chest
Inhale for the count of 3 (mentally counting as ‘Inhale, 2, 3’)
Exhale for the count of 6 (mentally counting as ‘Exhale 2, 3, 4, 5, 6’)
This is one breath. Continue for 10 more breaths or as needed

Tip: In In this mini-exercise, I recommend to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth with pursed lips – imagine that you are blowing up a balloon.

3-5 Minute Coherent Breathing

This slow breathing exercise (6 breaths per minute) is ideal to practice as you settle into your bed. It can help you sleep with ease as well as go back to sleep if you wake up in the middle of the night.

Research has shown that this particular exercise creates resonance between the mind, heart and breathing rate, facilitating a good restful sleep.

Practice

Find a comfortable position lying down
Close your eyes or drop your gaze
Take a moment to allow your body to relax, drop your shoulders and relax your face
Breathe in for the count of 5 (mentally counting as ‘Inhale, 2, 3, 4, 5’)
Breathe out for the count of 5 (mentally counting as ‘Exhale, 2, 3, 4, 5’)
This is one breath. Continue for 20 more breaths or as needed

Tip: In this exercise, try to breathe naturally. If you notice your inhale does not last for 5 seconds, simply inhale as you can and pause until the exhale. It is the same way for exhale too.

About Melike

Melike Hussein, the founder of BreathZone, is a Certified Mindfulness Teacher, Conscious Breathwork Coach with a medical background as a Qualified Nurse.

Melike’s journey started following 15 years of successful career as Finance Director. A stress-induced burnout left her temporarily paralysed igniting her curiosity in holistic health. Astounded by the complete transformation in her body and mind, within a short space of time, through Conscious Breathing and Mindfulness, Melike was inspired to train in these natural modalities and share them with others.

Widely featured in broadsheets and publications, Melike works with private clients, institutions and corporations, offering one to one sessions to her private clients, bespoke training events to her corporate clients as well as public workshops and courses.

Melike also offers UK’s first and only ‘Mindfulness and Breathwork for Stress Reduction’ 8-week online course.

Contact Melike
Book a One to One Breathwork session: Directly through BreathZone
Book a FREE 15mins phone consultation: If you would like to discuss your experiences with Melike and discover how Breathwork and/or Mindfulness can help, you can book a FREE consultation.
Direct contact: melike@breathzone.com or 07450361120.
Instagram: @Breathzonelondon

Mature woman laying in bed awake with an alarm clock on the bedside table

Comment 0 Comments

You need to be logged in to leave a comment...