More than occasionally, I’ve had trouble with insomnia. Almost always, I fall asleep easily enough. But I often wake up four, three, or even two hours later, my brain half-alert, trying to figure out some time management and/or technological problem.
Someone gave me links to a meditation regimen, and I’ve signed up for others, but I hadn’t found time to actually DO any of them.
Thus, I was intrigued by this CBS News piece about getting a better night’s sleep, a problem that a reported 40 million Americans experience. Key to this process is the 4-7-8 breathing techniques of Dr. Joseph Weil.
After exhaling, one breathes in on a count of four, holds the breath for a count of seven, then exhales over a count of eight. One does this 5-10 times. It increases oxygen in the system. The technique had some positive effects on me.
More tricky to implement is a better nightly routine. The last hour before bed should consist of:
20 minutes to organize – maybe pack tomorrow’s lunch, get papers together
20 minutes hygiene – brush teeth and the like
20 minutes relaxation – reading (NOT online, NOT on a Kindle or the like), praying, meditating, doing yoga or breathing exercises.
If I could only be that organized…
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I once tried to cheat sleep, and for a year I succeeded.
