Transform Your Bedtime Brain: Here Are Three Stages To A Good Night’s Sleep, Plus Two If Sleep Still, Remains Elusive
Picture this. You’ve had another long day. Work meetings, endless emails, diary rejigging, and maybe some personal stuff too.
All you want is to get home, wind down and have an early night.
But as soon as your head hits the pillow … BAM! … your brain decides it’s the perfect time to review every inappropriate thing you’ve said or done since leaving school.
“Did I really send that email?” “What if I mess up tomorrow’s presentation?” “Why did I say ‘you too’ when the pizza delivery guy said ‘enjoy your meal’?”
Sound familiar? Trust me, you’re not alone in this late-night thought party.
Why Your Brain Goes Rogue at Bedtime
When someone announces, “As soon my head hits the pillow, I’m out like a light”, it can easily put you straight into your primitive “angry” brain … because that’s not what happens to you!
I learned something fascinating during my CPHT training (and from working with peeps who also couldn’t go to sleeps) … your brain is like a super-loyal guard dog. It’s trying to protect you by staying alert and sniffing out potential threats.
All the best intentions, yet wrong timing!
So, I’m sharing a THREE-STAGE SLEEP SUCCESS STRATEGY for you.
Create Your Sleep Sanctuary:
- Keep it cool and quiet (think peaceful retreat, not busy pub)
- Make it dark (blackout curtains are your friends)
- No screens before or in bed (yes, that also means no more 2 AM scroll fests)
The SHHH Method (because we love a good acronym):
- Schedule worry time during the day
- Handle concerns when you’re alert
- Have a notebook by your bed
- Help your mind switch to sleep mode
Channel Your Inner Soldier:
When I was in the Army, we had to grab sleep whenever and wherever we could.
We were taught to close our eyes and focus on the tip of our nose and feel the cool air entering our nostrils as we breathed in … then out again (that bit’s really important, btw 😄). I still use this technique decades later!
Here’s The Sciency Bit
(We’ll gloss over the fact I got a CSE Grade 2 in Science!)
Have you ever noticed how something that bothered you yesterday seems less important after a good night’s sleep? That’s REM doing its nightly magic!
While you’re sleeping, your mind sorts through the day’s events like a helpful librarian, filing away your experiences in just the right places. When this process works well, you often wake up with a fresh perspective, thinking, “Oh. Perhaps that wasn’t such a big deal after all”.
It’s a bit like having your own overnight mental housekeeping service – when they’ve been in, everything is sorted, and you wake up with a tidier, calmer mind.
But sometimes, even the cleaner will come in and say, “What the **** … I haven’t got the time to clear this lot up!”
Like the cleaner, your brain sometimes needs more time … and the time it’s allowed during your sleep is already limited. So, a bit of help is required, and I recommend you try the THREE-STAGE SLEEP SUCCESS STRATEGY.
When You Need a Hand To Rock You To Sleep
Sometimes, like any challenge in life, nothing seems to work for you, and you need a backup plan.
Clinical Solution Focused Hypnotherapy combines psychotherapy with hypnosis, providing a positive and enjoyable process to overcome the anxiety and habits that are contributing to your sleep issues.
Within a couple of sessions of working with a reputable practitioner (aka clinical solution-focused hypnotherapist), the process will begin to regulate your sleep patterns.
However, if sleep STILL remains elusive, you may need longer to empty your stress bucket (which is what is causing your sleepless nights).
If that’s your situation, eight to twelve sessions are usually enough to reduce anxiety, calm thoughts, and alter thought patterns, breaking the cycle of negative thinking and helping to empty your stress bucket.
Remember, asking for help with sleep isn’t a sign of weakness – it’s just good sense. Like going to an IT expert when your laptop is playing up or the garage when your car needs a fix … sometimes you need an expert to help get things running smoothly again.
Want to know more about how we can help you get better sleep? Drop me a message to chat.
Sweet dreams. Oh and if you do wake up and start scrolling, check out my other blogs (they may well be the Solution that gets you to sleep!