You have just started to drift off into a hard earned slumber when you hear a strange sound. Your mind instantly goes into hyper-alert mode. Your heart beats faster. Your internal voice goes through a range of ‘what’s that?’ possibilities, and you strain to hear other clues that might lead to the answer. By now you are wide awake and the land of sleep is far away.

The Awake Cycle

Worry and sleep don’t marry well. Anxious thoughts create stimulating hormones and these put you instantly into hyper-alert mode. Your body wants you stay alert and take action to save yourself from danger, not sleep.

Even once you’ve established the benign source of a noise, such as the neighbour’s cat on the roof, it’s too late. Your fear might then turn into anger, again not good for sleep. Anger at being disturbed. Anger at the cat. Anger at the neighbour. Anger at yourself for being so easily triggered. Anger about lying there bored and awake. Anger also produces stimulating hormones, so creates a highly wakeful state.

And of course, once you have stayed awake for a while, the anger turns back to anxiety. Anxiety about not being able to get to sleep.  Anxiety that you won’t function well the following day. That might trigger worried thoughts of work and other responsiblities, and then to worried thoughts of … everything. By then sleep feels impossible.

A Simple Solution

But don’t despair. There are simple techniques that can help. The trick is to break the awake cycle and get your mind off the stimulating thoughts that create worry and anger, then lull your mind to sleep.

The next time you are finding it difficult to get to sleep, start by taking a few deep breaths into your whole body. As you release each breath completely, try to let go of any tension in your body.

Next, let your breath return to normal, or even better, go into ‘sleep breath mode’. If you have ever watched a sleeping child, you would have noticed that their breathing pattern is quite a shallow breath, with the out-breath released quite quickly, and a gap between the in and out. Try to simulate this, without trying too hard. If you feel any tension or difficulty, allow your breath do what it wants.

Count Your Breath

Now notice your stomach rising and falling gently with each breath. Then, and this is the important part, begin counting each out-breath as it leaves your body, backwards from 199 to 100. It sometimes helps to imagine the breath leaving through your navel in the form of each number. Once you reach 100, start again from 199.

If counting backwards requires too much thinking or creates stress, try counting forwards from 100 to 199. If your mind drifts off and you lose track, gently bring it back to the counting, starting roughly from the last number you remember saying.

Most people find that this strategy works before they reach the end of the first round. The counting helps you switch your mind away from anxious thoughts and allows your brain to switch off. Focusing on the out-breath is an important part of the process too. We naturally let go our breath when danger has passed, so focussing on the out-breath helps calm your mind.

Be Gentle With Yourself

It’s important to remember that, even a few rounds of counting won’t add up to much time-wise. And, even if you never drift off, the meditative nature of counting your breath allows your mind and body to rest and repair in a way that is almost as good as sleep.

It is very important that you do not become self critical or annoyed or concerned if the process is taking longer than you hoped. Remember, it is almost as good as sleep. So relax and try to stay focused on your breath and the counting.

If You Need Some More Help

I am more than happy to answer any direct questions via the COMMENTS box on this site, and I would love your feedback.  If you believe your sleep difficulties are due to anxiety and panic, go to www.anxietytreatmentwithoutdrugs.com for information and strategies.

Until then, sweet dreams.

Lorri Craig, Psychologist