Sleep
Falling Asleep
From the age of ten until at least 25 I really struggled to fall asleep. I am prone to a sort of anxiety that finds me ruminating in the early hours of the morning. I lost countless nights to this throughout my youth.
Three things changed after the age of 25:
- I got diagnosed with, and treated for, Inattentive ADHD.
- I became a father. Whether it was that sleep became a necessity, or that I just became chronically tired, sleeping got easier.
- I stumbled upon a blog post about a technique described in the book “Relax and Win: Championship Performance”. The author claims it was used by the U.S. military in World War II. There is no specific scientific study validating this method, but it works for me.
The technique goes like this:
- Prepare the room: Ensure the sleep environment is as calm and comfortable as possible. Make it as dark and as quiet as possible.
- Position: Start by sitting and lying comfortably; feet flat; hands in lap, on chest, or at your side. Close your eyes, and keep them closed from now on. Drop your chin. Breathe slowly and deeply. Feel the cushion holding your head comfortably.
- Power-down: Start with your face. Relax all the muscles – notice those in your forehead, eyes, and jaw. Relax them. Then drop your shoulders as low as they’ll go, followed by your upper and lower arms. One side at a time.
- Breathe deeply and relax your chest.
- Sink: Progressively relax your lower back, thighs, knees and lower legs. Sense your body’s weight sinking into the bed.
- Clear your mind for 10 seconds. Completely. This is difficult, but practice and it will get easier. As your brain tries to think of something say “don’t think”. You’re comfortably floating in a pitch-black room. Your only job is to not think.
- Breathe slowly and deeply throughout.