For the past few weeks we’ve been giving you pointers on how to get healthy for summer. But did you know that one of the things we overlook is how to relax…..
Everybody gets so focused on diet and exercise that they forget the importance of rest. In today’s fast lifestyle, it’s sometimes hard to switch off.
Recently my husbands been suffering with middle-of-the-night insomnia caused mostly by not being able to switch off from work. He’s not a tablet taker, in fact his Doctor wouldn’t know him if he walked through his dinner!! So tablets aren’t the answer. Plus tablets can have latent effects that can last into the next day. I’ve recommended a few things that we’re trying, most important is, if you can talk about it, do.
A problem shared is a problem halved. Sometimes you can’t articulate what’s causing your distress but if you can at least share how the situation is making you feel, then your partner can listen and you feel less alone and more relaxed at how to deal with whatever is worrying you.
I’ve also told him I’d rather he wake me and we’re up together than him tossing and turning alone. That way he can talk, or I can. and then we can re-attempt sleep. We’re terrible for taking technology to bed. We even call it i-bed as we sit with our Apple products around us, filling our heads with information. So the wrong thing to do before sleep!! So i-beds are for mornings, hard habit to break though!!
Instead we’re trying to relax. A previous article on meditation shows another way of relaxing and ‘switching off’ from the world. Time out is important. Some of the techniques in meditation are also good as a bedtime routine to aid relaxation before sleep. Others take time out by plugging in their iPod and listening to a favourite piece of music, podcast or audio book. The distraction of someone else’s dulcet tones. Reminds you of being lulled to sleep with your bedtime story routine 😀
Lying in the sun. Think of cats, the most natural of nappers, feeling the warmth on your skin, the yellow glow behind your eyes, the instant “beach effect”.
Listening to mood tapes, whether wind chimes, the ocean, whale song etc. Very 80’s but don’t knock it til you’ve tried it, you might like it 🙂
Breathing exercises. It sounds silly, but the slower you breath the more relaxed you get. Like the opposite of hyperventilating in a panic attack, slow rhythmic deep breathing automatically starts to relax your body.
Another relaxing technique is called Progressive muscle relaxation technique. This involves a two step process in which you systematically tense and relax different muscle groups in your body. Most practitioners say to start at your feet and work up to your face. The good thing with progressive muscle relaxation technique is that with practice you get used to what tense muscles feel like in each area before you relax that area. Then if you get tense through stress, you recognise the area that’s tense and know how to relax that part, therefore relaxing your whole body.
As with all things, practice makes perfect…….
Take time out for 10 mins with a cup of tea in your garden, sitting on a park bench watching the world go by, feeding the ducks, walking the dog, reading a chapter from your book or an article from a magazine.It’s all about time out. It’s all about making time for you.
Soapgirl
Helpful sites
Helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.htm
Relaxation technique-Wikipedia
Fallasleepfast.co.uk/tag/relaxation-techniques-for-sleep/
