SLEEP Rowena Hunt also teaches breathwork and yoga in Bath
YOUR SLEEP QUESTIONS ANSWERED...
Local wellness, yoga and breathwork specialist Rowena Hunt guides us through it... HOW SHOULD WE PREPARE FOR A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP? In order to prepare we can first adjust some of our daytime habits. Try to eat dinner as early as possible, so that the body is not still digesting food at bedtime and is able to rest fully. Aim to avoid caffeine in the afternoon and, if absolutely necessary, choose a green tea rather than a strong coffee. And allow yourself time and space in your day to mitigate the body’s stress responses; plug 3-5 minute ‘rests’ between each scheduled task in your day to simply sit and gaze out of the window, take a short walk, or breathe deeply for a few minutes. Finally, do something active every day, even if it’s a short walk to the coffee shop or dancing to your favourite song in the kitchen while cooking dinner. It is absolutely essential to remember that, if we take better care of ourselves during our waking hours, sleep comes more easily. ARE THERE ANY ROUTINES THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND? Dim the lights in your home in the evening and perhaps even light some candles. Choose a favourite herbal tea and give yourself at least an hour before bedtime that is screen-free to read a book or listen to restful music. You can also begin a bedtime deep breathing practice to teach the body
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to shift from the sympathetic nervous system response, ‘fight or flight’ where many of us live, to parasympathetic, ‘rest, digest and repair’. Science is beginning to understand what yogis have known for years – that just as the breath responds when we are scared, excited or resting, so we can use the breath as an access point to the body and mind. Here are a couple of simple breath techniques that will begin to teach the body to relax, helping to encourage deeper sleep: • Sit comfortably with a tall spine, close your eyes and breathe deeply through your nose to prepare and induce a feeling of calm. Try to keep your upper chest still while you inhale into your mid-chest cavity allowing it to expand and rise, returning to neutral as you exhale. • Begin to count your breath, breathing in deeply for 3-4 seconds, then exhaling for 6-8 seconds. Ensure each exhalation is double the length of the inhalation, for about 10 rounds. • Finally, we add the ‘humming bee’ sound. Follow the directions above, still breathing through the nose, but allow each exhale to be accompanied by a humming sound created in the throat. Again do about 10 rounds. • Then lie down and rest or, if in bed already, go to sleep.
HOW CAN PEOPLE MANAGE THEIR WORRIES AND THOUGHTS SO THAT THEY DON’T KEEP THEM AWAKE? It can be helpful to have a notebook and pen by the bed so you can do a ‘brain dump’ before bedtime. Each evening, write down everything that is bothering you, write a to-do list, and then end by writing down three things that you were grateful for today. It may sound trite but, if we commit these things to paper and then end on a positive note, we no longer have to ruminate when we would rather be resting. IF YOU SIMPLY CAN’T SLEEP, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? Try keeping a sleep diary. Make a note at the end of each day of what you have done, what you have eaten, where you have been and how you feel, physically and mentally. Then make a note each morning of how your sleep was. Over a couple of weeks a pattern often emerges of which habits help sleep and which hinder. And, if you are still facing challenges, visit a wellness consultant or talk to your doctor to find ways to adjust your life to better support effective sleep.
For more: www.rowenahunt.com