Sleep
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Photography: Jillian Clark
Location: Guest House Raleigh
Words by:
Charman Driver
According to the American Psychological Association, “sleep engages active processes in the brain and other body systems to ensure good mental, physical and emotional functioning”. It’s true, sleep is transformative for mind, body and spirit and quality of life is directly linked to quality of sleep. Unfortunately, many of us don’t get enough.
The National Sleep Foundation ties lack of sleep to just about everything that ails you. From overeating and weight gain to lackluster performance in school, at work, and in sports. Their website is a treasure trove of excellent research and advice on all things sleep. Go there to read about what the experts know and continue to identify about the power of slumber.
Personally, I’m at my very best when I’ve had at least 8 hours of sleep. I usually go to bed at the same time every night,(9:30pm), and wake up at the same time each morning, (5:30am). Sometimes, though, my mind is doing backflips and I just can’t wind down, or I wake in the middle of the night but can’t fall back to sleep.
These are the times I wish I had a magic pill to pop that won’t make me groggy the next day. Frankly, I don’t like to take medications that only mask problems. I prefer to discover the root causes and find solutions.
Last year, I read about an old method used by the U.S. Army in situations not conducive to sleep—like on the battlefield—that help soldiers fall asleep anywhere, in minutes. The secret method was first uncovered in a book published in 1981 called “Relax and Win: Championship Performance”. I use this method often and it works for me.
Step 1: Relax the muscles in your face, including your tongue, jaw and the muscles around the eyes.
Step 2: Drop your shoulders as far down as they’ll go, followed by your upper and lower arms, one side at a time.
Step 3: Breathe out, relaxing your chest followed by your legs, starting from the thighs and working down.
Step 4: Exhale, then relax your chest followed by your legs, starting from the thighs and working down.
Step 5: Spend 10 seconds clearing your mind before thinking about one of these three images:
1. You’re lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but clear blue sky above you
2. You’re lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room
3. You say “don’t think, don’t think, don’t think to yourself over and over for about 10 seconds.
For me, numbers 2 and 3 work every time. Apparently, the technique is successful for 96 percent of people after just six weeks of practice.
Try it and let me know if it works for you too. Sweet dreams!