Many of us wake up in the middle of the night, and can't get back to sleep for either a few hours or at all. Then for the entire rest of the day we're exhausted, sleepy and out of sorts. This happens to all of us sporadically, to some of us with great regularity. A very common, entirely natural (but unhelpful) reaction is to become instantly upset at yet another night's sleep ruined, anticipating the remainder of the day to be brutal!
Try this Mindful response the next time you wake up in the middle of the night:
1) simply & fully acknowledge & accept that you woke up
2) if you're in any way depressed, anxious or angry that it's happened, fully acknowledge and accept this too!
3) instead of getting into the old self-talk routine about being awake again (you've done such self-talk countless times & know very well how it makes things worse), check-in with your perceptions (except vision - keep your eyes closed):
a) what do you hear - notice sounds, accept them as normal (obviously not if abnormal) at that time of the night / morning, but don't get into a conversation over them, instead
b) what do you smell - again, notice the subtle smells, again, accept them as normal at that time, don't get into a conversation about them, instead
c) what do you taste - note the subtle tastes - accept them as normal, don't get into a conversation, instead
d) what do you feel on your skin - notice the pressure of the bed under you, lighter pressure of the blankets over you, warmth of the bed, etc. Again, accept these all as natural - everything actually is!
If you've done all of the above, you'll likely be asleep by now - entirely appropriate here! If you're still awake, sincerely embrace the peace, porous openness and acceptance you're cultivating. Consider the possibility, in fact probability, that even if you should lie there awake until the end of time, you can and will remain peaceful, open-hearted and calm. Even in the unlikely event you don't go back to sleep, you should derive at least as much quality rest by abiding with this healthy attitude!
When you wake up in the middle of the night, do NOT get up out of bed (unless have to for bio-break), get a snack, check the computer, read, watch TV, or otherwise entertain yourself - doing these in essence rewards / promotes sleep disturbance.
When you wake up in the middle of the night, do NOT get up out of bed (unless have to for bio-break), get a snack, check the computer, read, watch TV, or otherwise entertain yourself - doing these in essence rewards / promotes sleep disturbance.
Train yourself so each time you wake up at an inappropriate time, you remain in bed and do the above exercise, without any expectations about how quickly, or even if you will go back to sleep. This is also wonderful mindfulness training!
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| Photo: Geza Radics flickr.com/radicsge |
Current research into the history of writing about sleep indicates that the "8 hours of continuous sleep" is a relatively new paradigm, since the Industrial Revolution. Many historical records refer to two sleep periods with an interval of contemplative rest or creative endeavour in between during the night.
ReplyDeleteThis is from a gentleman with a PhD who does research on sleep in patients with chronic pain:
Delete"6-9hrs is the norm, but for some 5hrs is enough.... There's no universal rule about 6-9hrs. Waking up at 3am if in bed at 9pm is not a problem for most... We're cautious about strict rules.... We have to control for napping habits.... Large cultural and age differences also...
Insomnia is a delay in falling asleep (20 or 30min depending on groups) or difficulty in resuming sleep after waking in night... After 40yrs of age it's normal to wake up in the night for short periods...
Link with depression and anxiety is possible but again should be made with caution.... Rapid REM onset in sleep is a sign of depression...."