Three Systems Hindering Sleep

Breathing

Mind

Body

Breathing is the most basic human function. We breathe without thinking, and so we don't put any thought into our breathing. But it is possible to develop poor breathing habits, with ramifications for energy levels and overall health.

Poor breathing affects life both waking and sleeping. Oxygen goes everywhere - our brains, our muscles, our digestive system, all of our organs. Poor breathing deprives them all of oxygen, leaving brain fog, low energy, muscle aches, restless legs, sinus problems, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, and many more problems in its wake.

In extreme cases, poor breathing can lead to obstructive or central apnea. Apnea wakes us up so that we don't just stop breathing. It is better to wake up many times in the night than to not awaken in the morning, but this is not restful or productive sleep.

Racing thoughts, fears real and unfounded, current situations and old unresolved traumas.

Birds sleep with one eye open and react swiftly when danger is near.

When we sense danger or trouble, our minds will not surrender their awareness to a sleepy state where we can not protect ourselves.

As much as we understand intellectually that sleep is safe, a part of our mind stays alert and aware and refuses to let us surrender to sleep.

Our bodies need sleep to heal and restore, but all too often physical problems keep us awake.

The human body is incredibly complex, and problems or imbalances in one area can cascade to create  difficulties that seem unrelated.

Restless legs, aches and pains, too hot or too cold, digestive problems and more prevent us from letting sleep envelop us. Even anxiety can be exacerbated by physical causes.

Remedies

Breathing

Mind

Body

Breathing retraining can fix snoring and apnea. It can bring more restful sleep. It can bring increased energy and focus. It can stabilize emotions and increase physical stamina. It can help restore equilibrium in many physical imbalances. It is no exaggeration that changing your breathing can change your life!

Breathing retraining begins with learning nose-breathing, proper posture, and diaphragmatic breathing. As these skills are mastered, breathing rate and air volume are addressed. Special techniques for speaking, singing, and exercise are introduced. Some results can be seen almost immediately. Others may take months of practice.

Our minds want to protect us from danger. As we go through life, we learn to identify and anticipate uncomfortable and dangerous situations and avoid them. As a young child, you were bitten by a dog. You have learned that dogs are dangerous. The next time you see a dog, you run the other way.

But not all dogs are dangerous. The lesson you learned was overbroad and incomplete.

You may meet other dogs and not get bitten. As you expand your experiences, you learn how to tell which dogs are safe and which are not. You will no longer feel the need to run away from all dogs.

Addressing anxiety involves re-learning the lessons that life has taught us, adding context, and correcting lessons we misunderstood.

In many cases, challenging our anxious responses will give a broader understanding of what lies behind them. We learn that not every dog is dangerous, and we can face new dogs without fear.

Sometimes, simply recognizing that our anxious responses draw from our misconceptions will help us to not react to them.  We accept that we are afraid of dogs, and when we see one we let ourselves be afraid, but don't run away. At that point, they begin to lose their influence and we can go on with life without them.

Sometimes, to enhance this, we actively look for dogs to desensitive ourselves.

If these approaches don't help, hypnosis can help to access the subconscious mind to reteach the faulty lessons that we have learned.

Fixing anxiety not only helps insomnia, but can reap benefits in other fields of life.

Conventional medicine helps most people with physical ailments. But let's face it- if you were satisfied with the results from your medical doctor, you wouldn't be investigating a Sleep Coach.

There are many non-invasive diagnostic measures that can identify imbalances in the body and potential areas of improvement.

Diet and lifestyle changes, and sometimes temporary supplement usage, can not only affect sleep, but spill over into other aspects of life. In concert with improved breathing and anxiety management, better physical health can help us appreciate the fullness of our lives which can seem so elusive.