It’s common for dedicated women to have trouble sleeping because they are so wound up by all that is in their mind.
Here are five strategies you can use to calm your body down and get to sleep (and stay asleep all night!).
Left nostril breathing
If you awaken at 3 a.m. with thoughts racing about your ‘to-do’ list, know that you have a ‘pharmacy’ inside of you that you can access at any time. Try left nostril breathing – simply cover your right nostril and breathe exclusively through your left nostril. Why does it work? This activates the vagal nerve which is the chief nerve of the relaxation system. It will immediately relax you. (Yes, you can do this for the other person in your bed as well!)
Magnesium supplement
Anyone who lives the kind of life you do is depleted of the all-purpose nutrient magnesium, and when that’s the case it can make you anxious and make it hard to sleep. Overcome that by taking a magnesium supplement before bed. You can also eat a pre-bedtime snack with foods proven to relax such as turkey or tart cherry juice.
Foot bath
For all you do, you deserve to be nurtured! Try a brief foot bath to drain all of the energy in your head and ground you from your feet.
Give thanks
Take one to two minutes before you go to sleep to be grateful for all you have and all you are. Ask yourself, “What was the best thing that happened today?” It should bring a smile to your face. Or ask yourself, “What am I grateful for today?” That will fill your heart with love. It will get you ‘out of your head and into your heart’ to go peacefully into a sleep state.
To-do list
Make your next day’s ‘to-do’ list before you leave work and schedule time for your ‘to dos’. You can also do a brain dump on your calendar before you get into bed.
