Ah sleep... the elusive dreamy secret to anti-aging and rejuvenation!
A long time insomniac myself, I feel that I have tried "almost everything" in order to get that solid night of zzz's. In my research, I have discovered that part of the problem with those of us that are chronic insomniacs is that we have forgotten how to get to sleep.
Unfortunately, staying asleep once you get there is another animal all together and I will post another blog just on that topic so stay tuned for part 2!
This post is for those of us who feel dog tired at bedtime then lie down and the mind turns into a crazed monkey. The monkey mind that reviews every last detail of your day and whats coming up the next day then bounces back to every thought in between. Ugh!
What I have come to discover is that sleeping is an art just like being awake. Like most of us, we spend all day deep in thought; working, worrying, and planning. Our minds are incredibly active and occupied all day and then once the lights go out its time for the mind to have its freedom.
The biology behind sleep is intricate and multi-layered but one of the most effective things that I have found that literally teaches your mind to sleep is a little device called Dodow. An unassuming name for such a powerful device. It should be named Brain Tamer and its your own personal brain training device.
I discovered this by accident a couple years ago and once I stumbled on to it, I realized that it is a genius device! We all know that deep breathing and focusing on your breath helps your body to relax but have any of you ever tried that once the monkeys come out of their cage in your head at night? Well, if you are like me the focus lasts for about 10 seconds then my mind was off to the next topic of thought.
This little device sits across the bedroom from you and projects a light up on the ceiling. The circle of light gets larger and smaller and all you have to do is sync your breath to the expanding and contracting circle. Sounds easy, right? It is! It even turns itself off so you can drift off to peaceful slumber.
I tell my patients that it probably not going to work on night one or maybe even night seven perfectly. What it does is trains your body how to switch out of your "fight or flight" nervous system and into the "rest and restore' part that lets you get a good nights sleep! Embrace the practice that will literally rewire your brain. Practice makes perfect!
According to the makers of this device it combines 3 powerful tools that are scientifically proven to help you get to sleep. The light guides your breathing and slows it down to 6 breaths a minute which is where the research shows that this combined with a longer exhalation phase than inhalation can switch your nervous system in as little as 5 minutes!
Lets show those monkey's who's in charge of getting this body to sleep!
Happy Sleeping!