If you are having trouble sleeping, I recommend my personal sleep meditation technique. I use it whenever I want to fall asleep fast. It’s an easy visualization to help increase mind body connection for better sleep. With practice you’ll be able to fall asleep quickly. A few points to remember to accelerate this process:

• Don’t drink caffeinated drinks before bed. I don’t know about you, but if I’m planning an early night then I  stop drinking all caffeine no later than 6 pm for bedtime within 4 hours. Try tea instead.
• Don’t watch TV before bed: Turn off your screen at least 30 minutes before you plan on going to sleep. And yes, this includes your smartphones, tablets and computers. Try for an hour with no screen time before bed. Instead try writing or reading a book.
• Take a bath or shower. The process of getting cleaned up before bed signals our brain that it’s time to sleep.
• Wear loose clothing for sleeping. Get comfy and put on your softest pajamas.
• Set thermostat to a comfortable temperature for yourself. Not too hot or too cold.

I recommend you put on relaxing music nothing too loud or anything with words. Set the volume low, where you can hear it over your breathing, but not too much louder. You will need to play with the volume so that it’s not too loud while you are sleeping, and it wakes you. You’ll be surprised how loud normal sounds can be when there are no other sounds in the room.

Get into bed and lay on your back. Place pillows under your knees and shoulders for extra support. Place your left hand over your navel and the other over your heart. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply as you turn your attention to the spot under your hands.

Notice how your hands rise and fall with your abdomen as you fill with air. Go ahead and breathe in and out as slowly as you can. Your mind might want to drift, but gently bring it back to the spot under your hands. This may take some practice if you are new to breathing in this way. Stay there for a few breathes. When you are ready, direct your attention to your head.

Imagine a wave of relaxation moving through your body. Feel the muscles of your scalp relax, then your face feels more relaxed too. Continue moving through your body. See the wave move slowly through your body. Down your shoulders, arms,hands, hips, legs, knees, calves, ankles and feet. Continue to breathe. In through your nose and gently out through your nose. You feel more and more relaxed as the wave completes its pass. Feel the tension release. Feel the relaxation. The wave moves down through your feet. You are completely relaxed. Stay here in until you gently fall asleep.

With practice you will be able to help yourself fall asleep quickly. Try this every night and whenever you need get to sleep fast.

We want to hear from you! Do you have an interesting story to share? Tell us about your favorite relaxation technique. Do you have a special bathing ritual? We want to know! Share with us your story and be the topic of our next Wellness Saturday! Email us at info@joyfulbathco.com