The Main Cause of Insomnia?
By: Wendy Owen
Copyright 2005 Wendy Owen
Well in my opinion the main thing that keeps us tossing and turning at night
is worrying about not going to sleep.
Sure there might be other reasons for sleeplessness; chronic pain, restless
legs syndrome, partner disturbance, too much coffee....
But at the end of the day you're lying there worrying about how you're going
to get through the next day if you don't get to sleep *right now!*
Worry and the stress it causes, are by far the main causes of sleeplessness,
and the sad part is, the more we worry, the more wide awake we feel. But
what can we do about it?
We have to empty our conscious minds of worrying and stressful thoughts
(yeah right! Easier said than done!)
Stress and worry can affect your sleep quite dramatically. It can be an
isolated stressful incident which keeps you awake for a few nights, or the
stress and worry may be chronic. Once they becomes a habit, certain situations
will then always cause you to become stressed.
Worry in particular can become a habit and like any habit, is very difficult
to break (just ask us smokers, um... ex smokers out there!) But it can be
done. You have to train your mind to either let go of a thought, or replace
one thought with another.
If you suffer from insomnia, whether you're having trouble going to sleep
or staying asleep, stress could be the cause. Your sleeping problems can
then cause more stress which in turn makes it even harder to sleep. How
can you stop worrying and stop this vicious cycle?
For example, you may be sitting in a traffic jam thinking, "I'm going to
be late for work if this stupid traffic doesn't start moving soon. Then
I'll be rushing around all day trying to get everything done! Which means
I probably won't have time to buy a proper lunch and I'll have to grab something
quick and greasy! Well there goes the diet ........"
Enough! Why torture yourself with this rubbish? Make it a habit to stop
these thoughts as soon as they start. How? Just substitute them with better
thoughts! Have a list of thoughts that make you feel good and think about
them instead! This will reduce stress significantly and with practice, it
will get easier and easier.
If you're having trouble doing this, try doing in in two steps. When you
catch yourself worrying, say "STOP!" Picture a big red stop sign right in
front of you. Concentrate on this until it breaks you train of worrying
thoughts.
Then you can start thinking your pleasant thoughts, a movie you enjoyed,
a present from your children, whatever makes you happy!
Your mind is extremely powerful - put it to work for you and not against
you!
Want to know how to have better sleep? Find out how! Sign up for our monthly
ezine and score our free book “How to Cure Insomnia and Achieve Healthy
Sleep” at: http://www.insomnia-connection.com
your resource for detailed information on better sleep and curing stress.
The author, Wendy Owen, has had a lifetime interest in general and alternative
health.
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