I Can Make You Sleep by Paul McKenna

Author:Paul McKenna
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473544154
Publisher: Transworld

What are you putting into your mind?

Just as it is helpful to get your physical environment right to help you sleep, the psychological environment of your mind needs to be right as well.

Everything you perceive causes your body to react. For example, if you witnessed a terrible car crash you would have a strong reaction. Your body would automatically see the crash as dangerous and trigger the ‘fight or flight’ response.

This is our self-protection mechanism and dates back to when we were cave-dwellers and our survival depended on being able to fight an enemy or run away. Adrenalin is released into the bloodstream, blood is pumped to the major muscles, the heartbeat quickens, the digestive system stops, the immune system is suppressed and our muscles tense up.

It is a fascinating and important fact that when you are engrossed in a film or even vividly imagining an event the human nervous system has the same kind of response as it does to a real event. For example, if you see a realistic film of a dangerous situation your body tenses up. That is why you find yourself gasping or gripping your seat when watching an action movie or a horror film.

Of course, films like that are entertainment, but for some people they can contribute to their trouble with sleeping. If your body is reacting to shock and excitement it releases stress chemicals and for some people that is just too much stimulation in the hour before going to bed.

So there is a simple way to make sure you establish a really solid pattern of deep sleep. We need to make sure you don’t wind yourself up when you need to wind down.

It is not just action movies that keep you alert. All television programmes are designed to catch your attention and to keep it, by making you excited. TV is designed to do the opposite of send you to sleep because the programme makers want you to keep watching, to see all the commercials. Even everyday programmes like the news focus on shocking and unusual events. People having a nice, happy time do not make for very exciting news, so the bulletins are full of crashes, floods, explosions, financial problems and lucky escapes.

Of course, there are some people who have no trouble at all in watching disaster reports, thrillers, dramas and horror movies and then sleeping very well. However, if you are having trouble sleeping, don’t let the TV keep you awake. Therefore, while you are re-establishing a solid pattern of sleep:

Switch off the TV at least one hour before you go to bed.

This gives your mind a chance to process and absorb all the adrenalin released in response to the exciting imagery, to slow down to a more gentle pace that will synchronize with your natural impetus towards sleep.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.