People struggling to drift off at night may find relief after trying an NHS technique. Whilst worrying thoughts can strike at any hour, they become especially troublesome at bedtime when you’re attempting to get a good night’s rest ahead of a busy day.
The NHS recommends meditation as a tool to help ‘ease worries or other troubling thoughts’, such as when you’re trying to fall asleep. The method could also help people experiencing similar feelings at other times of the day.
The NHS Better Health website explains: “Meditation is a practice that can help prepare our bodies and minds for a restful night’s sleep. It can help us to fall asleep faster, sleep longer and even deeper. You may have heard it being referred to as ‘sleep meditation’.
“Meditation exercises can enable us to relax, unwind and let go of thoughts or worries from the day. Practising meditation has many calming effects on the body. It helps encourage slower breathing and lowers our heart rates, all of which can help with drifting off to sleep.”
Breathing techniques may prove particularly useful for anyone who experiences the ‘Sunday scaries’. This often refers to the sinking feeling that often descends on Sunday evenings as the working week looms.
For people looking to try meditation, the NHS has shared a ‘simple breathing technique’ called the 4-7-8 method. The NHS said: “This 4-7-8 breathing technique is repetitive in nature. The counting sequence gently focuses the mind on the breath, which can help ease worries or other troubling thoughts.” Get comfortable in bed and then follow these steps:
- Inhale through your nose for four seconds.
- Hold your breath for seven seconds.
- Exhale through your mouth for eight seconds.
- Repeat this four times.”
Another NHS-backed method involves progressive muscle relaxation. The NHS explained: “Practicing muscle contraction and relaxation can help us become more aware of when we’re relaxed, and when we’re tense.
“Try this muscle relaxation technique before bed to release any tension that has built up from the day. Don’t worry if it takes time to learn, it’s like any other skill that takes time to get right.”
The NHS said most people feel anxious sometimes, but there is support available if you feel anxiety, fear, or panic is affecting your life. Anxiety can cause mental and physical symptoms, including shaking, headaches, sweating, breathlessness, difficulty concentrating, and obsessive thoughts, reports the Mirror.
You can contact Samaritans, call: 116 123 or email: jo@samaritans.org if you need someone to talk to. You can refer yourself directly to an NHS talking therapies service. The NHS says you should see a GP if you’re struggling to cope with anxiety, fear or panic, things you’re trying yourself are not helping, or you would prefer to get a referral from a GP.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if you need help urgently, but it’s not an emergency. Call 999 or go to A&E now if you or someone you know needs immediate help.