Job stress, relationship anxieties, financial worries, and looming deadlines, all these worrying thoughts can leave your mind racing, making it difficult to get a restful night’s sleep. Want to know how to calm your mind? Well, deal with these thoughts head-on, so that they don’t follow you to bed.
According to a board certified physician and certified sleep specialist, Dr. Angela Holiday Bell, also known as “the sleep_md” on social media, the secret to calming your mind before sleep is not avoiding these thoughts, but addressing them during a scheduled “worry time”.
“Stress triggers cortisol, the fight or flight hormone which keeps your brain awake and makes it harder to fall asleep,” Dr. Bell wrote on her Instagram page, sharing practical hacks for calming the mind before bed.
“Stress can steal your sleep, but these tips can help you take control,” Dr Bell wrote.
Schedule a ”worry time”:
Dr. Bell suggests a simple but effective technique to manage your worries: schedule a “worry time.” Set aside 10 to 15 minutes during your day to write down your racing thoughts. This allows you to unload your stress before it crowds your mind at bedtime. The key is the timing, make sure this worry session happens well ahead so that by the time you get into bed, you will have already “offloaded” your concerns, Dr.Bell explained.
Adopt a breathing technique:
While most breathing exercises are effective for calming the mind, Dr. Bell offers a quick and simple 4-7-8 technique for those short on time. In just seconds, this method can help you relax and drift into restful sleep.
“Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds. This technique lowers your heart rate and relaxes your nervous system,” she wrote in her Instagram post.
Set a Bedtime Winds Down Alarm:
Setting up a consistent sleep schedule is often the first step specialists recommend for improving poor sleep. Dr. Bell advises setting an alarm as a nightly reminder to prepare for bedtime, ideally 30 to 60 minutes before your scheduled sleep time. This signals your brain that it’s time to wind down. Use this time for calming activities like breathing exercises or progressive relaxation techniques to help your body transition into a restful state.
