Do you struggle to sleep? Do you punch your pillow every night as if it were a punching bag? We have two good news for you: the first is that you are about to learn the three relaxation techniques to sleep well, the second is that you won’t have to worry about changing pillows for a long time! And finally you will stop considering your nights as daytime nightmares!
ReR Relaxation Technique (Breathe and Thank You)
During the day our breaths follow our emotions, have you ever noticed? If we are agitated or nervous the breathing becomes fast and labored, if we are calm the time between one breath and the next gets longer; all of this happens mostly unconsciously for us.
The extraordinary thing is that if we pay attention to how we breathe we can change our emotional state. The ReR (Breathe and Thanks) is a relaxation technique to sleep well that is based on this premise. Let’s find out together!
When you are lying in bed, perhaps nervous because sleep does not come, try to breathe in this way: close the right nostril and inhale, at the end of the inhalation close the left nostril and hold your breath for a few seconds. Release your right nostril and exhale.
Repeat, always inhaling and exhaling in this way for at least ten minutes. As you apply yourself in this relaxation technique, thank your body; it may seem trivial, but if we can do whatever we want it is because we have a body that follows our commands. It is therefore right to focus on every single part that helped us during the day and thank her, perhaps reminding her that even the strongest need moments of rest to recover …
Method 4,7,8
The creator of this relaxation technique that can help us sleep well. Method 4,7,8 is based on an ancient Indian practice called “pranayama“, which means “rhythmic breath control“. The execution is very simple, and according to the results, the guaranteed effectiveness. Here’s how you need to do it:
- First of all, make yourself comfortable, choose the position you prefer: standing, sitting, etc. If you are sitting, keep your back straight.
- Place the tip of the tongue behind the incisors, where the palate begins, and hold it in this position for the duration of the exercise.
- Inhale through your nose and count from 1 to 4.
- Hold your breath and count from 1 to 7.
- Exhale slowly and count from 1 to 8.
- You just finished a cycle. Now repeat two more times (in total it is three loops).
What are the effects of breathing done this way? The extra amount of oxygen that passes through the body has a relaxing effect on the parasympathetic nervous system and helps us feel calmer. This relaxation technique is so easy and versatile that it can be applied not only in case of insomnia, but also when there are stressful or anxious situations; it is appropriate to say: “take a deep breath”!
ASE relaxation technique (Emotional Stress Relief)
ASE (Emotional Stress Relief) is another relaxation technique for sleeping well that can come in handy on those evenings when you can’t stop thinking about a situation that irritates you or deeply worries you.
When you place your hands on people’s foreheads, they close their eyes automatically and almost immediately slow their breathing.
This relaxation technique consists of placing the index and middle fingers of each hand on the forehead just above the eyebrows. Think at this point about the situation or situations that are causing you stress, from start to finish, over and over again, trying to imagine the details and empathize with them.
Repeat this several times and what will happen in the meantime is almost unbelievable: the situation will be perceived differently and it can also happen that you have difficulty in continuing to keep attention on it. When you have reached this point, take a deep breath and take your hands off slowly, then turn on your side and you will see that sleep will soon be with you!
The ones we have proposed here are specific techniques for relaxation, which are based on breathing.
Performed in the evening, these techniques can help you release tension and improve the quality of your night’s sleep. “Unity is strength”, which is why we recommend combining them with natural remedies for sleeping!