Self-Hypnosis and better sleep
We all suffer with insomnia from time to time, but for some, sleep problems become habits that seem impossible to break. At 3am, it’s easy to feel like the only person awake in the world. I probably receive more reviews for my sleep recordings and apps than any other, so if you are one of the people that suffer with insomnia, know that you are not alone!
The solution to many sleep problems lies in hypnosis, as it is a wonderful tool for quietening the mind and relaxing the body. Hypnosis has exactly the same effect on brainwave cycles as when a person goes to sleep normally. The transgression from full consciousness into a hypnotic trance state will steadily slow your brainwaves and naturally guide you into a state which is ideal for deep restful sleep.
Change your habits
If insomnia has been affecting you for some time, it becomes part of your routine. Your expectation that you won’t be able to sleep, or that you will wake in the middle of the night becomes a command for your brain, which then wakes you as requested!
If you always go to bed at the same time, try going a little earlier. We sleep in cycles, with a pattern of deep sleep and REM. This means that even just ten minutes could change and improve your sleep pattern dramatically. Turn off technology at least an hour before bed, avoid eating and drinking late at night, and cut out caffeine and alcohol if you can. Take a bath, read a book, and play relaxing music. When you have broken the routine of insomnia, you will find that your sleep pattern and quality is hugely improved.
Your bedroom should also be conducive for a good nights sleep. Make sure there are no TVs or any other devices that emit EMF radiation in your bedroom, and that you sleep in complete darkness. Many studies show EMF devices likes mobile phones and TVs seriously affect sleep cycles.
Learn to relax
The more a person is both mentally and physically relaxed, the greater their chances will be of getting a good night’s sleep. Relaxation techniques used in self-hypnosis and meditation are a great aid to restful deep sleep.
These techniques slow brainwaves and relax the mind and body. When you are in a state of deep self-hypnosis or meditation it is an easy transition to then go to a deep, restful sleep.
Slow paced relaxation music created in certain keys can help to create a state of relaxation ideal for restful sleep. This is something I use in my hypnosis recordings; the background sound effects are created in certain keys and frequencies that aid relaxation.
Preparing yourself
When you are lying down in bed and ready for sleep, tell yourself silently that you are going to use self-hypnosis to go to sleep.
Now you can relax your body. Imagine every muscle from the top of your head to the tips of your toes completely relaxing. You can start at the top and systematically work your way down to your toes. Imagine your eyelids have become heavy and tired and any tension in your forehead is disappearing. All the muscles there are becoming loose and relaxed.
Continue this pattern and imagine all the muscles relaxing in your jaw, neck, shoulders, back, arms and legs. Imagine the relaxation spreading down through your body letting go of any tightness or tension in the muscles. You can visualise the muscles relaxing and spend extra time relaxing any part of your body that holds more tension. Allow the outside world to fade into the background and continue your journey into your inner world.
Use the following affirmations to help you to drift off…
I sleep easily at night
I feel deeply relaxed
I feel calm and centred
I love to sleep at night
When you say these affirmations, silently or out loud, imagine every part of you absorbing the phrases with real belief. Use your feelings and emotions to supercharge them so that every cell in your mind and body resonates with each positive affirmation.
Quieten your mind
One of the main obstacles in getting to sleep is ‘busy mind syndrome’. By clearing your mind before bed, you will go to sleep much more easily. If you are constantly going over problems in your mind, your judgement becomes clouded. When you mentally relax and switch off your conscious thoughts, however, you take back control. The following self-hypnosis technique will allow your creative mind to find solutions to problems, whilst at the same time stilling your conscious mind and preparing for sleep.
When you are lying in bed and you have a problem going round and round in your mind, acknowledge the problem and affirm to yourself that your creative mind will find you a solution.
Close your eyes and begin to breathe very slowly and deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. Make each circular breath long and deep and breath away any tension with every slow out-breath. Allow the chatter of your mind to quieten and aim to let your mind go blank. An empty mind is key in this technique so spend time getting your mind to be still. Don’t worry if you still get unwanted thoughts drifting into your mind; just allow them to drift away again.
After fifteen minutes or so when you feel pleasantly relaxed and your mind is very still begin to accept to yourself that your unconscious mind will find a solution to this problem. Avoid thinking about the actual problem itself or even thinking of a solution, as that will only stimulate your intellect. If at any time you feel yourself intellectualising then allow your mind to go blank and take a few slow deep breaths to get into that centred space again.
Your aim is to simply focus on your creative mind ability to find solutions and affirm that it will. By doing this, you are programming your mind to deliver a solution to you without thinking about the problem itself.
When you are in that deeply relaxed still space you can also repeat one or more of these affirmations:
A solution will come to me at exactly the right time
My creative mind will give me the right answer
I trust my own judgement
When using affirmations remember to put your feelings into them as this makes them stronger and anchors them more deeply in your unconscious mind. So really feel each statement is a reality as you affirm them. You can also add your own affirmations but make sure they are along the same lines as these and that they are not mentioning the problem itself.
After these affirmations, you can go to sleep with the knowledge that your unconscious mind will find a solution to your problem. This may materialise in the form of a new line of thought the next day, or you suddenly get some clarity out of the blue.
At this point you can allow yourself to drift off in to a deep natural sleep from which you will awaken feeling refreshed.
All the best, and sleep well!
Glenn
P.S. Download these hypnotherapy apps to help you sleep at night:
Thanks a lot For sharing such a lovely and interested article .i really like that.great technique and takes very little time.i really want to learn more about this.
Great content! This is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. Thanks for your help 🙂