Whenever I get up in the middle of the night (two nights on purpose, and last night by accident) and try to get back to sleep, whether I’m doing a technique or not, I end up not being able to get back to sleep easily. I feel drowsy whenever I open my eyes, or RC, but when I close them, my thoughts go to really rational stuff, and keeps me awake, and I feel wide awake when I close them.
Any way to trick my mind to go to sleep instead of my body?
A few tips:
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Avoid light when you wake up. Even artificial light will alert your body that it’s time to be awake.
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Do a tense and relax-style physical relaxation session and then, if you notice yourself thinking through your day, let your mind wander. Our minds fall asleep, basically, by daydreaming to the point of losing awareness. (Practice “Anti-Meditation.” )
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Try a gentle sedative like Valerian Root.
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Last, you may feel awake because your blood sugar is low. This may or may not be a problem–it depends on what’s happening with your blood sugar. If you’ve been historically hypoglycemic-ish, you might have lower blood sugar in the night. When our blood sugar drops below a certain point, our body releases adrenaline to force us to stay awake. I think I’ve experienced this, since I do have low blood sugar. You might be helped in falling back asleep by eating some toast or oatmeal.
Also, if you consume a lot of sugar during the day, chances are your blood probably drops at night. Cutting back on sugar intake may help you sleep better.