Three easy exercises to restore restful sleep

Sleep affects our health and our body. Sleeping well is important and very often we forget that we can act on a daily basis to improve the quality of our sleep. It does exist, however simple tips to apply. Eliminate the waves (we turn off the wifi box every night), because they disrupt hormonal secretions and thus interfere with sleep. Avoid synthetic nightwear which makes you sweat and can cause irritation and / or nighttime awakenings. Give preference to a memory foam mattress and pillow that offer superior comfort. Favor perfectly dark environments (shutters closed, no light) so as not to alter the secretion of melatonin which regulates sleep cycles. Stop screens (including TV) at least 20 minutes before bedtime, because visual and sound challenges keep the brain awake.

Sophrology can also help you fall asleep. Through breathing exercises, it is about controlling your breath. “Abdominal breathing is very soothing and easy to breathe. You just have to put your hands on your stomach, focusing on the breath. The stomach rises on the inspiration and hollows out on the expiration”, explains Claude Sonalier, sophrologist and hypnotherapist.

A good night’s preparation as soon as you get up

The idea is not to let tensions build up throughout the day. This simple little exercise that can be easily carry out in the morning, at home or at work, allows “to manage stress, anxiety, to free oneself from its tensions and to find a physical and mental state favorable to rest”, explains Claude Sonalier.

Exercise 1: in the morning, any time during the day

Comfortably installed (sitting or lying down), sweep the whole body in mind to soothe it and release tension.
Become aware of breathing: feel the air passing through the nostrils and entering the lungs.
Extend exhalation times: inhale, count in the head to 2, breathe out, and count to 4.

Repeat on this rhythm: inhale for 2 beats and breathe more deeply up to 4 beats. Then breathe in for 3 times, and breathe out for 6 (if it’s comfortable). Breathing should remain fluid and easy. 2 to 3 minutes are enough to lower the pressure.

At bedtime

A restful night begins at bedtime. Taking the time to do these two exercises helps to improve the quality of sleep. This routine is even more important for those who suffer from sleeping troubles. Why ? Because we end up looking at the night with anguish. These exercises allow you to let go, to take a step back both from his concerns and from his sleep disorders and regain confidence in these abilities to sleep well. “The injunctions of the type” I must sleep “,” if I do not sleep well tonight, I will not be in good shape “, increase anxiety about sleep and only amplify troubles, warns our expert.By relativizing, we give ourselves the possibility, little by little, to get out of the vicious circle. the principle of positive action. “

Exercise 2 : release tension, to make it easier to fall asleep

Lying on your back, the body completely relaxed (which takes its full place in the bed), set up abdominal breathing.
Pay attention to the whole body, identify tensions, physical or mental (concerns, fears …).
Breathe in through your nose, hold your breath for a moment, contract your whole body slightly and breathe out strongly while releasing.

Do this sequence 3 times in order to release all the tensions of the body. It is important to feel your body relax more with each sequence.

Exercise 3 : visualize a resource place, to reach a state of appeasement.

Lying on the bed, set up abdominal breathing. Take the time to let the whole body relax, either mentally (mentally relaxing each part of the body, from head to toe) or by using the previous exercise.
Once relaxed, go find an image that represents a resource (calm, appeasement, well-being). This image can be real or imaginary.
Detail all parts of the image using the senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste if applicable) and feel the pleasant sensations provided.

Tip: to reconnect to the circadian rhythm, the resource place can be a forest in the evening. We can imagine and feel the drop in light, cooler temperatures, etc.

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