Sleep lessons

Image by Ri Butov from Pixabay

I’m reading Fast Asleep by Dr. Michael Mosley, and the “Challenging Your Thoughts” section on page 100 resonated with me. Like many others, I have thoughts that surface before I go to bed (or throughout the day), and these affect my sleep. Dr. Mosley suggests a bit of cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT, which I've actually gone through when I had therapy years ago. The author suggests that we challenge the thoughts that run through our minds. For example, if my current thought is on worrying about sleeping late and its implications the next day, I can challenge that thought by telling myself that I will eventually go to sleep like I always do, and it's going to be fine. Dr. Mosley further suggests that these forms of negative thinking are long-term patterns and if one needed to do it effectively, a professional therapist could be consulted. 

Last night, I wasn't worried nor did I have any difficulty sleeping. In fact, on the couch while watching a YouTube video of an orchestra with my family, my eyes started to become very heavy, and I went to bed shortly after. I don't attribute the sleepiness to the video, but the stressors last week that bled to the early part of this week. These unchallenged stressors became mental overload. I need to consciously challenge any unnecessary ideas that would result in physical exhaustion. After weathering that storm and clearing the major items from my mind, my body seemed to say, “Alright, she’s not in crisis mode anymore--time to repair and recharge.” I’m writing now as part of that maintenance process--and also because I had a vivid dream last night about an artist I admire who, while walking away, glanced back and said something poignant to me. So, thanks for the feedback loop, subconscious, I'm hanging up the phone now. To end this post, I'm sharing these nostalgic songs--the first one I heard at a Home Depot last weekend, and the other a reminder of my younger years and that the great indoors could be one's mind.