An RMN reader sent me this today in a message through the Evolved Influence contact form:

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I’m 47 and my health is in real decline I have real bad insomnia. And I am stuck on prescription sleeping pills but they are not helping and because lack of sleep it is causing bad fatigue and brain fog do you have any natural therapy to recommend thank you

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Here’s my response, which I’m posting here for all to read (I’ll send him a link to this post):

Dear friend,

I’m so sorry you’re having such difficulties. I can only share general thoughts without more information and of course I’m not a “medical doctor” who is “allowed” to give “medical” advice. So let’s talk general thoughts about health in general on a hypothetical basis.

In my opinion…

Asking about a natural therapy is a good idea on the surface as long as you’re aware that this isn’t a matter of what to “take” that’s natural instead of “taking” sleeping pills.

All the PhD world-famous holistic doctors I know would do what I would do, which is address not a therapy for sleeping issues but the bigger picture of what’s going on in one’s life. Everything!

Relationships. Circadian rhythm. Finances. Health practices, from movement to breathing and meditation practices. What is your diet and water intake like? And so on. That is where the solution to sleeping issues is to be obtained. Improve the constitutional foundation of your well-being and the issues that were showing up as the most glaring “symptoms” just get naturally moved out of your reality. This goes for pretty much all ailments.

One thing I would do is have medical supervision on decreasing and eliminating the sleeping pills. That’s a very dangerous thing to be taking on an ongoing basis and is sure to lead to deterioration in your overall health, emotions, mental state, etc.

Keep in mind the doctor who prescribed the sleeping pills isn’t trained in teaching you about the virtues of walking or tai chi or swimming or yoga or getting sunlight in your eyes for ten minutes on waking, which should be soon after sunup. Or the benefits of going to sleep with an empty stomach, which of course means not eating a few hours before bed. Or of plenty of water intake. Or of having health relationships even if it means joining a local club with any kind of shared fun interests or, my favorite, volunteering to help serve others through a bona fide organization. Help kids by being a Big Brother.

My business assistant was getting very moody with me for months until confessing she was very depressed and on anxiety medication on a daily basis. I convinced her to immediately drop that as fast as her doctor says is safe, and I offered to pay for her to go to yoga classes. She said she doesn’t like yoga but likes Pilates, so I offered to pay for that. In no time at all she was off the “medication,” and her mood and overall behavior were a thousand times better.

EXERCISE

Exercise should focus more on relaxation than force. You never want to introduce stress and strain.

I don’t know your condition but I hope taking a long walk very often is realistic for you. The benefits of a long, calming, relaxing walk are beyond measure. It’s the single most beneficial form of exercise there is.

LAST MEAL HOURS BEFORE BED

It’s a fact that the body repairs and builds while sleeping and while the stomach is empty. Help that process by not eating late.

SUNLIGHT IN THE EYES IN THE MORNING

It’s now well established that if you can get outside within a short time after waking and get 5-20 minutes of sunlight in your eyes, it triggers a hormonal cascade that is utterly natural and optimal for mood, overall well-being, creativity, and sleeping well. Try it and see how you feel. It’s utterly beneficial.

SPEND TIME IN NATURE

It may seem abstract but spending time in nature doing nothing but observing life and being in awe of life can do wonders for your mind, body, and soul. It’s the one thing one of my teachers emphasizes the most (that and finding someone to hug as often as you can).

TECHNIQUES TO FACILITATE SLEEP

Then there are a few techniques you can try that actually do help one fall asleep or go back to sleep.

1. Stretching just before bed. Do some “gentle” stretching before bed. Make it not about straining to stretch more, but more like the kind of stretch that naturally happens when one is yawning. Get all the muscles, joints, and nerves of your body as you can. Make it light and all about relaxing and relieving habituated tension. Allow the tissues and nerves to “let go” and “release” whatever they were holding.

2. Breathing to relax. This is beneficial for everyone in ways that are very far-reaching. Think of the body as being fixated with tension and with thoughts and emotions, and imagine it being able to release more tension than you’re used to thinking it’s able to release. Sit or lie still. Now follow the “feeling” of the air coming in through the nostrils as you inhale, and then out through the nostrils as you exhale. Simply paying attention to feeling the movement of breath like that is a revolution most people never bother doing, and that alone can do wonders to relax the body, quiet the mind, and smooth out the emotions. Follow it into the sinus cavity, and if you can even down the throat. Allow the belly to expand on the inhale and return to normal on the exhale. Let each inhale access into the entire tissue and nerve system, and with each exhale give permission for that whole system to release and let go of tension. Gradually, the breaths take a little tiny bit longer on each inhale and on each exhale. It’s so relaxing.

3. Isometrics. This can be done before bed or even in bed. Press any two body parts together against each other and count ten breath cycles, and release. If in bed, put one hand over the other and press the top hand downward and the bottom hand upward, for a count of ten breaths. Then switch which is on top and which is on the bottom. Now cross your feet or ankles and do the same thing. Press the hands against the body and do it that way. Squeeze the legs or feet together and do it that way. Interlace the fingers or wrap the backs of the hands and pull the hands apart to do it that way. Same with the ankles/feet. Then one foot on top of the other, and then reverse that. And so on. It’s very likely you won’t make it for long before your body goes into spontaneous yawning and you drift off to sleep.

4. VAK awareness cycling. This is “visual, auditory, and kinesthetic” awareness cycling. It’s a common hypnosis technique, only we’re applying it to putting ourselves to sleep. It goes like this:

While you’re lying in bed with your eyes closed, pay attention to what the eyes are seeing. Now, since the eyes are closed and obviously are not seeing anything, think in terms of the “optic nerves” or “inner eyes” or whatever. I tend to “see” cobwebs of yellow light against a dark or dark-red kind of background at times, though of course that fluctuates a thousand ways. Gradually, what’s actually registering in the eyes will drift into what the mind is imagining seeing, which of course blends right into dreaming before you know it, which becomes sleeping – but we’re not there yet (but will be in a few moments).

The process then moves to hearing. What are you hearing in the room, or even in terms of your breathing, which can be externally or inside your nostrils?

Then move that to feeling. Kinesthetic. Pay attention to any part of your body that’s touching something. The palm of your hand. Your thigh. Your face on the pillow. Whatever it is, feel it and pay attention to the feeling.

Now, here’s the next layer: Focus on the visual for three breath cycles if inhalation and exhalation. Then focus on the auditory for three breath cycles. Then on the kinesthetic for three breath cycles.

The kinesthetic then moves to an interesting place: pay attention to the physical feeling sensation of the air moving through your nostrils -- and sinus and throat if you can pay attention to feeling that deeply --
as you inhale, and as you exhale.

So, three breath cycles focused on the eyes, three breath cycles focused on the ears, then three breath cycles focused on feeling the air coming in and the air going out.

Now, after a few sets of that, mix up the count. Make it random. Say two breath cycles focused on the visual, three on the auditory, one on the kinesthetic. Then three visual, one auditory, two kinesthetic.

And so on.

And soon a very mysterious thing will happen if you pay attention. Your thoughts will begin to wander, your breathing will begin to get a bit deeper and longer, and the distinction between what is visual, what is auditory, and what is kinesthetic will start to blur: You’ll start to see the sound and feel the visual and hear the kinesthetic. Wait? What. Just pay attention to the sensations and enjoy the drift into dreamland.

Rarely will anyone make it that far into the process before they wake up the next morning well rested.

BREATHE ONLY THROUGH YOUR NOSE WHILE SLEEPING

By the way, it’s now very well established that while sleeping one should be breathing through the nose only. This is a vitally important factor. Otherwise, everything from poor breathing to dehydration occurs. If this is not how you’re naturally breathing while in bed, look up on YouTube ways to address that.

EARPHONES WITH RELAXING AUDIO

If worst comes to worst, it’s possible to wear earphones that are so comfortable you don’t even know they’re there and play audio all night that is designed to help you fall into deep sleep and stay asleep. If it comes to that point, contact me and I’ll see if I can make a few recommendations.

VIDEO ON BEING HEALTHIER

If you haven’t seen it, you’ll probably benefit from watching the video I posted recently on ways to be healthier. Even though this doesn’t mention how to sleep better, every bit of this goes hand in hand with what I’ve recommended above and with what will help you sleep better, maybe infinitely better.

VIDEO: “Here’s how to be healthier at any age.” Maybe a lot healthier, maybe pretty easily. Air, water, sun, nutrients, movement, rest, and emotional balance. Here’s real guidance.


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Contact me HERE

-- Jay Newman