In stressful everyday life, many find it difficult to switch off, switch off their brains and fall asleep in the evening. Insomnia is a disorder that has increased dramatically during the pandemic.
A term has even been coined for this type of insomnia born during the pandemic: coronasomnia.
Surveys and statistics carried out during these two years have confirmed that the worry and fear of the disease, in many people, have caused difficulties in falling asleep, agitation, restlessness and sudden awakenings accompanied by panic attacks.
The constant anxiety and constant tension made people feel very uncomfortable. Having to give up one’s habits, adapt to more and more restrictive rules, has meant that dormant fears, stress and worries emerge. All this has negatively affected the sleep of many Italians.
During the recent Congress of the Italian Society of Neurology, it was established that anxiety is among the disorders most highlighted during quarantine, followed by insomnia.
If you have trouble falling asleep, following these tips it will be possible to enter the arms of Morpheus in 60 seconds: the breathing exercise
In addition to some simple mindfulness tips to live peacefully, you must also follow some breathing exercises.
The following exercise will relax your nervous system and slow your heart rate. This will automatically lead to falling asleep faster.
You will need to lie comfortably on your back and relax all the muscles in your body. After that you will have to bring all your attention to the breath. Breathe in and out as deeply as possible. If successful, you will need to inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 and exhale for 8 seconds.
Repeat the breathing cycle until you have fallen asleep.
Important: breathing should not be forced, the seconds provided are only guidelines. We need to do the exercise at a pace that is comfortable for ourselves.
Intense exhalation slows your heart rate and helps you fall asleep
If you have trouble falling asleep, remember that intense exhales, slowing down the heartbeat, help you fall asleep.
In fact, exhalation exercises activate the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for relaxing the body and ensuring that one’s heart slows down. This way you will fall asleep faster. Also, focusing on breathing helps against the spiraling thoughts that keep us awake.
The last three tips for falling asleep fast
The first tip is to create an evening routine: set a fixed time to turn off all electronic devices and put the phone in airplane mode. The body will prepare for sleep as soon as all blue light sources such as laptops, cell phones or televisions are turned off.
Breathing and meditation exercises will avoid spiraling thoughts like these: “I want to fall asleep now”, “It doesn’t work again” and “If I don’t fall asleep now, tomorrow will be a mess again.” These vicious circles can be broken with breathing and meditation.
If street or neighbors are the problem, we might take advantage of foam or wax earplugs.
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