When I had insomnia years ago, I decided to get up, get out of bed, and do house chores every time it happened. I would tell myself that the bedchamber would NOT become my torture chamber. Pretty soon, my body decided it didn't like doing housework at 2a.m. and stopped waking me up. Our mind and body are very trainable!
I do as many chore as i can (live in an old apartment with thin floors and walls) i find i get a lot of stuff done between 3-6am. Wish i could vacuum though.
I did that as a student. I have serious mental health issues, and sometimes I woke up very early, be immediately too jittery to fall back aslepp although I felt very tired at the same time. I used the time to do some chores and sometimes could even go back to sleep for an hour or two after some of it.
My go to for insomnia was learning to do Psalms and Prayer in sign language during the day and then on nights where I have trouble falling asleep I go over the motions in my head over and over until I fall asleep. Works great for me.
I've always had trouble sleeping, but after walking 30 minutes outside every day after I wake up, my sleep quality has drastically improved. I still take awhile to fall asleep, so I will try these techniques, thank you!
I witnessed the blood pressure lowering effects of diaphragmatic breathing while getting an iron infusion. At first, the infusion was dripping pretty slowly. Just by "belly breathing" with the long exhale, I watched the drip speed up significantly. It was amazing! My doctor told me that when you have an IV that isn't rate limited, just open, the only things that affect the speed of the drip (given a constant environment) are blood pressure (higher blood pressure resists the infusion) and height of the bag (increases pressure of the infusion).
Was not expecting most of these to actually be techniques my therapist gave me to getting out of major anxiety attacks or subsiding an incoming/end of a panic attack. Box and diaphragm breathing are insanely calming for me and usually can get me out of a panic attack before it can truly set in
Thank you for telling people to get out of bed if they can't sleep after about a half hour! So many doctors - even hospitals - overlook this. It's basic learning theory (psych here). Cheers from Ottawa.
I’m rarely a commenter, but I watched this video 4 days ago and I had to come back and say that the cognitive shuffling has worked WONDERS for me!!! I have been dealing with insomnia the past few weeks due to a medication change and it’s been hard since I’ve always been a person who can naturally fall asleep quickly. I’ve used cognitive shuffling the past 3 nights and each time it worked!! I honestly couldn’t believe it. Thank you for this video!!
I’ve had insomnia for years. I finally saw a doctor about it and I found I have a severe case of sleep apnea. My doctor even questioned how I even managed any sleep at all. I went from like 75 episodes a night down to about 5. I still have issues with sleep but what helps me is routine. If I feel tired I don’t force myself to stay awake. Shutting down helps.
I think I have insomnia as well. My situation is a little bit different though in that I am blind. When you are blind, you have a condition called. Nystagmus so my eyes are constantly moving, and I feel like my brain doesn’t know that it is time for sleep because the eyes are constantly moving. I may get two or three hours of sleep a night. I even have a Sleeptracker® app that tracks this. i’m thinking about going for a sleep study because I just feel tired all the time.
I learned a technique that has worked for me for months now since I learned it. Focusing on my breath through my nose, breathing in, in my mind, saying “reee” then exhaling through my nose, saying in my mind, “laaax” I typically only have to do this for a few minutes and I’m asleep.😴
I've been doing the muscle relaxing method without knowing what it is. I have a herniated disc that's causing sciatica and the pain gets worse at night. I lie in bed and tense up my leg with sciatica and then release it. This has helped me fall asleep. I will try the breathing method too. 👍👍👍
I learned the body scan meditation in school. It have been useful many times, and I always have a good breathing when I go to bed, and before I get up in the morning.
Getting out of bed really works for me. I just go to the bathroom and pee, get back in bed and viola, I fall asleep. The breathing techniques work as well for me AND the muscle relaxtion from head to toes. My last resort is getting out of bed if the others didn't work. Maybe I should skip the rest and just get out of bed! Thank you for these pointers, I was getting very relaxed just watching the video!
Hi Dr. Deshauer, good to listen to you again! Did you know that your voice is very unique? I can recognize your voice in seconds. I hope you and Dr. Mark are healthy and happy!❤❤❤
I'm a do-er, so I have always had a hard time shutting my brain off at night. I've done some of the tighten-loosen muscle trick, but audio stories were the best trick my husband found for me! 😂 I find something that engages my mind enough to set my brain on a lazy train of thought, but isn't so interesting that I have to stay up and listen... I find it an enjoyable way to fall asleep! David Clark's reading of sherlock holmes is my all-time favorite!😁
Been wanting to share this with you Siobhan for some time now and this particular video instantly told my brain...NOW is the time! So here goes... You and Mark bring such happiness and help for all of your Fan Base. I wanted you to know that besides being an Awesome Doctor...You Are a Fabulous Daughter...Friend to many lucky people...and the Best Mate for your Husband...and most Importantly, you will be The Best Mom down the road! Thank you for always thinking about your "Violin Fans" ! Keep Smiling And Doing Your Thing! MOO From COW-lumbus, Ohio 👋
found you on dr mikes, watched half the video found it so informative, interesting and comfortable that I immediately subscribed the moment I realized all that, never decided it so fast before
I've had insomnia since infancy. My mom told me that I always took forever to go to sleep. Once I was asleep, I slept like a log. Very little, outside of a physical touch or a very loud noise in near proximity, would wake me. A few years ago, I developed Graves' disease. Sleep was impossible, even with pills. Ambien actually made me sleep less. I hit a breaking point. I spent 5 days in an inpatient facility. They started me on an anti-anxiety medication. I still take it to help me stay asleep for longer than 4 hours. They don't know why i can't stay asleep, as it started before menopause symptoms. Breathing techniques do help greatly. I've even taught a few people who have panic attacks to do them. Their faces! It was like watching them have an epiphany. Thank you for a great video.
I don't have Graves' Disease, but I have a different autoimmune disorder that's kind of in the same category (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis). The best thing that you can do for yourself is to stop eating gluten. Both Graves' and Hashimoto's are caused by a gluten allergy/intolerance. Hashimoto's is an underactive thyroid, and Graves' is an overactive thyroid, both triggered by the consumption of gluten.
I've started using a variation of the Military method. I put on my CPAP/BIPAP mask. Close my eyes. Think of my "memory room". It's a round room, with card catalogues around the outside, and a round table inside. I go around, close the open drawers I used - memories new and old, etc. Turn off lights. Then I close the door, and I start thinking "do not think" over and over. I can usually fall asleep in under 20 minutes.
Just wanted to mention that I have had good success using weighted pillows to help myself settle into rest and sleep. I have collected quite a few, but my favorites are some smaller buckwheat filled ones in various sizes and shapes and a specifically designed product (Cuddle Sleep) that’s basically a weighted blanket rolled into a long thin tube. Wanted to share these ideas for those who find an actual weighted blanket too hot to sleep under. I like mine, but I always wake up because I get too hot. Lately I’ve had good results having a teddy bear sized pillow at my belly and the rolled up tube along my spine. Breathwork helps a lot as well. Lately have been using Buteyko style breathwork to good effect. The weight of the buckwheat pillows is enough to help, and they don’t seem to get too hot.
I've suffered sleeping problems ever since I was a child, and I was also taught body relaxation! It helped at the time but right now cognitive shuffling is it for me. My mind is usually racing at night so keeping it occupied with a random boring mind game really helped.
I really enjoy learning from this doctor’s videos. I clicked on this one just out of curiosity because I have the opposite problem. I can fall asleep anywhere at anytime: meetings, movies, watching TV, even at stop lights ( thankfully I’ve never had an accident). I can take a twenty minute or two hour nap, and still sleep like a baby at night. Some people might say I’m lucky, but it is absolute agony trying to stay awake trying to do something important ( like teach or do an interview). Im just always so sleepy!!! Strong, dark coffee has zero effect on me. I’ve been diagnosed with adrenal fatigue, so that might have something to do with it.
Sent this to my sister (Hi Crystal), I’ve done the first technique for a while and it does really help. Also do it without physically moving my muscles, just imagine each part of my body starting at the toes and just mentally relaxing them. I have Central Sleep Apnea so never have had a restful nights sleep or a normal sleep cycle. Being drop dead exhausted isn’t easy.
Dear Siobhan, I hope one day you will make RU-vid your full time career. You are simply so awesome! I have been following you for the last 6 years and your content and channel gets better and better. I know the main reason why your channel is so successful, is because you are genuine and want to educate and help people.
I don’t….if she’s a really good doctor then I hope she continues to practice on real people and help them in real life. Canada has a doctor shortage and we need every single good doctor to continue to help their real life patients.
@@amandahodgin9316 Siobhan is an amazing doctor! Her bedside manner’s is off the charts. Unfortunately, the stress of being a doctor is off the charts as well. I do not want her to sacrifice her mental health for the poor broken public health care “we” currently have in Canada! If she needs to one day walk away to find some peace in her life. I really hope RU-vid is the answer for her
Oddly enough, I was just unable to sleep and logged in to RU-vid only to find this on my feed. Prefect timing! Plus, There were some good tips I never knew before in there.
I feel like I have tried everything and I still can't sleep. I get maybe an hour a night. I literally just lay there tossing and turning. I don't know what to do anymore 😢 on a happier note I'm so glad that you posted ❤
Oh I feel for you! That was me 4 years ago after my husband died. They called it a complicated grieving pattern. No kidding! After 25 nights of little to no sleep I finally went the medication route. You definitely need some restorative sleep to work on the other things that might be causing the insomnia. Like pain, depression, anxiety etc. Good luck with finding your pathway out of it.
Thank you! I actually was having trouble falling asleep and boom this video appeared, I fell asleep after trying the four second breathing technique and you changed your voice which also helped.
A similar progressive technique I learnt in the 1970s is "Let go". Focus your breathing to be slow in an out, helps reduce the BPM (pulse) if it is higher than normal. One starts with focusing on the toes, and repeats in your head, "let go" "let go" "toes are letting go.” Stay on the toes until they let go, that is, relax. One then moves to the soles of the feet, ankles, moving up the body, and finally to the top of the head. This can be a relaxation exercise or a sleep technique. For me by mentally saying "let go" it works as distraction from extraneous thoughts. Alternatively, same body relaxation progression using a mantra, short or long. For example, a short mantra, Om Namah Shivaya or long the Maha mantra. Thank you for publishing an episode on sleep techniques. Cheers from Australia.
Alchemetica Good advice. I was taught years ago to start at your feet. Imagine they are so heavy you cannot move them from their present position. Concentrate on your feet. I find this usually works because I have never gone above my feet before this works I have gone off to sleep.
Thank you for the sleep cycle and get out of bed info. I found it relevant to what I'm dealing with and that is going to sleep and waking up only hours later thinking I slept 8 hours. It all makes perfect sense now.
Thanks for getting straight to the point by explaining some sleep strategies. I've had insomnia for years & I don't like sleeping tablets. Reducing stress naturally certainly helps. Looking forward to ur next video.
The body relaxing method is what I used during pregnancy. I recently learned another technique for falling asleep when I can’t listen to an audio book. It is thinking of random words. That’s it. Works great for me.
Hey Siobhan! Great 2 C U! Thank U sooo much for these sleep techniques. I don't have any issues falling asleeep but the breathing exercises are going to rally help me reduce stress. tried them at my desk and instantly became relaxed! That's why you're the best Doc in the world! Thank U 4 sharing your knowledge with us and teaching us how to live a better life! You're the best! Be well, be safe and Cheers!!!
🌸💖Another tip is: imagine you are building a house. What colour is it gonma be, and how will the rooms look like. And rhe garden, what plants etc 🌱. Or you can imagine the most beautiful resting place in your mind. How will it look like? It is very useful✨🌸
Very happy to find you. .had the problem for many years. ,.night worries .connected with different body clock issues. . Returning from long distance flights. . Worry and upsets.now has become a habit to sleep. .undisturbed. All things have been could be because I’m a night bird ?feel My life is controlled .
Thank you I missed this video when you first uploaded it. But glad I found it tonight because the last couple of weeks I have had trouble going to sleep before 1 am but here’s hoping tonight I can be asleep before 10. I really do enjoy watching your videos
Thank you for sharing these tips for sleep hygiene! As a community care nurse, I often have trouble sleeping on nights when I'm on-call. Likely, I'm subconsciously worried I'll sleep through a phone call. I've recently started listening to different sleep sounds channels on RU-vid such as "Get Sleepy" and "The Dozy Dragon." The stories are told in a slow cadence with calming background sounds (like rain or a crackling fire) that continue for hours after the stories end. The screen goes dark too to avoid light pollution. I think I'll add some of the muscle calming techniques to my routine on my next week of on-calls and see if its for me. Thanks again for all the marvelous content 😃
I've struggled with sleep for years, finally finding out it's due to anxiety. Something that's really helped me is box breathing and slowly, and fluidly, moving through stretches out of bed
Thanks for the reminder on progressive relaxation. I used to use that one a lot. Definitely going to try that again. Sleep has been an issue post op for my TKR.
Progressive muscle relaxation has definitely helped me in the past, however as an autistic person, techniques such as box breathing and the word challenges can cause tremendous anxiety for me. It triggers my personal demand avoidance, and especially box breathing becomes a test I feel like I have to pass. But at least the one technique works for me! Thank you for the educational video!
Thank you!! I have delayed sleep wake cycle. I struggle every night. I’m on opioid medications for pain.I sleep for a couple hours from the drugs, then I’m awake. So I sleep intermittently around the clock. And I have a degenerative bone disorder that causes my vertebrae to fuse together and tendons and ligaments become calcified and hard. These techniques sound awesome and I’ll try them out. Getting a spinal pain pump inserted next week so I’ll be taking way less medication and have better pain control. Going to use these methods.
Hi Dr, Siobhan!!!! I LOVE and found your channel during COVID-19 AND YOUR VIDEOS HELPED GET ME THRU THAT!!!! I START MY OWN HEALTH CARE CAREER JOURNEY IN JANUARY AS I GOT ACCEPTED INTO NURSING SCHOOL!!!!!
Right at the beginning, your point 2 (get out of bed) also works for me for another reason: it's an opportunity to stretch my legs and other muscles. There are often some slightly sore muscles that need to be moved around.
Thank you for putting this out 🙏🏼 i've been having a lot of issues sleeping, always have but I will definitely be trying out these options. I appreciate all the good content!
I fall asleep fast. But when I get witch hour in the middle of the night and it’s been longer than 15 minutes, I get up and redo my bedtime routine - I use my bathroom brush my teeth again, throw water on my face. It works like a charm!
I do shift work. I'm going to have try these techniques, especially in the summer. I live in Alaska where the sun is up for almost 20 hours in June. Thanks.
I have way too much stress to fall asleep, I almost never have a goodnight sleep and it's been like that for years. I think I should finally see a doctor about it, I can't keep a job with how unpredictable my sleep schedule has been. It's ruined my life, I have certainly noticed how poor my memory has become... I used to be very sharp when I was much younger! Oh, how I miss those days... I pray I am able to regain some sense of control in my life again by getting a grip on my sleeping habits, once and for all.
Please try "Nothing Much happens" on RU-vid. Often it works to send me to sleep, but sometimes it doesn't. After years of Insomnia, I'll happily take any sleep I can get
The box breathing has worked for me after a night shift and you are still wound up it has helped immensely I can actually feel my heart rate slowing. As you said if it is good enough for the Navy SEALs …..😁
It works. I taught myself to fall asleep during college. I learned to relax from a yoga book (the only thing I learned). If you also synchronize with sleep cycles works wonders. M. Walker book is great advice. I also make sure that eyes are in a sleep position... I have also slept biphasically for years when schedule allowed it, was more than 80% of the time.
One technique that is often recommended to help fall asleep quickly is the 4-7-8 breathing method, developed by Dr. Andrew Weil. Here's how you can practice this technique to potentially fall asleep in two minutes: 1. **Find a Comfortable Position:** Lie down in a comfortable position on your back in bed. 2. **Place the Tip of Your Tongue Against the Roof of Your Mouth:** Rest the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth. 3. **Exhale Completely:** Exhale through your mouth, making a whooshing sound. 4. **Inhale Quietly Through Your Nose for a Count of 4:** Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose, counting to 4 in your head. 5. **Hold Your Breath for a Count of 7:** Once you've inhaled, hold your breath for a count of 7. 6. **Exhale Completely Through Your Mouth for a Count of 8:** Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whooshing sound, for a count of 8. 7. **Repeat the Cycle:** Repeat the 4-7-8 breathing cycle for a total of four breaths. By focusing on your breath and practicing this breathing technique, you may be able to relax your body and mind, making it easier to fall asleep. It's important to note that individual results may vary, and it may take some practice to master this technique and see its full benefits. Additionally, creating a bedtime routine, maintaining a comfortable sleep environment, and practicing good sleep hygiene habits can also contribute to better sleep quality and falling asleep more easily. 🌹 thanks! doc ❤ There are several techniques and practices that can help improve sleep quality and make it easier to fall asleep. Here are some commonly recommended techniques for falling asleep: 1. **Establish a Consistent Sleep Schedule:** Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps regulate your body's internal clock and can improve the quality of your sleep. 2. **Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine:** Develop a relaxing bedtime routine to signal to your body that it is time to wind down. This may include activities such as reading a book, taking a warm bath, practicing meditation or deep breathing exercises, or listening to calming music. 3. **Create a Comfortable Sleep Environment:** Make sure your bedroom is conducive to sleep by keeping it cool, dark, and quiet. Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows to ensure proper support. 4. **Limit Exposure to Screens Before Bed:** The blue light emitted by screens can interfere with the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. Try to limit screen time at least an hour before bedtime. 5. **Avoid Stimulants and Heavy Meals Before Bed:** Avoid consuming caffeine, nicotine, and heavy meals close to bedtime, as they can disrupt sleep. Opt for a light snack if you're hungry before bed. 6. **Exercise Regularly:** Engaging in regular physical activity can help improve sleep quality. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week, but avoid vigorous exercise close to bedtime. 7. **Practice Relaxation Techniques:** Techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, deep breathing exercises, or visualization can help calm your mind and body before bed. 8. **Avoid Clock Watching:** Constantly checking the clock can increase anxiety about not being able to fall asleep, making it even harder to do so. Consider turning your clock away from view if this is a common habit. 9. **Journaling:** Writing down your thoughts, worries, or to-do lists before bed can help clear your mind and reduce racing thoughts that may keep you awake. 10. **Consider Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I):** If you consistently have trouble falling asleep, consider seeking help from a healthcare provider or a sleep specialist who can recommend CBT-I, a structured program that helps improve sleep habits and behaviors. It's important to remember that not all techniques work the same for everyone, so it may take some trial and error to find what works best for you. If you continue to have persistent sleep difficulties, it's advisable to consult a healthcare provider for further evaluation and guidance.
Most, of the time I do not have issues with falling to sleep. But for the occasional night's I do have trouble sleeping, I do the belly breathing and the muscle relaxation method. And using them together work wonderfully.♥️
This video is much more engaging. It doesn't feel like an onslaught of intensity. You were trying to put the listener at ease. I felt much more receptive. Do more videos with this style of delivery.
