I can have a coffee in the morning – and still wake up at 1am and NOT be able to get back to sleep!   Rrrrrrrr to a sensitive system.  I’m envious and amazed by people who drink coffee late afternoon AND still sleep like a log!

Is there anything worse than laying awake in the dead quiet of the night?  Every muscle in your body heavy…..wanting sleep.  Your mind is crying out “let me sleeeeep”….BUT it’s just NOT happening? Well I’m sure there’s plenty of worse things.  BUT at 1am wide awake – it doesn’t feel like it!

Your mind is going over every inconsequential, idiotic, non-eventful moment from the past.  OR moments you surmise, might happen in the future! So much wasted time thinking! It’s slightly insane!  Worrying about things you can’t change or that haven’t even happened!

I know many of you can relate to this.  It’s a THING in this age bracket.  And yeah, yeah you can blame your hormones!

My answer to whiling away the dead of the night hours, is try and drink my coffee before 10am.  Any time after this I’m playing Russian roulette with a good nights sleep!  And some days I think WTF who cares!  Give me the coffee!  But at 1am in the morning I CARE!

So once I’ve stopped analysing my life in the still of the night!  I get my get-to-sleep tricks out…..

Try this…..

Whiskey Breathing – to relax and get you to sleep

• Breathe in through your nose to the count of 1-2-3-4
• Hold 1-2-3-4
• Exhale through your nose to the count of 4-3-2-1
• Hold 4-3-2-1
• Repeat for at least 10 rounds (approx 10 min)

Your heart rate slows with this type of breathing.  It stimulates the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system response.  It also….

• Relaxes your muscles.
• And helps your body digest food – stress free!

I sometimes think “Rrrrrrrrrr!  It’s not working, it’s not working”…..then next thing I know I’m waking up to the birds singing and the cockerels crowing!

If you’re sweating it out with anxious insane thoughts in the middle of the night…..give it a try!

Oooooh and a wonderful thing I read some time ago…..

If you wake up around 3am…..look at it as a gift!  This is an inspirational time and it’s when you often have your best ideas.

Don’t just lay there trying to go back to sleep.  Get up and write your thoughts or ideas down.  They’re a gift from above!

I loved reading this! 

For many years – it’s always been when I’ve had my best ideas or solved a niggling problem!  3am (ish)!  Now I get up and get my notebook out!

Let me know if Whiskey Breathing works for you?  Truly drop me a line.  I love to hear from you.  Not every trick is FOR everyone.  BUT they’re all worth trying out……