Being an insomnia-sufferer for several years, I came to realize the benefits and disadvantages that are centered around resting, or pretending to sleep, in order to do so. As a result, I put together this quick guide to help others who are experiencing the same problem.
Does resting help when you can’t sleep? When you can’t sleep, resting can help you to relax your muscles and become more sleepy. However, if your mind is distracted or your body is jittery, you will need to release all of that tension before you can expect to have a good night’s sleep.
Sleep is something that we all need to survive. However, not a lot of us will get the adequate amount of it every night. Most of these issues stem from not being able to fall asleep for one reason or another.
In this article, we will be exploring the relation between resting and falling asleep when you are having trouble doing so. Keep reading to find out how resting can help or hurt you when you find yourself in this predicament.
Does Resting Help When You Can’t Sleep?
Falling asleep at night sounds a lot easier than it really is. In reality, many of us are so focused on business and personal matters that it can be hard to just close your eyes and drift off as soon as our heads hit the pillow, as much as we all want to.
In addition to the distracting thoughts that go through the average person’s mind, there is the added nuisance of bright phone and laptop screens that can really get in the way of adequate sleeping schedules.
If you suffer with a sleeping disorder, or you are like most people and have trouble falling asleep sometimes, you have probably already heard of the resting technique. This consists of pretending that you are asleep until you actually get there.
In this section, we will be talking about how resting can help when you can’t sleep. Before we get into too much detail, take a look at the list down below to get a general idea of what you can get out of the simple act of resting.
This Is How Resting Can Help When You Can’t Sleep
- Creating physical comfort
- Relaxing your muscles
- Clearing and calming your mind
First and foremost, resting will help you to get comfortable physically, which can lead directly into you finally falling asleep. It makes sense when you really think about it: you get comfortable in your bed, hold still, and close your eyes until you are no longer conscious.
When you are in a comfortable position for a long period of time without moving a muscle, you are more likely to slip into a deep sleep than you will be if you are leaning over the side of the bed checking your cell phone every five minutes.
In addition to just being cozy enough to sleep, you relax your muscles by resting. When your body is completely still and relaxed without any tension, it is much easier to be comfortable and eventually doze off.
Finally, resting helps you to clear your mind and achieve a sense of calmness. As we all know, our minds can really be the death of us when we are trying to fall asleep at night.
When you are laying in bed thinking about everything that has happened to you for the past ten years, you are exercising your brain and stimulating it, which keeps you awake for much longer than you would be if you thought about nothing.
Resting your body also gives your mind some rest as well. When you take all of the movements and trains of thought out of the equation, you will have a much better chance of getting the amount of sleep that you need, and achieving it exactly when you need to get there.
What To Do When You Can’t Sleep
While it is true that the resting method can work for a lot of people who can’t sleep at night, there will be times that this just doesn’t work.
Whether your thoughts are going crazy and you can’t seem to rest for long enough to fall asleep, or you just have too much energy throughout your body to hold still at all, you can use some of the tips that will be outlined in this section.
Here are some things that you can do when you can’t sleep (and resting isn’t working):
- Get up and walk around
- Read a book (not on a phone screen)
- Practice mediation techniques
It is understandable that the resting technique will not always work to help you fall asleep on those restless nights. Resting and relaxing your body can get you in the mood to go to sleep, but what do you do when you don’t feel comfortable or tired at all?
When holding still and pretending to be asleep in the bed is just not working out for you, you can try to get up and walk around briefly. You should remain calm while you are doing this, and try to stay away from quick, energetic movements and bright lights.
The idea of this technique is to be relaxed while also letting go of the tension and jitters that you have within your body. When you get back into the bedroom, you might realize that you really are tired, making it easier for you to fall asleep.
If you are very alert, you can sit up in your bed and read a book in order to wear out your mind a little bit, making you tired and preparing you to go to sleep.
This technique, however, should only be done with an actual paperback book. It is not recommended that you do this with any kind of electronic device, because the bright lights can interfere with the chemicals in your brain and get in the way of your sleepiness.
When you have a phone or tablet in your face in the dark, you might think that you are making yourself tired, but you might actually become even more awake than you were before!
Finally, when the resting method doesn’t work for your sleeping routine, you can practice mediation techniques. This is not exactly what it sounds like, though. It can actually be done right in the bed, and goes hand in hand with resting to go to sleep.
This article is owned by Sleeping Report and was first published on June 3, 2019
To do this, you can start by laying flat on your back and taking a few minutes to relax all of the muscles in your body. It helps to start from each individual part of your body, slowly adjusting it to be fully comfortable and ready for sleep.
For example, you can start with each one of your toes, spending at least a few seconds on each one, until they feel fully limp. Move up to your feet and legs, repeating the same steps through your entire body until you get all the way up to the muscles in your face.
This technique will help you to further relax and rest your entire body, promoting a peaceful drift off to sleep.
Can Resting Replace Sleeping Altogether?
So, now that you have learned all about using resting as a technique to fall asleep when you are having trouble doing so, you might be wondering if you can just rest instead of sleeping altogether.
This certainly would be a simple solution, being that resting is much easier than actually going to sleep at night. However, this is simply not the case.
This article is owned by Sleeping Report and was first published on June 3, 2019
Sleep is something that is necessary for all humans to be able to function properly. As a result, it cannot be switched out for a secondary option.
While sleep cannot be completely replaced with resting, there are tons of benefits that can come with this alternative. If you are ever in a situation where you can’t go to sleep, resting is the next best thing.
Here are some of the benefits of resting in place of sleep:
- Giving body and muscles a break
- Resting neurons in brain
- Peace of mind and full relaxation
- Next best thing (in comparison to sleep)
When you lay down to rest, you are giving your body and muscles a break, which is something that also comes with being asleep at night. In addition to your physical being, the neurons in your brain also get to rest for some time.
During rest, you are achieving peace of mind and full relaxation, which is almost as close as you can get to knocking out.
All in all, rest can give you almost everything that you will get out of sleeping, only you will not be fully unconscious. Ultimately, no matter how much you rest your body and mind, you will need to go to sleep at some point.
SleepingReport.com copyright article was updated on ..
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, resting can be a big help when you are having trouble falling asleep. Whether you are pretending to be asleep in order to fake it until you make it, or you practice a relaxation technique to push you along in the process, you will be on your way to finally achieving the restful night that you have been seeking.
