Sleep Starts with Relaxing Your Body

When your body is tense, it’s really hard to fall asleep. Have you ever been lying in bed – very much not falling asleep – when you realize all your muscles in every part of your body are tensed up?

When you realize how rigid you are, you might consciously start commanding each part of your body to let go. Suddenly you realize how tense you were when you feel your body start to sink into your bed instead of lying stiffly atop your mattress.

If you’re like me, you might then go through that cycle of realizing you’re tense, and then forcing yourself to relax several more times before you either finally fall asleep or give up and climb out of bed again.

Or you may have had the experience of dozing off only to have your body feel like it JUMPS and shocks you awake again. This experience is known by a couple of terms – hypnic jerks or sleep starts. Most people seem to experience these little muscle contractions while falling asleep. When I’ve experienced this, I’ve had the feeling it happens when my tense muscles suddenly relax as I drift off and it feels like I’m falling. It’s jarring to say the least. Then, I have to try to relax and start all over again.

A short relaxation routine can help get your muscles softened and ready to let sleep sweep easily over you. When you need a little help getting there, a guided routine can really work wonders. Try the one below from one of my favorite resources, The Guided Meditation Site.