Don't Worry Be Tired

As an emergency room physician, I've had my share of sleepless nights. Trying to get to sleep knowing you will have to get up in thirty minutes to read x-rays and interpret laboratory resorts makes it hard to relax and get to sleep.

So, how do you get to sleep when you just get more and more frantic with worry that you won't be able to get enough sleep?

I'll be sharing more in future articles, but for now, use these two simple principles to finally get some great sleep.

Don't Worry

One of the things that will cut your ability to fall asleep to zero in a hurry is worrying. I can't tell you how many times I have been wakened in the middle of the night to see someone just because they were worried.

Now I don't mind getting up to help someone out. After all, that is what I'm there for. But wouldn't it be nice if those people could have prevented the worry in the first place?

There is a proverb in The Bible that says, "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6: 34. Good advice. When you go to bed, the bad things that happened that day are over - the things of tomorrow are not here yet, so don't think about them.

Another way of saying the same thing is from Desiderata by Max Ehrmann:

You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be,

and whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

If you can put yourself in this state of mind, that everything is happening the way it is supposed to, you are practically there.

Even if you are facing financial, social or physical problems, things really are going the way they are supposed to. I know this can be very hard to do. It may take some special meditation methods, prayer or reading of spiritual literature to get to that state. But, it will be well worth it.

Be Tired

One of the main requirements for sleep is to be tired. This may sound trite, but it is not as obvious as it sounds.

The average person in western society is almost always tired. In the morning a cup of coffee seems the minimum. Now, it is almost the norm to have a triple latte. How much caffeine is that?

Then at each break, a pick me up of some type seems in order. After all, you need to get back in shape for the next rush of work.

At the end of the day, you surely feel tired. So, why can't you get to sleep?

Well, you need more than mental fatigue to get a good nights sleep. You need at least some physical fatigue as well.

The body and mind were designed for optimum physical activity. But most of us don't get even the minimum daily adult requirement of walking. We tend to sit at a desk in a cubicle and push paper.

Or, we may work on an assembly line. But we go through the same motions over and over. We have used only a few of our muscles during the day.

The best way to get your body in shape to be relaxed and let your mind sleep is a good workout. I highly recommend one of two methods - a good brisk walk or a good brisk swim.

If you can't walk without quite a bit of pain in your joints - combine the activities and walk in the pool. You will find that there is a lot less stress on your joints.

Finally - Sleep

There are other things that will help you with a good nights sleep and I will be covering those in future articles. But for now, try these two things and you will definitely notice a great improvement in your ability to get to sleep easily and feel more refreshed in the morning.