Psychologists tell us that the mind and body work together. So if the mind is tense and worried, the body is tense as well. These of course are major contributing factors in making sleep difficult. Since they work together,r by calming the body down we also calm the mind, which helps induce sleep.
By taking just a few minutes to perform the mental exercise in the next paragraphs, you will be rewarded with a new found ability to sleep, almost at will. The exercise should be done when you are in bed ready to sleep. You need not memorize it, but try to use it as a model for the instructions you give yourself.
Close your eyes and imagine the eyelids are very heavy and don’t want to open. Think about how comfortable they feel closed. The heaviness from your eyelids is spreading to the rest of your face. Your mouth is relaxed and slightly open. Your jaw feels relaxed and your scalp is also comfortable and relaxed.
And now let your neck and shoulder feel heavy and relaxed. Let the relaxation and heaviness spread into your upper arms and down into your forearms. From your forearms into your hands and fingers. Let your chest and back feel heavy and relaxed. With each breath that you exhale let your upper body from the top of your head to your waist relax.
The relaxation from your upper body is drifting down into your hips and thighs. Think of it now drifting down into your calves and ankles and into your feet.
The essence of what you have just read is to give you and idea of how to talk your body into a state of relaxation that will promote sleep. Generally speaking, it is a good idea to start with the eyelids and work your way through the face, neck, shoulders, arms, chest and back and then to the hips, thighs, calves and feet. Another words, just follow the anatomy.