I know a lot of you are going to relate to this and I’ve got something that I think will help you.
It’s 1 am, 2 am now 3 am and your are just not falling asleep. You re’ in bed and your mind sifting through all the things all the sleep experts say to do and to not do. You change position and think: “Ok, I am comfy on this side, I think I will fall asleep now.” But you don’t fall asleep. Instead you have just ruminated and catastrophized and you are feeling even more awake and alert and, of course, anxious. Familiar?
Well, when this happened for the 4 millionth time (ok a little hyperbole here) the other night I got out of bed, went to my desk and found old papers that needed to be disposed of. Stay with me here… the papers had too much personal info on them to throw away so, what did I do? I shredded. I’m not talking ripping in half, quarters and quarters again, I’m talking ripping into tiny pieces like a human paper shredder. I put on soft piano music, got to work and in less than an hour later my eyelids felt heavy so I made my way back to bed and yes , I fell asleep.
My point: If you can’t sleep there is probably some mundane or rote task that needs doing and perhaps that is the perfect time to accomplish one of these less-than-exciting chores.
I have cleaned out cabinets, drawers, emptied dishwashers, folded laundry, reorganized shelves, purged bookshelves and even paid bills in the liminal space of 1-3 am more times than I care to admit. But it works. Busy hands will quiet the mind.
Look around your home and make a list of mundane tasks that need little little mental power and next time you are wide- eyed at 2 am, get out of bed, put on some soothing music and tackle one of those tasks.
You will have the dopamine lift of knowing you crossed something off your to do list and your mind will be less inclined to ruminate or catastrophize if you are finally clearing out the clutter in that kitchen drawer you have not been able to easily close for years.
Or, as I told a friend who wants to cultivate behavioral changes to give up her habit of snacking when she can’t sleep: I said, “Clean your fridge, don’t eat from it!;’
Sweet dreams,
Donna
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