Sleep Well, Live Better | Your World Sleep Day Survival GuideIf it’s 3 AM and you’re staring at the ceiling calculating how much sleep you’ll get if you fall asleep right now, you aren't just tired—you're experiencing sleep anxiety.
For World Sleep Day, we are going beyond basic "hygiene" to explore sleep optimization at a biological level. In this episode of Calming Anxiety, Martin—a clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic—guides you through a manual override for your fight or flight response, allowing your body to finally enter the deep sleep it craves.Discover the power of circadian alignment and learn the trending 7-1 sleep rule to fix your internal clock.
Morning Sunlight: Get 10 minutes of natural light before your day starts to anchor your night-time sleep cycle.
The script
Transcribed from the audio, so the odd word may be off. Tap any line while it plays to keep the words in step with Martin's voice.
It's 3am, you're staring at the ceiling. Calculating how many hours of sleep you'll get if you fall asleep right now. That's not rest, that's sleep anxiety. Today is World Sleep Day and we're taking sleep optimization, but we're going deeper, we're talking about how to actually switch off the fight or flight response, so that the body can finally enter deep sleep.
Hi there, I'm Martin, a clinical hypnotherapist, former paramedic, and you're guide to a calmer life. You're listening to calming anxiety. Do subscribe and hit that notification if you want more, and if you're ready to move from exhaustion to the circadian alignment, then this is for you. And you're quiet place now, where you won't be disturbed, somewhere comfy, to sit or lie down.
When I was in the back of the ambulance, I learnt that the body survives on adrenaline, but it thrives on sleep regularly. The biggest trend this year is the 7-1 sleep run. It's simple. Aimed for 7 hours of sleep, but the one is the key.
You must wake up within a 1 hour window every single day to fix your circadian rhythm. When you're struggling to drift off, your carbon dioxide levels can spike due to the shallow anxiety breathing. We're going to fix that right now, with the physiological sigh. It really is the fastest way to trigger the parasympathetic activation.
In your mental practice, you'll take a deep breath in through the nose, and then just at the very top, you take one more tiny sip of air to fully expand the lungs, and then let out a long, slow, audible sigh. Let's do that now, ready? In, and then out, big sigh. Let's do that 3 times in a row.
Ready? In breath? All the way in? Extrasip?
And out. Big sigh. Let it go. Let your shoulders drop away from your ears.
And again, in, in, in. Extrasip? And out and relax. Melt yourself into the bed beneath you.
And then one more time. In? And out. Relax.
You really will feel the vagus nerve, signaling to your brain, that the threat of the day is over. This is your biological kill switch for sleep onset insomnia. Practice it often. Keep it in your toolkit for calming, anxious moments.
These times when we get triggered, which is so natural and normal, but we've forgotten how to control them. Now, feel for those moments of stress and tension in your body. Breathe into them with every in breath. Feel life and positivity.
And then as you exhale, imagine them unnotting, unwinding. And allow yourself now to drift, to float deeply and safely into a beautiful state of non-sleep de-rest, ready for the night ahead or the day. Now settle in. If you're in bed, let the mattress take your full weight.
The length of this state of NSDR. This year we know that even if you don't fall asleep immediately, the near sleep deep rest provides nearly the same cognitive recovery as a good nap. Close your eyes. Imagine your body becoming 10% heavier with every breath.
Your feet. Your calves. Relax. Your hips.
All sinking down deeply and safely. Unwinding. The muscle fibers loosening and lengthening. Visualize your brain's internal rinse cycle as you breathe.
Maybe imagine a cool silver mist washing through your mind. Cleaning out the beta amelite clutter and the stresses. Allow those moments of tension. Maybe a vanga allow them to dissolve with every outbreak.
They leave your mind and body. You're entering the liminal space, that beautiful doorway between being awake and dreaming.
There is no trying here. There is only being. But within this moment of comfort, of balance. Visualize these wonderful words.
Repeat them if you wish within your thoughts. My body knows how to heal. I am safe. I am heavy.
I am drifting into restorative sleep. I am drifting into restorative sleep.
I am drifting into restorative sleep. I am drifting into restorative sleep. My body knows how to heal.
I am safe. I am heavy. I am drifting into restorative sleep.
Deeper and deeper, you imagine yourself fading. Further and further down with every outbreak, that natural sense of release, of unwinding, flows out from your chest into every fiber of your being, into every thought, into every memory. You allow yourself to let go. Within this moment of mindful connection, of mind, body and soul, in balance and harmony, you accept these three day in caring tips.
One, morning sunlight, to get ten minutes of natural light before your day properly starts, to anchor your melatonin production for the night ahead. Two, the 18 degree centigrade, 64 degree Fahrenheit room, a cool, core temperature is the physical treatment for REM sleep. And three, the worry dump. If your mind is looping, write it down, putting your thoughts on paper so your brain doesn't have to load them whilst you sleep.
These are your calming tips to embrace, to help you heal.
Now relax deeply and safely. If you wish, fall asleep now. If you need to get up for the rest of the day, we'll do so after the final word. Prepare your mind for sleep each day by practicing these steps tonight.
For more guided sessions on insomnia relief, head over to calminganxiety.fm. Sleep well my friend. I look forward to connecting tomorrow in your dreams tonight. Be kind.