Gratitude for Better Sleep

I’ve been hearing a lot lately that people are having difficulty sleeping – both falling asleep and staying asleep. Worry thoughts can creep in at bedtime, or when waking up in the middle of the night, because we don’t have any distractions. And the trouble with these worry thoughts is that they tend to gain momentum and grow stronger. I thought it would be a good time to share this one simple technique that can help.

When those worry thoughts interfere with sleep, one simple method to help you fall asleep or get back to sleep is to focus on one thing that you are grateful for. This helps to shift your thinking and the energy that comes with it, and send that in a positive direction. If your worry thought is about the next day and something you need to do, you may feel relieved if you first jot it down on a piece of paper, releasing it from your brain. Your task now is to sleep, not to tackle your to do list!

Think about what you are grateful for in full detail. For example, if you are grateful for a person, what is it about this person that you are grateful for? Thinking about what you are grateful for helps to quiet the chatter in your mind and takes your thoughts away from what is causing worry and affecting the nervous system. You may also wish to pair this with slow deep breathing to help relax your body.

Give this a try the next time you have trouble falling asleep or when you have trouble falling back to sleep. I’d love to hear how it goes!

Gratitude – simple, powerful.

If you’d like a wearable reminder to practice gratitude, you might love the Gratitude Heals Bracelet. You can check that out by clicking HERE.

If you’d like some more ideas related to FEELING Good, check out my latest book, FEELING Good: 35 Proven Ways to Happiness, Even During Tough Times.