Sleep faster by trying to stay awake?

If you've ever worried away hours of sleep or put off bedtime because you have anxiety about falling asleep, paradoxical intention strategies might be worth a try. The funny thing about sleep, it's actually an involuntary physical process. Sure, most of us 'try' or intend to sleep, but the actual biological act of falling asleep and staying asleep, occurs without direct conscious control. Some of us (like me) fall into a pattern of trying to force ourselves to sleep. Over time we can actually develop a type of performance anxiety. We can start to become anxious about the thought of going to bed, or we fixate on the hours of sleep we're getting (or not getting). It can feel like a hopeless cycle, but it doesn't have to be.Try out this sleep hack, but most importantly: keep your medical team informed of your sleep quality and get medical information from accredited organization.
Next time you find yourself in the fruitless struggle of trying to force sleep, consider trying something different. First, go through a sleep routine and ritual, keeping your room dark and free of distraction. When your head hits the pillow, close your eyes (or don't) and allow your body to relax. As you sense the urge to chase and grab for sleep, instead endeavor to stay awake. Relaxed and otherwise prepared for sleep, but awake and wanting to stay that way. There are actually several variations of paradoxical intention that you can try and experiment with. One form instructs you to lay in bed (dark room, no distractions, playing a sleep trigger video 😉) with your eyes open. It's not a staring contest so blink and don't strain yourself, but try to keep your eyes open as long as you can as you relax the rest of your body. Another approach I take start with a fond memory and day dream. I take that memory and start a story and narrative in my mind, I keep evolving the story silently, until sleep takes me. I've included some peer-reviewed scholarly sources below. :)
Whatever brought you here, I'm glad you found us. Maybe you were looking for relaxing white noise to fall asleep to. Or perhaps you wanted something a bit more lively, like deep bass hot tub sounds to help you relax and block out distracting noise. Regardless, you're here now and we invite you to join our community of calm (subscribe). Take good care and rest well.
Jansson‐Fröjmark, M., Alfonsson, S., Bohman, B., Rozental, A., & Norell‐Clarke, A. (2021). Paradoxical intention for insomnia: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of Sleep Research, e13464. doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13464
Edinger, J. D., Arnedt, J. T., Bertisch, S. M., Carney, C. E., Harrington, J. J., Lichstein, K. L., ... & Martin, J. L. (2021). Behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia disorder in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. Journal of clinical sleep medicine, 17(2), 255-262.

[@tj6959]

Too high quality of content! Just wow

[@DrymouthCWW]

You made this OP?

[@tin3542]

Hmmm

[@tin3542]

interesting

[@SleepTriggers]

Worth a try Tin! :)