TROUBLE-SHOOTING—WHAT GOES WRONG?
Friday, May 8th, 2009In any operating manual or handbook, there is always a section on trouble-shooting—how to handle problems and what to do if things go wrong.
Now what can go wrong with the control of our in-built sleep mechanism? The main failure with the psychological switch is our lack of perseverence in maintaining the THS. We lose confidence and let our thoughts go wild without coming back repeatedly to the THS. We must control that spotlight so that it will only focus on our relaxing thoughts. Self-hypnosis is an active exercise, and we must activate that spotlight to focus on the relaxing parts of our bodies. Do not reject any intruding thoughts, as rejection means focusing on them.
Not being able to follow good sleep hygiene is another failure. Too much caffiene, not putting the alarm clock away, or waking up at different times every morning are all detrimental to good sleep.
If you suffer chronic insomnia because of chronic stress, you must learn how to manage your stress properly. Normal ordinary stress should not cause insomnia, as we experience this everyday. Look at the 80 per cent of what you have achieved and ignore the 20 per cent of bad luck, as one can never be always lucky. Revise chapter 16 on Sleep and Stress if you still have a problem coping.
Sleeping pills are useful in only a limited number of circumstances, and they should not be used for more than two weeks. When you stop them, they must be stopped very gradually to minimize rebound insomnia. You must distinguish between true insomnia and rebound insomnia.
You cannot fall asleep if you already have had too much sleep. Also you cannot fall asleep easily at the wrong time of day, according to the biological clock.
Finally, if all else fails, call in the professionals.
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