I’ve been hearing more lately, more moms being unable to sleep at night because there is something keeping them up at night – and not only moms, even men. Because of these situations, many people are having a harder and harder time to relax and stop that brain from thinking and have some rest.
But the good news, I found some tricks to switch off that part of the brain that keeps us thinking all the time in order to be able to relax and get some rest. And that’s why I’m here today to share that with you.
What is the name of that part of the brain which is just behind our forehead? What is it and what is it responsible for?
It is called the Prefrontal Cortex. The conscious part of our brain. It evaluates everything that comes to us. It’s responsible for decision-making and problem-solving. So, when we are unable to sleep at night, that is the region of the brain that is active.
Now, how can we deactivate it?
Before we go to that part, I want to share my story first:
Last year I joined the Positive Intelligence course by Shirzad where I learned about self-command muscles in the brain, which when strengthened, allow us to better handle negative emotions like stress, anger, self-doubt, etc. Just like we can do exercises to be physically fit, we can also do exercises to be mentally fit. Strengthening self-command muscles show a difference in MRI scans.
At first, I even wasn’t convinced that I can really train that muscles, but then when I keep doing that exercise, I noticed how it helped me relax.
So when I finished the course, I kept doing the exercise because every time I did it it made me relaxed and even fall asleep but I didn’t understand why at that time.
So what is this exercise?
it’s about breathing.
So first, I start by taking three deep breathes.
and then back to breathing normally while guiding my brain to focus on how my stomach moves as I breath..
(And because our brain gets distracted easily, I bring the focus back on breathing.)
And then I locate my heartbeat with my right hand and focus on it.
After a little bit of time, maybe 60 seconds or so, once I feel like I’m concentrating, on my heartbeat, I move to another thing. Which is hearing the noise that is very far from me and later on, the noise that is very closer to me.
So in this process, when you keep doing it in the beginning, you train your mind to refocus., you slowly start to develop that self-command and really live in that moment of the breath, heartbeat, or the noise.
And I practice it sometimes when my brain is preoccupied, especially now, I want to get back to work, I’m thinking about the business, I have my child. Practicing this method really works.
But why it works?
Let’s go back to the Prefrontal Cortex.
When we are thinking so much, there are an over stimulation of the prefrontal cortex.
The level of activity of the Prefrontal Cortex depends on two chemical or neurotransmitters, which are dopamine and noradrinaline.
Too much of these hormones results in overstimulation and too low of them results to you are being bored, unmotivated or you cannot do anything.
When I do the exercise, I’m reducing the overstimulation on the Prefrontal Cortex because when, for example, I am focusing on hearing the noise, I am activating the zones of the brain which are responsible for perceiving the information coming to the sounds. And thus the Prefrontal cortex is less simulated, that’s why it starts to relax. That is the result of activating another area of the brain.
That’s why when we are stress, we say “Go for a walk” because when you go for walk. Because when you go for a walk, you activate another region of the brain which is the Motor Cortex, the part of the brain responsible for physical movement.
So my first tip is if you are feeling overwhelmed and not able to sleep, do this exercise and keep doing it more often.
And secondly, you can also write everything you are thinking and then do the exercise. It accelerates the process of relaxation because you bring your thoughts down, allowing your Prefrontal Cortex to be less in charge of keeping lots of information in memory. You can do it any day, any time to feel a little bit better, not only when you are going to sleep. And also before leaving or going to work.
Last but not least, I know we are in lockdown and most of the time, we are staying at home, but don’t underestimate going for a walk, now as you know the advantages of it. it will really make us feel better, so do it.
I encourage Mama to do it. Tell your partner, you need to go out ALONE, yes alone, and go for that walk, it will help you disconnect from the monotony of the day and will help you to reset. And when you do it once, it will be easier the next time. Keep doing it, and stay consistent and remember it is not a privilege to take time for ourselves, it is our right.
And If we do this and we show our kids, especially our boys, that we take time for ourselves, we are setting them an example. They will value that.
So please, take care of yourself, go for a walk, and do that exercise.