I Am Asleep
By M. Ron Eslinger,RN, CRNA, APN, MA, BCH, CMI, FNGH
Captain United States Navy, Retired
I am Asleep is a sleep aid designed to help you focus on sleeping restfully. This CD played nightly accompanied with proper nutrition and exercise will play an important role in enhancing your sleep cycle.
The Geneva Convention classifies sleep deprivation as a means of torture. Millions of people torture themselves every night by not allowing themselves to go to sleep and stay a sleep.
The body heals itself during sleep and 7-8 hours of sleep are optimal for good health. Take charge or your health.
Our brain listens when we think and when we speak. Making statements such as, I can’t go to sleep, I have trouble sleeping, I go to sleep easy, but then I wake up and can’t go back to sleep. You get a thought on your mind and it keeps you awake. You worry, it keeps you awake. What statements are you saying to yourself? What do you worry about?
Are you ready to quit sabotaging your sleep so that you can get a restful, healing night’s sleep? Make a good night’s sleep a habit. Go to bed around the same time every night. Do not watch the nightly news. It stimulates stress hormones.
1st Clear your mind of projects, to do lists and worry. Easy to say, how do I do that? Simple, focus your thoughts on abdominal breathing. Breathe in, hold for a moment then breathe out. The breath will drop the diaphragm which stimulates the Vagus nerve and activate the release of endorphin, melatonin, and serotonin from the brain. These three hormones act as pain killers and sleep aids.
2nd listen to the CD provided. Play it on repeat quietly in the back.
The CD is composed of:
• A fading statement in the 1st person. “I am a sleep” repeated over and over and fading away.
• The music is biorhythmic at 60 beats a minute. It entrains the heart and represses the release of flight and fight hormones.
• There is an underlying Theta tone which entrains the brains to slow from Beta awake to Theta, the pre-sleep cycle (also known as the hypnogogic state). In the hypnogogic state you are listening to the suggestion “I am a sleep.”
• There is an underlying metronome at 60 beats a minute to support the bio-rhythmic music and decreasing stress.
• We bring it all together with an underlying mother’s heartbeatso you sleep like a baby in your mother’s arms.
You deserve a good night’s sleep. Expect a good night sleep, eat, drink, meditate and exercise with a focus on a restful night’s sleep.
Place: Find a quiet room where you can work undisturbed.
Position: To learn progressive relaxation, all parts of your body must be comfortably supported. Find a bed, a couch, or a recliner.
Clothing: Wear loose clothing.
Time: Designate about fifteen minutes daily. Try to schedule a fixed time everyday so you wont forget to do your progressive relaxation.
Focus: Try to focus on the particular sensations that come from letting go of tension.