How to fall asleep easily
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By Lee Sun-ho
Sleep is associated with a state of reduced perception of environmental stimuli. It is a necessity, not a luxury. The quality of our sleep directly affects the outcome of our time spent awake. Lack of sleep can ruin a lot of things: our mood, patience, focus and sense of enjoyment in life. It also affects our judgment, coordination and reaction times.
The sleeping body alternates between non-REM and REM sleep. REM stands for “rapid eye movement” but involves many other aspects including virtual paralysis of the body. Sleep patterns depend widely for different individuals. Even the advent of industrialization and artificial light have substantially altered human sleep habits for the last century or longer
For years I used to suffer from short, broken sleeps with unrealistic REM-associated dreams before waking up, instead of falling into a long, deep sleep. I would lie awake in bed, yet be incapable of drifting off into slumber. This would wreak havoc on my mornings, even though I often become drowsy at home while viewing TV, at a theater while watching a movie on the screen, or even inside a moving subway or a car.
Recently one Internet-site introduced me the “4-7-8 breathing technique” developed by Dr. Andrew Weil, a Harvard-educated medical doctor, as a simple way to calm both the mind and the body, thus helping me fall asleep in under 180 seconds. Other benefits of this better-sleep method include worldly-thought reduction, slower heart-rate, improved concentration and more.
The “4-7-8 method” is very straightforward:
(1) Taking a deep breath through my nose for 4 seconds
(2) Holding my breath in for 7 seconds
(3) Forcefully exhaling through my mouth for 8 seconds.
I usually pass out by the 7th or 9th repetition. I tried this method, and it has worked consistently ever since, putting me in a more sleep-oriented mental state.
Sound sleep on a regular basis helps our brain work best. Non-thinking deep sleep is necessary for memory formation and retention. Sleep deprivation slows our thinking and has been shown to increase the chances of critical disease symptoms, especially a direct link to overeating and weight-gain.
Fortunately, I sleep better now that I do this unconditioned breathing behavior at night, even though I wake up a couple of times to use the comfort room since I sip up an amount of water before bed in order to help my bronchial tubes circulate better.
While slow-wave sleep requirements vary from person to person, most healthy adults need at least 7 hours of sleep per night under the 16 to 18 degrees Celsius to function at their best. Since older adults often have trouble sleeping this long at night, a mid-day cat nap can help fill in the gap. If we are logging enough hours, we will feel energetic and alert all day long, from the moment we wake up until our regular sleep-cycled bedtime, including golden sleeping hours from 11:00 p.m. through 03:00 a.m.
Restful sleep in life is very important. It is little wonder we want as many gifts as possible. That is why we must provide ourselves with knowledge and remind ourselves of what is healthy for our well-being. By discovering the hidden healing power of sleep, we will enjoy a much more productive existence while we are awake. REM is not just the name of a famous band, but something that allows us to improve our body energies that lie within us and allow us to enjoy sweet sleep instead of wakeful dozing!
The writer is an ombudsman columnist to The Korea Times in Seoul. Contact him at kexim2@unitel.co.kr.