5 Relaxation Techniques for Sleep to Help People with Insomnia

3. Guided Imagery 

The relaxation technique of guided imagery can serve as another tool in our armamentarium against insomnia. This technique involves visualizing a setting or scenario in which the person felt their best, such as a favorite location or pleasant experience, and mentally recreating it. 

Alternatively, the patient can imagine a setting in which they have never been but imagine as tranquil, such as an isolated island, a favorite spot with loved one(s), or up in space. Think of it as a teleportation, one where the person, alone, is in control of their destiny. 

Advise the patient to immerse themselves and engage all the senses—visual, olfactory, aural, gustatory, tactile—and practice mindfulness. They should imagine how they would interact with the flora and fauna in this environment and how they would conduct themselves. This halcyon scene will not only relax patients but also provide a distraction from their insomnia. In other words, when insomnia occurs, the patient should detach from anything related to the bed or bedroom environment by either physically leaving it or mentally teleporting the mind elsewhere.

4. Audio Sleep Stories

Some of my patients with insomnia have found it useful to be lulled to sleep like a baby. Meditative stories, either via podcasts or apps like HeadSpace, allow another avenue in which to feel relaxed. The soothing and often soporific voices these narrators use are in direct contrast to the bustling noise of the workday. The result is a hypnotic trance that may lead to faster sleep onset by slowing heart rate and breathing.

5. Reading (It’s OK)

For patients who usually read in bed, I am OK with them continuing this habit. 

Light reading, particularly fiction, before bed can help people fall asleep more easily.² Fiction allows an escape from the present-day realities to distant worlds, where the reader is implicated in someone’s else predicament instead of their own. When the brain is occupied, the body’s fatigue takes over, allowing sleep to occur naturally. Reading until becoming too tired to focus on the words is an effective strategy.

These five techniques can be beneficial not only for insomnia but also for other situations in which a person experiences stress. Remember: sleep is an extension of life. What affects a person’s daily life will also affect their slumber. Help people with insomnia incorporate these relaxation techniques into their routines to help manage stress and improve overall sleep hygiene.

References

1. Weil A. Three breathing exercises and techniques. Available at www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/stress-anxiety/breathing-three-exercises.

2. Finucane E, O’Brien A, Treweek S, et al. Does reading a book in bed make a difference to sleep in comparison to not reading a book in bed? The People’s Trial-an online, pragmatic, randomised trial. Trials. 2021 Dec 4;22(1):873.

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