Not sleeping does not necessarily mean insomnia, it may also be due to "sleep procrastination"!

Author: Lei Xuexue, Jilin University First Hospital

Reviewer: Wu Jie, Deputy Chief Nurse, First Hospital of Jilin University

I wonder if you have had this experience...

There are always a lot of things to do before going to bed, such as cleaning the room, walking the dog, chatting with friends, and taking care of children; but even after completing all the above things, you are still reluctant to fall asleep. At this time, you start watching videos and short dramas, as if it is a compensation for yourself after a hard day's work, or an escape from the tedious daily routine of "opening your eyes is another day of work and life" after sleeping. Even though you know in your heart that staying up late has many harms, you still firmly believe that "I am not staying up late, but freedom"!

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But do you know that not sleeping is actually a form of "sleep procrastination". If this continues for a long time, it will have a great impact on our health!

Sleep procrastination refers to the inability of people to prepare for sleep within a reasonable time without any external factors (such as work or family). Someone once described sleep procrastination as "people who do not have much control over their daytime life refuse to go to bed early in order to regain a sense of freedom late at night."

1. How to determine whether you have sleep procrastination?

You can use the Sleep Procrastination Scale to self-assess.

The higher the score on this scale, the greater the impact of procrastination on your sleep. The total score is divided by 9 to calculate the average score for each question. For every 1 point increase in a person's average score, the sleep time will decrease by about half an hour.

2. What should we do if the self-test results show that procrastination has a great impact on sleep?

1. Psychological suggestion, time-limited self-regulation

Give yourself a psychological hint, make it clear that "night is rest time", and set a bedtime for yourself. In fact, sleep delay is more caused by psychological factors, that is, "don't want to end today too early, and don't want to welcome tomorrow too early."

2. Self-control and establish a sleeping ritual

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Stay away from electronic products (try to put down your mobile phone, tablet, etc. 1 hour before going to bed).

You can establish a fixed ritual before going to bed, such as planning what you want to do tomorrow in advance, preparing clothes for the next day, soaking your feet in hot water before going to bed, drinking a cup of warm milk, listening to soft music, keeping a diary, etc.; finally, create a dark sleeping environment.

3. Practical sleep-aiding exercises

(1) Head: frown your eyebrows and nose, and close your eyes tightly. Hold for 10 seconds each and then relax.

(2) Shoulders: Tighten your shoulders and lift them high until they almost touch your ears.

(3) Arms: Bend your forearms and place them on both sides of your body, close to your shoulders, and then tense your entire arms.

(4) Hands: Clench your fists until you can no longer clench them, then slowly release and relax.

(5) Abdomen: Tighten your abdomen as much as possible, as if someone is about to punch you in the abdomen and you are trying to avoid it. Keep tightening your abdomen for 10 seconds.

(6) Legs: Tighten your thighs and buttocks, place a coin between your knees, and straighten your legs and lift them up.

The interval between the above exercises is 10 seconds. You can choose 1 to 2 before going to bed according to your own situation, and stop when you feel sleepy.

4. Re-evaluate your cognition and gain positive energy

Studies have shown that people who are not good at self-compassion experience more negative emotions at night, so they need to spend more time adjusting their emotions and are more likely to procrastinate on sleep. Therefore, we need to change our emotional responses by re-cognizing and reinterpreting events and adopt a positive approach to the occurrence of events. For example, if you feel unwell, you can tell yourself that you are too tired recently, and your body reminds you to take a good rest and relax.

5. Sleep with mindfulness to cultivate your body and mind

The body is tired but the brain is still active. Mindfulness can calm the brain and enter a deeper sleep.

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Mindful Sleeping Technique

First, do a pre-sleep meditation. Lie down comfortably, stretch your limbs, and focus on your breathing and the physical sensations during breathing, such as the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen, the feeling of the airflow entering the deepest part of your body through your nostrils, and the feeling of exhaling from your mouth. Take a slow, deep breath, then exhale slowly and deeply, and repeat several times.

Then practice "Goodnight Body". Say goodnight to every part of your body, gently shake that part while saying goodnight, and then relax that part. You can start from the head to relax, forehead, cheeks, corners of mouth, facial muscles; chin, neck, shoulders, arms, palms, fingertips; back muscles, chest, abdomen, shoulders; both thighs, knees, calves, and toes should also be relaxed. Relax all parts of the body, don't let any part be tight or tense. Then, imagine your body is an empty space, empty, feel your body getting lighter and lighter, and gradually merge into the quiet night.

The "China Sleep Research Report (2022)" calls on all people to practice the "118" healthy sleep concept, that is, "go to bed at 11 o'clock and sleep for 8 hours." Let's unload our fatigue, stay away from our phones, and go to bed early tonight!

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