How to Switch Off and Fall Asleep

With the amount of input modern living delivers us on a daily basis it's no wonder that people find it hard to drop off. There are dozens of tips around for winding down before bedtime and scores of sleep aids and natural remedies available. Often though, you can wind down and retire feeling pleasantly dozy, only for the mind to start buzzing as soon as you're in bed. Humans are thinking beings and emptying the mind is tough. Experts in meditation may be able think nothingness, but most of us can't. Rather, we must direct our thoughts in ways that encourage sleep.

Reducing stimulation: the essence of switching off

The classic sleeplessness remedy is counting sheep: basically, bore yourself to sleep. Boredom is essentially a state of under-stimulation that is conducive to nodding off. Ironically, the key to this technique is a certain amount of effort and concentration, which can be a stimulus in itself if poorly directed.

Concentrating achieves two aims. It narrows the thought field, limiting the 'grasshopper phenomenon', where one thought leads to another, then another, perpetuating that mental buzz. Second, it can help by focussing attention on things that are free of anxiety-inducing associations. Planning the activities of the next day is almost guaranteed to exacerbate insomnia.

Effort v. boredom

Counting sheep works because sustaining the mental image of leaping sheep and keeping tally sidelines other thoughts. Number games work because numbers typically carry few emotional associations. But sometimes sheep are just too boring and the mind wanders. It can also be too easy, since most of us can count from one to whatever almost without thinking. Finding the balance between something that dulls and engages the mind is the solution. Effective strategies vary from person to person.

The blackboard game uses the neutral number principle but demands more concentrated attention. Picture a blackboard in your mind, then count from one. As you count, visualise a blackboard on which you write the preceding number: say 'one', write 'nought', etcetera. Because this requires more effort, other thoughts are less likely to intrude.

Alphabet games may also achieve the right balance. Pick a topic and mentally compile a matching A to Z. Any topic serves: animals, actors, authors, colours, flowers. If you get stuck on 'q' and other tricky letters move on, or frustration may just reawaken you.

Relaxation games combined with counting may do the trick. Concentrate on relaxing from the feet up while keeping count (toes + ankle + calf, etcetera). An alternative relaxation game focuses specifically on jaw relaxation. Rumour has it that its harder to form mental words, and therefore to think, if the jaw is relaxed. Trying to relax the jaw while the mind wants to play is difficult enough to require concentration and bland enough to bring on shutdown.

If counting sheep is too boring, some other commonly recommended strategies, like making up stories or mentally singing songs, can be too stimulating. Silently rehearsing your favourite ditty can trigger off a chain of affect-laden associations. Making lists is more effective - but not tomorrow's to-do list! Try listing things in your house that are blue, or something equally trivial.

Finally, know thyself. Know what bores and/or excites you. Make up your own chill-out strategies. I sometimes look at what I can 'see' with my eyes closed - there's more to see than you might think! It's engaging but emphatically not thrilling enough to keep me awake for long...