After training to become a Solution-Focused Hypnotherapist, this saying had a whole new meaning to me.
When we have an empty stress bucket, when we feel like we are coping and are generally very happy, we naturally fall asleep well and sleep through the night. By doing this we are getting the REM sleep that we need. Why is REM sleep so important? Because it’s when we process the events of the day and the events are changed from being an emotional memory to a narrative memory – they become a memory that we have control over. Our REM sleep is so powerful that it is like our brain is on fire and our body is paralysed – otherwise we would be acting out the whole drama!
So this is great! We process the events (including any that may have caused a bit of irritation) and we wake up feeling fresh and ready to start another day. We have slept on the problem that may have occurred the day before, and we now have the solution to it – or we may have realised it isn’t actually a problem and we’ve already moved on.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen to everyone. Sometimes we ‘sleep on it’ and the problem just feels even bigger the next day! So why is this? It’s because you may have a stress bucket that is overflowing. Sometimes we don’t even realise we have an overflowing bucket, but if we are finding sleep tricky then this is a sign.
Our brains are so clever because if our stress bucket is overflowing then they might think, ‘I know what will help, let’s get some more REM’ (our optimum REM is 20%). However, because like I said, REM is so powerful, if we are allowed to overdo our REM then we wake up exhausted and that problem that we had the day before wouldn’t have been processed efficiently. It’s when we think we’ve had a great night sleep, but we can’t wake up all morning and just feel groggy – many times did I use to say but I had 10 hours sleep last night, I should be full of energy!
Another way our brain may help us is by not letting us overdo our REM, but by doing that, it wakes us up in the night. And because it’s our brain waking us up, we wake up wide awake, possibly worrying, and we find it hard to get back to sleep. Again, our stress bucket is then not emptied and that problem that we had yesterday seems even worse.
So you can see, sleep is so important and the phrase ‘Sleep on it’ is so true, but only when our stress bucket is not overflowing and we can get the 20% REM that we need. When we get the 20% REM that we need, we are in a positive cycle of dealing with things that get thrown our way.
When we are getting too much REM or not enough REM, we end up in a vicious cycle, where we might feel like we can’t cope and where ‘sleeping on it’ just doesn’t help.
So what can we do to help? So Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help with getting your sleep patterns working more efficiently. From the word go, you are given access to my MP3 sleep recording that helps to induce REM. We work on emptying out that stress bucket, that may be causing you feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, irritability or low mood.
You are given tools that can be used as you go through life to help keep that stress bucket low, so that you can remain in that positive sleep cycle so that the phrase, ‘I’m going to sleep on it’ really does ring true.
I will soon be adding Posts to my Blog – you can sign up to my Blog on this page and receive new Posts directly by email. Watch this space!