Can’t Sleep? How To Relax Your Way to Better Rest April 14, 2025 Picture this: you’re lying in bed. The lights are off. But your mind? Wide awake. If your mind won’t stop racing at night, you’re not alone. In today’s fast-paced world, many adults struggle to fall asleep due to stress, anxiety, or simply being unable to switch off. Luckily, there are simple and effective relaxation techniques that can calm your body and mind, ease nighttime stress, and improve both sleep and overall well-being. Mindfulness and Guided Meditation Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment. For example, instead of letting your thoughts wander, you calmly observe them without judgment. With practice, this helps quiet mental chatter and reduce nighttime stress and sleep disturbances.1 Guided meditations also support this process, leading you through calming visualisations—perfect for letting go of the day’s worries. Meditative Movement Meditative movement practices like yoga, tai chi, and qigong combine gentle physical activity with mindful breathing and focused awareness.1 These exercises don’t require any special equipment—just a quiet space at home, even in your living room. Did you know just a short session of these activities in the evening can help reduce stress hormones such as cortisol, regulate the nervous system, and prepare your body for restful sleep?2,3 Yoga, in particular, has been widely studied for its ability to improve emotional well-being and support better sleep quality.4 Journalling Putting your thoughts and worries on paper is a great way to help clear your mind and make them easier to process. Just remember to keep a journal by your bedside to jot down any anxious thoughts that arise before sleep. The simple act of writing things out, and seeing them on the page, can give you perspective. Often, the things that feel overwhelming in your head don’t seem quite as big once they’re written down. Deep Breathing & Progressive Relaxation Deep breathing techniques, like the 4-7-8 method, activate your parasympathetic nervous system, the part of your body’s nervous system responsible for calming you down after stress.5 It also slows your heart rate, lowers blood pressure and signals to your brain that it’s safe to relax and rest. 5 Try the 4-7-8 method: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and exhale for 8.1 You can pair this with progressive muscle relaxation—tensing and releasing muscles from head to toe—to ease tension from the body.1 To practice it, gently focus on each part of your body one at a time, noticing any sensations, discomfort, or areas of tightness. Like any new habit, these relaxation techniques take practice. If you’re struggling to sleep well, speak with your doctor. Relaxation isn’t a luxury—it’s a tool for better sleep and better health. How Sove CPAP Clinic Can Help Founded in 2008, Sove CPAP Clinic has grown to become a leading provider of respiratory and sleep services and products in Australia, with over 60 clinics nationwide. Our comprehensive clinical team includes Respiratory & Sleep Specialists, Sleep Technologists, and CPAP Consultants, ensuring that you receive comprehensive and personalised care. All medical procedures, including sleep studies and lung function testing, are bulk billed to all Australians, with minimal wait time. If you would like to speak to a Respiratory & Sleep Physician, book a bulk-billed sleep study, or seek advice for your sleep apnea, you can reach us at 1300 76 29 39 or info@thecpapclinic.com.au. ALWAYS FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR USE. CPAP is used for Obstructive Sleep Apnea treatment. When considering whether a sleep study or CPAP is right for you, speak to your doctor. Medicare criteria and T&C’s apply Citations 1. Fry, Alexa. “The Best Ways to Relieve Stress so You Can Sleep Soundly.” Sleep Foundation, 19 Jan. 2017, www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/how-to-relieve-stress-for-bedtime. 2. Thirthalli, J, et al. “Cortisol and Antidepressant Effects of Yoga.” Indian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 55, no. 7, 2013, p. 405, https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.116315. 3. Chawla, Vanika. “How Yoga Affects the Brain and Body to Reduce Stress – Lifestyle Medicine.” Longevity.stanford.edu, 3 Oct. 2023, longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle/2023/10/03/how-yoga-affects-the-brain-and-body-to-reduce-stress/. 4. Turmel, Denis, et al. “Tailored Individual Yoga Practice Improves Sleep Quality, Fatigue, Anxiety, and Depression in Chronic Insomnia Disorder.” BMC Psychiatry, vol. 22, no. 1, 14 Apr. 2022, pp. 1–9, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03936-w. 5. Vierra, Jaruwan, et al. “Effects of Sleep Deprivation and 4‐7‐8 Breathing Control on Heart Rate Variability, Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose, and Endothelial Function in Healthy Young Adults.” Physiological Reports, vol. 10, no. 13, July 2022, https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.15389.
