Cures for Insomnia

Posts Tagged ‘conflict’

Have you ever had a fight with someone who is (or was) important to you? Of course you have, right? Arguments, disagreements, hurts and conflict close to bed time can significantly impact your ability or inability to sleep.

You might think this is obvious but for others it just might clue them into something that has become a natural part of life. And that part is stopping them from sleeping.

Take a look at who you talk to before bed. What do you talk about? Is it a time to talk about those pressing issues you didn’t get to earlier in the day? Do you feel like you need resolve issues?

On one hand, resolving issues before bed can be a good thing. We all know the saying, “don’t go to bed angry.” If something is bothering you and you are just holding it in, this can impact how you sleep. It doesn’t mean you need to start a fight or argument but you need to resolve it, even within yourself if that’s the only way.

Issues that should be resolved before bed are usually emotional ones. If you were hurt by something someone said or did, then it can help to talk about it, forgive and move on.

Other issues are not helpful to talk about before bed. Controversial issues that could lead to disagreement and conflict. These kinds of discussions lead to stress – your blood pressure goes up, you get tense, etc. This physical response will not help you to sleep. Just the opposite. You may even be in “fight-or-flight” and that will definitely not help you to sleep!

Discussions about money, who is right/wrong about something, what someone should or shouldn’t be doing, etc, are good to avoid. You can probably pinpoint a few touchy areas from your own relationships.

What can be helpful is to choose a specific time a day to talk about those kinds of topics. And times of day not to talk about them. I would suggest leaving the hour before bed free from topics that could lead to conflict. Use that time to wind down, not “wind up”. Be aware of things that start to create tension in your body and stay away from them. It just may be one thing that will help you to get to sleep and to sleep easier.