How To Sell Sleep to Your Brain

Welcome to this week’s video.

Today, I want to talk to you about detaching yourself from the outcome. This is one of the most important things that you can learn to move toward better sleep. 

By the way, if you are already in the Sleep Makeover program, there's an even more detailed version of this topic that looks at it from a different way. It helps to look at things from different ways so that it makes sense. Or perhaps one way of looking at this topic will resonate better with you.

To learn about detaching yourself form the outcome, I'm gonna use the analogy of a salesperson. Let's say your talking to a salesperson and he's trying to sell you his product.  However, he's being very pushy, putting a lot of pressure on you, and is desperate for you to buy his product.

What would your reaction to this scenario be?

Likely, you're going to try to get away and head toward the exit sign. That is a normal reaction to the pressure. If instead, he didn’t pressure you and allowed you to decide if the product is right for you, you’re more likely to purchase. At least for me that is the case. It reminds me of places in the mall that try to get you to sample their skin care and pull you in to buy. Their desperation to sell me skincare product only pushes me away.

Now as weird as it sounds, Imagine that you're trying to sell sleep to your brain. However, you're putting a ton of pressure on your brain. You’re telling it that you have to sleep, and that your health, well-being, and ability to get through the next day, and go on trips depends on it. You’re desperate to sell the brain sleep and putting lots of pressure on the brain and in the end, no sleep happens.

If instead, you allow the brain the time and the space it needs, then over time it will start to “buy” sleep more and more as it feels safer. The way to approach sleep is by giving your brain the space and time it needs to take sleeplessness off the threat radar and reduce its fight or flight reaction. It's gonna take time but removing the desperation and pressure on the brain is going to be the best way you can approach sleep. Don’t get me wrong, I know the feeling of desperation for sleep and it’s not easy to reduce that desperation. Nobody likes experiencing insomnia and sleeplessness.

However, allowing sleep to happen when the brain feels safe and ready again is the way out of insomnia.  In the end, you're going to get the outcome that you want. Desperation and pressure will only lead to less sleep and maintaining your insomnia.