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| Insomnia Aid | Mental games to help you sleep
There seem to be two schools of thought on this subject - those who believe that mental games can send you to sleep and those who believe that they stimulate your mind and keep you awake!
If you feel they might help you, here are a few examples:
Word games
• spell long words and sentences backwards
• think of a poem or song then count how many a's or b's there are in it
• work your way through the alphabet thinking of a four-letter word beginning with each letter
• repeat long pieces of poetry or prose
Imagination games
• recall in great detail a favourite painting, piece of music, place
• imagine a storm raging outside while you are safe and warm in bed
• visualise yourself sinking into your bed until you can't tell where your body ends and the bed begins
• make your mind a complete blank then imagine a pleasant colour and prevent it from taking any form.
And if all else fails, you can always count sheep!
Getting additional help
The focus of this leaflet has been self-help. However, you may feel that you need some help in dealing with your sleeping problem.
There lot’s of people who can help you - a college nurse, your doctor or a counselor here at the University Counseling Service.
You shouldn’t feel bad about having to ask for help - insomnia is not a trivial matter. This can be debilitating and, once established, it can be difficult to shift - professional help and encouragement may be just what you need.
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