How To Sleep Better For A Peaceful Mind With Diane Macedo

How many times do you toss and turn during the night and find yourself unable to fall asleep? And before you know it, it’s time to start the day again! Having no choice, you need to get up and live through the day feeling groggy, wooly-headed, and nearly sedated. If you don’t know how to sleep better, then the tossing and turning in bed, again and again, wondering whether you have a sleeping disorder are signs you don’t.

But don’t worry, it’s not you. If you’ve tried everything but still can’t sleep well, today’s guest will give you insight on attaining quality sleep!  

Diane Macedo joins us to talk about why some of us can't get rid of our racing thoughts even if we're already comfortably tucked in bed. Diane shares two aspects you need to consider when looking for a solution: what keeps you awake and your unique lifestyle. Remember, you don't need to be perfect; instead, do what works for you.  

Don’t miss this episode and learn how to sleep better!

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode: 

  1. Learn why we have trouble falling asleep and why changes to our sleeping habits need to suit our specific problems and lifestyles. 

  2. Discover two specific techniques on how to sleep better. 

  3. Understand that you don't need to perfect your sleep. Learn to let go of your need for control. 

Resources

    Episode Highlights

    [01:29] Why Insomnia Occurs

    • Perfectionists tend to suffer from insomnia. 

    • Trauma and PTSD can also contribute to insomnia, but these are not the only reasons for sleep problems. 

    • Sleeping problems can come from seeing wakefulness as a threat. 

    • If you feel threatened by wakefulness, you will find it hard to go back to sleep.  

    [04:36] “You become so worried about being awake, so worried about whether or not you're going to fall asleep that the threat of wakefulness is actually what either keeps you awake or ends up waking you up and making it really difficult for you to fall back asleep.” - Click Here to Tweet This

    [07:17] Sleep is Important, But Don’t Go Too Far 

    • Diane shares that there’s a growing trend of orthosomnia or sleep perfectionism. 

    [09:39] Diane: “Orthosomnia — people who essentially were fine before, but tried so hard to improve and perfect their sleep when they didn't have a problem that they essentially gave themselves insomnia.” - Click Here to Tweet This

    • Focusing too much on metrics can make sleep too goal-oriented.

    • Some people develop sleep issues from tracking how much sleep they’re getting. 

    [09:49] How Diane Started Studying Sleep Issues And How To Sleep

    • Diane used to struggle with sleep for years.

    • Our circadian rhythms are out of our control. People who wake up earlier are not more disciplined or responsible than night owls. 

    • Her sleeping issues were bad enough that her doctors prescribed sleeping pills. 

    • Desperate to fix her problem, Diane went on to study textbooks and research written by clinicians who treat people with sleeping problems. 

    [15:17] Diane’s Tips on How to Sleep

    • There is no one tip for everyone. We all have different ways to attain better sleep. 

    • Better sleep is dependent on two factors: what's keeping you awake and your lifestyle. 

    • Don't be easily influenced by articles or blogs you discovered online instructing you how to sleep. 

    [17:48] Diane: “If you tried a ton of solutions and they didn't work for you, it's because they weren't the right sleep solutions for your problem.” - Click Here to Tweet This

    [18:10] How to Use Meditation for Sleep

    • People often quit meditation because they feel they’re doing something “wrong.”

    • Many people also start meditation to quiet their minds before sleep. 

    • Meditate at a time when you already feel calm.  

    • Develop the practice enough that your brain associates meditation with relaxation. 

    • The essence of meditation is observing your distractions and pulling your focus back. 

    [21:19] Diane: “The general gist of how to ‘use meditation correctly’ if you want it to use it to help your sleep is actually to do it at a time when you're already feeling calm.” - Click Here to Tweet This

    [25:07] Stop Worrying Before Bedtime

    • Practice constructive worry by creating a worry list or brain dump. 

    • List down all your worries on a piece of paper. Respectively, provide solutions for each of them. 

    • Two to three weeks of this practice is enough to rewire your brain to process the racing thoughts while you’re awake.

    [26:10] Diane: “You're not giving yourself the opportunity to process your thoughts and feelings from the day, which is a totally natural thing that we're all supposed to do. If you don't give your brain the opportunity to do that at any other point in the day, it really has no choice but to do it when your head hits the pillow.” - Click Here to Tweet This

    [28:43] Diane’s Sleep Routine

    • Diane exposes herself to bright light in the morning so her body knows it’s time to wake up. 

    • She tries to keep a consistent wake-up time with a range of 45 minutes. 

    • A dark and cool room helps her fall asleep. 

    [36:35] How Diane Feels Radically Loved

    • Diane Macedo feels radically loved in many ways by her family, husband, children, and coworkers. 

    • At this point, she tries to remind herself that she is enough no matter what and cultivates more self-love. 

    About Diane 

    Diane Macedo has been an anchor and correspondent for ABC News for over five years. She is currently the anchor of "World News Now" and "America This Morning" as well as the correspondent for "Good Morning America" and "Nightline." Previously, she worked for CBS New York, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, and Fox News Radio. 

    Diane's struggle with insomnia led her to study ways to get better sleep. She compiled her findings in her latest book, The Sleep Fix: Practical, Proven, and Surprising Solutions for Insomnia, Snoring, Shift Work, and More. 

    Connect with Diane on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.    

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    To feeling radically loved,

    Rosie

    Rosie AcostaSleep, Author, Mexican American Author, Latinx, Meditation Teacher