The Sleep Secret

If you have difficulty getting to sleep and are easily disturbed, you may want to consider using white noise to help mask noise that seeps into your resting place. This type of sleep therapy is known to help people who are awakened by peripheral noise, such as traffic from the street or a noisy neighbor.

White noise can help mask these other noises so that you can sleep through them, ideally enabling you to achieve a more restful slumber and the benefits that come with it. White noise is also useful for those who have trouble sleeping when it’s “too quite.”

What is white noise? It’s not simply soft ocean waves or the soothing sounds of the autumn wind blowing through the trees. Technically, it includes all sound frequencies within the range of human hearing combined.

It’s similar to the color white being produced from a combination of all other colors, which may be why they call it white noise. The “noise” is random, meaning it doesn’t have rhyme or reason unless it’s manipulated.

It doesn’t follow a pattern like normal sound does. Rather, it’s mixed up and in constant transformation, creating the “swooshing” effect that our ears absorb. According to experts, the reason why white noise is so soothing is because the masking effect produced covers all other sounds – from high to low pitches.

If your sleep is being disturbed by a dog barking outside, white noise theoretically can help muffle, mask, or cancel-out that sound. On a whole, white noise sounds relatively high-pitched to us (though at a “hum”).

The reason why it doesn’t keep us awake is because the noise essentially overloads our auditory systems and for most of us, provides a distraction from competing sounds. It prevents us from zeroing in on any one sound, so we simply become “numb” to them all.

While we may think of white noise as being tranquil sounds from nature, it’s actually closer to the sound a fan makes. Pure white noise can be “tuned” to more closely resemble these soothing, familiar sounds.

An ocean wave gently rolling onto shore or a light rain against the windowpane are sounds now easily found on white-noise CDs that are sold in stores, which also holds the advantage of volume control and repetition. Set your CD on repeat and let the white noise help you sleep through the night.

Other forms of white noise include a ceiling or box fan, static from a radio or a furnace or air conditioner with a low hum. There are also actual white-noise or sound-conditioning machines, which serve a specific purpose of helping you find the sleep you crave.

Some white noise CDs contain a number of different “scenes” to choose from. All are composed to create an oasis of relaxation and ultimately promote sleep. Find the one that best lulls you to sleep and end those days of feeling tired, drowsy, and irritable.

Sincerely,

Trapper Sherwood; CMH
Certified Master Hypnotist

PS… Still can’t sleep? Try our best selling Audio “The Sleep Secret”

Is lack of sleep having an effect on your life like the ripples that spread out on a pond after tossing a rock into the water?

I want you to take a moment and imagine this if you will.

Your spouse is in the kitchen preparing breakfast, the sun is rising over the horizon on yet what will be another beautiful day in your neighborhood. Perhaps the children are awake, all smiles; welcoming this beautiful day. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee lazily drifting through the house.

An ideal morning, yes?

What can change this perfect scene and have the potential for ruining not only the family pictured in the scene above, but possibly almost everyone you come in contact this particular day including yourself.

Have you guessed yet??

Lack of sleep.

Yes, lack of sleep can spin your life out of control as fast as a room full of domino’s starting to fall against one another. As one starts to fall, they all start to fall in secession.

Maybe this scenario sounds familiar.

My friend John was getting out of his bed after a dreadful night of attempting to sleep.  As he turned from his bed getting out, he stubbed his toe against the dresser. (Domino one starting to fall.) As he let his discomfort be known through his screaming voice, his normally very cheery wife came in to see what possibly could be wrong so early in the day.

As he screamed at her, (Domino two started to fall) and her cheery attitude vanished, (Domino three started to fall) she turned towards the kitchen and bumped into the edge of the door. Yep, domino four falling.

Returning to the kitchen the kids started acting up; the bread in the toaster was in to long and started to burn.

Tempers flare, and not so kind words were uttered. The whole room full of domino on a crash course with each other. The clacking of the sounds filling the house. Attitudes changed in the course of an instant.

Why?

All because of my friend John and his lack of sleep.

In a perfect world we would all get the proper amount of sleep, and everything would be peachy keen in our lives, but we all know that only happens in fantasy land, or in our dreams.

Lack of sleep or sleep disorders like insomnia are real, and they affect millions of people worldwide from every walk of life.

How can we start to achieve a good night’s sleep we are so deserving of?

As a person who suffered sleep loss during a divorce my first bit of advice is to SLOW DOWN, breathe, and relax. To many times we try to fall asleep with to many things on our mind.

Pick a target time to fall asleep at night. Let’s say eleven pm. At ten pm finish any work, and also turn off your tv including the evening news. Sometimes the images from the news can trigger our unconscious and as we lay down, we are thinking of those images.

Put some relaxing music on, something that your brain can relate to that will say; “Hey, time to shut all this work off, because it’s time to relax.”

And when you crawl into bed; sleep. Do not spend this time worrying about the past days events, what may becoming up tomorrow, or even whether you have the money for the mortgage that may be due soon. As you lay in bed there is nothing you can do about those things, please let it go.

A good night’s sleep will do you much better than lack of sleep worrying about things and events beyond your control.

Besides, isn’t the thought of waking up in a cheery household better than upsetting the apple cart like my friend John?

Thomas “Trapper” Sherwood; CMH

Certified Master Hypnotist
http://trappersherwood.com

Do you know what happens this weekend, specifically Saturday Night March 13th 2011?

Daylight Savings Time “Springs” into effect.

Which means we will set the clocks ahead one hour, and everyone will groan on Monday morning how they hated losing that additional hour of sleep they are so use to getting.

But wanna know a little secret??

If you start tonight by adjusting your sleep routine, or in other words when you go to bed tonight, plan on going to bed about 10 – 15 minutes earlier than usual each night this week, by doing this simple task your body, and your mind will make the adjustment to Daylights Savings Time very easy.

Thanks for reading, Sleep Well, and feel free to share out little “Secret”

Trapper Sherwood, CMH

As you know during the Holiday season, millions of people are traveling to visit loved ones.

But are you one of the thousands of people that once you reach this beloved destination, where all your family and loved ones gather to share memories and make new ones you find that you can not sleep?

Imagine yourself tossing and turning, looking over at the clock to see that only ten or fifteen minutes have past since the last time you looked at the clock.

Maybe it’s the anticipation of seeing loved ones.

Perhaps it’s sleeping in a strange bed, and room environments that you are not use to.

It could even be because of time changes.

From what I’ve been reading and hearing, there are an endless number of suggestions to a better night’s sleep. Of course you have your typical “Don’t eat before bed” and “Use a sleep aid” suggestions. There’s also the mention of eating a high protein snack 30 minutes prior to sleep.

Certainly one of the most intriguing I’ve heard was the alarm clock hint; be sure to avoid using loudly abrupt alarm clocks upon waking.

Next, there’s the ambient light suggestion, which clearly involves keeping any and all ambient light out of your room. This also includes trips to the bathroom; be sure to have blinds on your bathroom window and hallway.

And let’s not forget exercise and health! Keeping a stable pattern of fitness and routine (but not too much) will keep the mind satisfied come time to sleep.

Before I go any further, I think it’s clear that most of these ultimately stem back one’s psychological state. It’s clear that you don’t want to get into a rhythm of waking abruptly, as this will cause the mind to fear waking up, and most certainly cause you to wake much earlier as to avoid such an interruption. Eating before bed can cause the body to find ways to burn calories during the night, pushing the mind into nightmare mode and producing uncomfortable sleep. This ties directly into heat; keeping the room cool will provide greater return.

It’s difficult to remember each and every tip/trick for a better night’s rest, so it’s with my strong recommendation that you avoid any extra stress from work or relationships (if possible).

Ambient light/Protein Shakes/Alarm Clocks – If these rules aren’t followed properly, they lead to decreased sleep. Decreased sleep can build over time, which is the primary reason why most people become ill or lack productivity at work. In other words, it’s a domino effect.

A lot of people will actually defer to sleeping aids, which can become habitually addicting. This leads the mind to think that it cannot get a good night’s rest without them, reemphasizing and reengaging the psychological stress factor. Other sleep enhancing tricks include the following:

• Go to the bathroom before bed as to avoid waking during the middle of the night.
• Use an alarm clock with soothing sounds and gradually increasing light.
• Don’t hang out in your room during the day (Bedroom is a place for sleep).
• Be sure to eat breakfast.
• Avoid watching dramatic television or engaging in physical activity before bed.
• Don’t shower directly before bed.

By remembering a few simple rules and exercising regularly (treadmills, ellipticals or home gyms), you’ll find yourself getting a solid night’s sleep while keeping stress at bay.

Just a quick reminder that Daylight Savings Time; (In the USA) ends Sunday morning November 7^th 2010 at 2:00am

So, why do we even have DST, and how can it affect you?

You see, during the “energy crisis” years, Congress enacted earlier starting dates for daylight time. In 1974, daylight time began on the 6^th of January and in 1975 it began on the 23^rd of February. After those two years the starting date reverted back to the last Sunday in April.

In 1986, a law was passed that shifted the starting date of daylight time to the first Sunday in April, beginning in 1987. The ending date of daylight time was not subject to such changes, and remained the last Sunday in October.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed both the starting and ending dates. Beginning in 2007, daylight time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

Daylight savings time can affect the sleep patterns of millions of people annually.

Sleep deprivation, sleep loss, and the onset of insomnia are just a few of the affects.

Remember, It is not normal for a person to be sleepy at times when he or she expects to be awake.

So what can be done about this change in our sleep schedule do to the time change?

I recommend a sleep routine.

A sleep routine is a routine that you set up prior to going to bed to get your body, and mind ready to fall asleep. If you start doing this PRIOR to the daylight savings time, you just might save yourself not only a lot of grief, but a minimum of five to seven nights of tossing and turning do to the time change.

Ok, here’s what I recommend.

Let’s say your time you usually go to bed is 11:00pm.

I suggest at 10:15 to 10:30pm or (at least 45 minutes prior to the bedtime you have set for yourself) you start winding down. This means turning off the TV, computer; (Yes even facebook, sleep is more important) and start listening to some soothing music. (We have a track of music dedicated just for this on our Sleep Secret Audio.)

What this will do is start letting your mind, and body know that it is time to relax.

From here I suggest that at 11:00pm (or whatever bed time yours is) as you get comfortable in your bed, you insert your earbuds, or put on your headphones or maybe you have an mp3 player close to your bed. But either way, turn on track 2 of our Sleep Secret Audio, and gently drift off in to dreamland, cause your dreams have missed you.

You don’t have to suffer through sleepless nights because of the upcoming time change.

You might find that you are ready to experience a good night’s sleep now, so please visit: http://www.sleepsecretaudio.com and download your audio now.

Sincerely,

Thomas “Trapper” Sherwood; CMH
Certified Master Hypnotist

PS…Remember, if you want a good night’s sleep and not have to take any pills or drugs, we suggest the all natural sleep audio tracks of http://www.sleepsecretaudio.com

Greetings,

Today we are going to visit the old wives tale about counting sheep to fall asleep.

Is it true?

Can counting sheep really help you fall asleep?

When you are tossing and turning as you lie in bed, try it.

You may remember that when you are in the process of counting sheep you are actually doing a visualization exercise. One that I agree with.

So, to learn more how to get a good night’s sleep by counting sheep, and why you should be trying this, listen in to this weeks podcast episode and discover some secrets to getting the most out of counting sheep.

Counting Sheep To Help You Sleep Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Sincerely,

Thomas “Trapper” Sherwood; CMH
http://sleepsecretaudio.com

Greetings,

For those folks in the USA coming off your Labor day weekend, I hope it was enjoyable.

I do have a question; if you traveled this past weekend or if you travel on a regular basis, how did you sleep?

Did family and friends unconsciously slip some bad sleeping ideas into your head?

You know like, “Oh, you traveled through a couple of time zones, your sleep will be off.” Or how about, “You won’t sleep well in a hotel.” Or something along those lines.

Well, I recently did some traveling, through a couple of times zones, and stayed in a hotel in a strange city. Everything that should lead up to nights of insomnia, or sleep loss.

But it didn’t.

I slept great!

Wanna know my secret?

And it’s probably something you have never heard of before.

Check out my podcast below, and I’ll let you in on a brand new technique that just might help you get a better night’s sleep too.

Enjoy!

Sleep Secrets When Traveling Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Thomas “Trapper” Sherwood; CMH
http://sleepsecretaudio.com

PS…after listening to the podcast, please leave me a comment with your thoughts, love to hear them. Also, you can subscribe to my weekly podcasts at iTunes.com

Greetings,

Today’s podcast is about Teens, Sleep Deprivation and Accidents.

If you have a teen or a college student driving, take five minutes and listen to some of the important points that are brought up here.

Listen below to our podcast of Teens Sleep Deprivation and Accidents

Teens, Sleep Deprivation and Accidents Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Greetings,

One of my loyal readers wrote me the other day and she told me she was having problems falling back asleep. Sometimes it was in the middle of the night, and sometimes it was after her husbands alarm went off, he woke up and went to work.

There maybe a couple different things going on here, so I will cover them.

Are you hungry? If so a light snack (couple of crackers and some warm milk) should suffice to squash the small hunger pangs.

Are you to hot, or to cold?  Simply, remove excess covers that make you hot, or maybe throw an extra blanket on if you are to cold.

If neither of the above how about a little easy, light reading. Nothing exciting that will get the heartbeat and blood pressure up. That will defeat the purpose for this exercise. You want something easy to read, and as you read, perhaps you will start to feel your eyes getting tired. They are probably getting a little heavy. At this point, just go ahead, close your book, turn off your reading light, and let your body and mind fall back into a nice deep sleep.

This little reading exercise also works good in the case of the spouse that might get up early and disturb your sleep.

I hope these couple of quick tips finds you dozing back off into a wonderful, peaceful world of sleep.

Sincerely,

Thomas “Trapper” Sherwood; CMH
Certified Master Hypnotist
http://trappersherwood.com

PS…. Of course, if you would like some assistance in falling back asleep, I can recommend whole heartedly a great sleep audio you may know by now that I have put together called The Sleep Secret Audio. You can download your copy now at http://sleepsecretaudio.com