The coronavirus epidemic and the containment decided to combat it generate in many French people a form of stress ... sometimes synonymous with more restless sleep than usual. Guest of Europe 1 Tuesday, the psychiatrist and specialist of "yoga of dreams", doctor Marine Colombel, shares her advice to make her nights more peaceful during this upset period.
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The forced isolation of the past eight weeks has indeed caused its share of upheavals in the organization of daily life: work, children, food shopping, etc. "All these changes will cause more or less significant stress," explains Marine Colombel first, adding: "These emotions will then continue in our dreams." And this mechanism can quickly generate a vicious circle, adding to the anxiety of the day that of poor sleep.
Give yourself time for meditation
During the day, the psychiatrist therefore advises to practice some mindfulness exercises, also called "meditation mindfulness". "We increase the awareness of being there, at the present moment, of feeling what is happening inside us and in our environment," she explains.
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At bedtime, then, it is recommended to work on breathing each evening. For example, lying on your back in bed and paying attention to the flow of your breath. "This puts us in an emotional context extremely favorable for falling asleep", the objective being not to ruminate on the stress accumulated during the day but on the contrary to focus on the present moment.
Cut off sources of anxiety
This conditioning can also take place a little further upstream. Doctor Marine Colombel explains that it is recommended to cut the news channels and turn off your phone, at least half an hour before bedtime. A calm occupation, like reading a book or watching a film, is recommended.
If the sporting activity is welcome during the day, its practice causes an adrenaline rush harmful to sleep. It should therefore be avoided at least an hour before bedtime.
Finally, to "guide dreams" and reach the state of "lucid dream", the psychiatrist invites self-persuasion: "Before falling asleep, [you have to] just say the little sentence 'I want realize that I am dreaming '. " This tip is supposed to help pinpoint that what is going on around us during sleep "is not reality, but just a dream."