The attitude you have toward yourself and the way you view your sleeping habits greatly influences your ability to get a good night’s sleep. And if you associate your sleep problem with who you are then curing your sleep problem will be even more difficult.

Taking the attitude that “I am an insomniac. I don’t sleep. That’s just who I am.” is not realistic. You are not your problem, you are just a regular person who has difficulty getting or staying asleep and you should be focusing your efforts on finding a solution that will work for you.

Having a poor night’s sleep is often about having a poor attitude coupled with poor sleep habits. If you go to bed expecting a poor night sleep, you will probably get just that. And the harder you try to sleep, the worse it will be.

The two problems of having a self-fulfilling prophecy and performance anxiety can be overcome with the proper mental attitude. Does a baby try to sleep. How about your cat or dog? Or kids in socials class? Sleep is natural and should come easily. You have gotten into a bad habit of sleeping poorly and you have lived with it for many years.

You have to avoid making getting to sleep a do or die situation. It will put too much pressure on you. Don’t set a time limit to fall asleep or watch the clock (turn the clock away).

To improve your attitude toward your sleep should incorporate a bedtime ritual where you should be using some positive self talk.

“I’m going to sleep like a log tonight”

“I’m exhausted. I’m going to sleep all night.”

“I’ll deal with my problems tomorrow, but right now I’m going to get a restful sleep.”

Don’t worry about occasional sleep loss as this is perfectly normal and happens to every one at some point. Stay positive and your sleep pattern will improve.

Make getting a good night’s sleep a priority by noticing the things you say to yourself,  the beliefs that you have and the attitude you have toward getting to sleep.

What are some of your beliefs? Leave a comment below.