Hypnosis For Sleep

Paul McKenna will make you very, very sleepy. He has a knack for putting people to sleep. When I saw his book I Can Make You Sleep: Overcome Insomnia Forever and Get the Best Rest of Your Life! Book and CD at the bookstore I couldn’t pass it up, simply based on the title. Considering how common insomnia and other sleep problems have become, that’s a pretty big claim to make. I wondered what Paul McKenna could possibly know that the rest of us don’t.

I was hoping his book presented new research on how we can all become blissful sleepers who wake up lean and gorgeous in the morning. I may have set my sights too high. I skimmed through the book and my first impression was that it was filled with obvious recommendations, like creating a comfortable sleep environment and going to bed only when tired. I wasn't really impressed. Plus, one of his “Golden Rules of Sleep” was no napping and as a huge fan of napping, I felt McKenna and I were not on the same page. More on his views about napping to come…

Typical New Yorker...

My biggest sleep issue involves self-discipline. Like a lot of New Yorkers, I'm a night person. I feel most creative and energetic at night, so I tend to stay up later than I should. But sleep is a priority for me and I try to get as much as I possibly can. I know good sleepers are healthier, happier and leaner. People often ask, "How much sleep do I need?" and my answer is this: "As much as you can get."

Enter Paul McKenna

After my initial assessment of I Can Make You Sleep: Overcome Insomnia Forever and Get the Best Rest of Your Life! Book and CD, it made its way to my bookshelf and sat there for a couple weeks. I decided I would give it away to someone who could use it. Then it occurred to me that if I was going to give the book away, I should at least listen to the included hypnosis CD. I was new to hypnosis, but I’ve been listening to meditation CDs for over ten years, so I was open-minded.

The CD is awesome

I’m so glad I listened to the CD! After a single listen, Paul McKenna won me over. I can't imagine a voice more perfect for hypnosis. I tried to stay awake to listen to him, but he put me right to sleep! Over the course of a few weeks I’ve become a very good sleeper. I look forward to hearing McKenna's relaxing voice and his positive, hypnotic suggestions. I wake up feeling rested and refreshed because he tells me I will. Even nights when I don’t listen to the sleep hypnosis CD, I have complete confidence I will drift off to sleep quickly and easily, now that I've made it a habit.

Your mind

McKenna teaches his listeners/readers to utilize their subconscious minds to become good sleepers. He claims insomnia is a habit which can be broken. He says, “Because the unconscious mind simply learns things that are repeated, whether or not we really want to learn them, it is possible to learn and install a bad habit completely by accident. In fact, insomnia is just that: a habit.”

The book

After discovering McKenna’s excellent hypnosis skills on the CD, I went back to the book to learn more about his techniques. It turns out he's got more than a few tricks up his pinstriped sleeves. Here are a few:

• Practicing Being Drowsy
• Systematic Relaxation
• Letting the Feeling Unfold
• Tapping into Your Natural Ability to Sleep
• Image streaming

How to start

Review McKenna’s “Golden Rules of Sleep” and start to implement them. Create a comfortable bed and sleep environment if you haven’t already. Use the guided hypnosis CD at night when you’re comfortably in bed. Keep an open mind and let McKenna do the rest. Also, use a comfortable set of headphones (I use Bose). If you have been experiencing insomnia on a regular basis, throw yourself into this program and make sleep your biggest priority until it becomes a habit.

Try all of McKenna’s techniques and exercises to see what works for you. Between the book and the CD, there are many tools to help you become a great sleeper.

More about napping

As I mentioned earlier, one of McKenna’s "Golden Rules of Sleep" is no napping. I’ve since learned from his other work that he is a fan of “power naps,” and his suggestion to skip naps is aimed at anyone having trouble establishing a regular nightly sleep pattern. So, if you aren’t sleeping well at night, no naps; otherwise, nap often (preferably daily).

In a nutshell

Sleep is a habit which can be learned and hynosis is helpful in creating new habits. I Can Make You Sleep: Overcome Insomnia Forever and Get the Best Rest of Your Life! Book and CD really works. I’m now a fan of Paul McKenna, hypnosis, and utilizing the subconscious mind to make positive changes.

If you have an interest in self-improvement and good health, you'll like this program. Sleep well and remember:

More sleep = less belly fat