How paying attention to your toes can help you sleep better
“Each week, I felt increasingly sick, exhausted, and apathetic. My eyes sunk back and grew dark circles beneath them….My hands started shaking. I felt like I was always on the verge of crying.”
At 25, Tim Ferriss’ Director of Special Projects Charlie Hoehn was starting to lose it. Sixty-hour working sessions (yes, working sessions, not weeks), illegal nootropics that removed his body’s signal to sleep, and a strong feeling of being responsible for perfection started to wear him down. “I didn’t understand what was wrong with me, so I just tried to work my way through it.”
If we take out the illegal nootropics, none of this is uncommon or new. We humans are remarkably good at ignoring our bodies’ signals and haphazardly pushing ourselves to our limits.
In Habit & Co.’s surveys of over 200 people, 69% reported experiencing physical symptoms linked to stress daily. A third of respondents stated that completing the survey made them realize for the first time ever that what they were experiencing were indeed symptoms of stress. It appears that the physical symptoms of stress are not well-known.
So you’re in the loop, common symptoms from the survey included physical tension in the neck and back, body pain, jaw clenching, teeth grinding, and fatigue. Fatigue is often combined with restlessness and insomnia. Meaning we’re exhausted, but we struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or even feel rested when we do sleep. What a catch-22. The more stressed we get, the less we are able to chill out (thanks, body.)
So why does stress (manufactured in our minds) lead to physical reactions in our bodies? It’s because our bodies can’t distinguish between real stressors and imagined stressors. When we think stressful or anxious thoughts, the sympathetic nervous system releases epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), sends extra blood to the heart and legs (to prep you for running), and restricts blood to the reproductive and digestive systems (since you likely won’t be using those fun systems while you run).
Whether it’s thinking about a stressful presentation at work or a lion approaching you with a hungry gleam in its eyes, our body gets ready for fight, flight, or freeze. We can’t always control the stressors, but there are ways to calm down your sympathetic nervous system (responsible for fight or flight) and activate your parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for rest and digest).
Raising awareness of bodily sensations (and, yes, even checking in with your toes) helps you direct attention away from your thoughts and decrease activity in the amygdala. Your amygdala is that part of your brain that identifies threats, real and imagined, and triggers your sympathetic nervous system. Body awareness is also often used as a method for falling asleep. This has been proven by science: a meta-analysis of 27 different studies on body scanning meditations and progressive relaxation practices showed a consistent medium to large effect size in the treatment of anxiety.
So while you may feel overwhelmed, exhausted, or like Charlie Hoehn, totally losing it, luckily, what your body/mind can do, it can also undo. You just need the right tools.
The Habit:
Every morning, before bed, or anytime you’re feeling stressed, take 5-10 minutes for a body scan exercise. Close your eyes and breathe in and out a few times, feeling where your body is touching a chair, floor, or bed, feeling the touch of your clothes, or a breeze on your skin.
When you’re ready, start to scan your body from your toes, up through the top of your head, feeling for areas of tension or pain. Don’t judge it, just notice it, and try to unclench, melt, or relax that part of your body. Feel free to find a guided body scan meditation on YouTube or InsightTimer if you want to be walked through it.
How to know if it's working:
Over time, you should get better in touch with the signals your body is sending you that you’re experiencing stress. You’ll feel more grounded and may feel a reduction in some symptoms - like racing heart beat. If done at night, you may sleep better and feel more well-rested.
Additional Reading/Listening:
Nighttime body scanning meditation from Insight Timer
Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center podcast interview How to Connect with Your Body with international film star Daniel Wu
Written by Lauren Vriens and Maria Potoroczyn
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Disclaimer:
Information provided in this newsletter is not medical or professional health care advice. If you are struggling right now and looking for help, please dial 988 to talk to a trained counselor at a crisis center closest to you.
