​Here is a questions I have answered at Quora.com.

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How Can One Cope With Chronic Insomnia?

​To cure chronic insomnia, to fall asleep with ease, and sleep well, among the best ways is to use gentle sleep-inducing movements.​

​Backed by neuroscience, gentle and slow movements possess the highest potential to release body-tension, quieten the mind, and reduce the effects of negative stress in your neurological system.

​It is amazing what a gentle movement does — at its best it can initiates positive processes in the brain, even in the deepest structures, that regulate and manage functions, like your sleep drive.

What if Chronic Pain Keeps You Awake

​I know how it feels when chronic insomnia affects your life. For years I had difficulties in sleeping due to back pain, caused by 15 years of slightly twisted posture while playing the violin, 5–10 hours a day. To cure my back, I tried everything, physiotherapy, massage, sports, acupuncture — with no lasting help. So, I kept looking for a solution, finally leading me to study neuroscience-based movement-learning. What a relief it was to find out how it possible to cue my back with gentle movement variations. Surprisingly, I discovered how the same gentle movements could make me fall asleep more easily and that the quality of my sleep got amazing.

Inspired by this I developed the Moving into Sleep Method.

What is the Value of Sleep to You?

​One major issue with sleep is the fact, that as humans we have the freedom to postpone sleep and choose to get shorter sleep than we actually need. 

Ask yourself — what is the value of sleep? 

How much sleep do you need to be the best version of you?

Insomnia Life-Style

Lifestyle is also a factor – ask yourself how much negative neurological stress does your daily life create? Do you maintain good hygiene, eat well, move enough, and do creative activities, in a calm and clean environment?

Sounds like an ideal life, however, most advice for curing insomnia focuses on creating ideal, stress-free conditions.

​And it can help, up to certain point. But between you and a good night’s sleep can still stand stubborn negative stress in your neurological system. This is when you can do gentle sleep-inducing movements to fall asleep with ease.

As a self-treatment, the Moving into Sleep Method is based on educational neuroscience that explains how subtle movements can calm your nervous system. By doing the movements you can learn to fall asleep any time you want within minutes and get quality sleep even when the conditions are challenging, like during traveling, or when your sleep schedule needs a change.

Thanks for reading,

​Oliver

​“Better sleep is  a gentle movement away”

Too high or low support will twist your neck muscles, which can affect your whole body.

If you prefer to lie on your back, make the support thinner than when you lie on your side.
Fold the towel so that your neck feels well supported and you can roll your head easily from side to side.
Note that the alignment of your neck often reflects first the way it is when you stand or sit.
Therefore, after some time, it might be necessary to adjust the hight

If you lie on your side, create a support so that your neck is in line with your spine.
Experiment with different heights, until you feel your neck is as relaxed as possible and free to move.
If necessary combine a folded towel with a flat pillow
Be aware that some pillows get compressed during the night and won't give you consistent support.
A folded towel, on the other hand, maintains its shape very well.
Once you have created the right support for your head, move it a little backward, so that nothing or as little as possible touches your cheek.
A gentle touch on the cheek triggers a rooting reflex, which activates the neck muscles to turn your head.
Ideally, the core support is under the side of the skull, behind the ear, where you can find the center of balance of your head.
Note also that your neck doesn't need any support. Therefore, avoid squeezing a soft pillow under your neck as it will bother you by limiting body circulation and free movement.

The support you get is firm, yet comfortable and the flat surface promotes comfort and ease in movement.
Some weeks ago, my mother-in-law told she had a stiff neck every morning. When I asked her how she supported her head, she told having a basic, soft, and quite a thick pillow. I then told her how I support my head with a folded bath-towel, sometimes combined with a thin pillow. This allows me to adjust the support so that my head is well balanced and free to move. It is a great solution, functional and cheap.
As always — thanks for reading.

Questions and comments are welcome!

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