An hour (or even two) in advance. We stay in bed for about fifteen minutes to yawn and stretch. Then we get up and start our day well:pampering ourselves in the bathroom, having a good breakfast, reading a book, listening to music, working out or jogging...
Three or four hours before. We get up to go to the bathroom, turning on very few lights. We open the bed for the sheets to cool off. We go back to bed and concentrate on our breathing:we imagine the path of the air, inspiration (nostrils to lungs), expiration (lungs to nostrils), emptying your head. If you don't go back to sleep after half an hour, you get up.
What if it happens to me often? If you have moments of drowsiness and difficulty concentrating during the day, you consult because fatigue can set in. This may be due to temporary stress or the first signs of depression. It is better to continue to go to bed and to set your alarm clock at the same time so as not to break your rhythm, and to relax at least half an hour before going to bed. M.B.
Thanks to Dr. Sylvie Royant Parola, psychiatrist (www.royant-parola.com), from the French Society for Sleep Research.
