Ever find yourself lying awake in bed with a million thoughts running around your head, which are preventing you from sleep? This is a very common problem for many people, one which I have experienced myself on numerous occasions.

The net result is a restless nights sleep which leads to an inability to perform at a high level the following day and in the longer term can lead to high levels of stress.

What is going on here? With the advances of both psychology and neuroscience, it has been discovered that we all operate with 3 basic levels of consciousness. There is the subconscious level, the routine familiar level and the preconscious level.

Our subconscious is an amazing resource that records every single experience we ever have in our lives from things we see, do, smell, hear, feel, touch and taste. Our subconscious is like a video recorder that never stops. When a particular smell or piece of music or a piece of clothing bringing back vivid memories from your past, that is you gaining access to your subconscious. Crime scene investigators create re-enactments of crimes in the hope that some memories locked away in the subconscious minds of witnesses will be triggered leading to more clues to solve the crime.

The routine familiar level of consciousness is where must of us spend most of our time. This is where we can do numerous tasks at once with very little conscious effort because it is routine and familiar. I have heard that we can engage in anything from 8 to 100 separate tasks all at the same time at this level of consciousness

The final level of consciousness is the pre-conscious. This is where we can really only concentrate on one thing at a time and is used when we are learning something new.

A good example that demonstrates the 3 levels of consciousness is learning to drive a car. When you sit in to a car for the first time you are at a pre-conscious level going through each of the tasks in sequence that are involved in driving – check mirrors, hands in wheel at the ten to two position, foot on clutch, into gear, etc, etc. With practise, driving begins to move into the routine familiar level and we can drive the car, listen to the radio, talk to a passenger, watch road signs, admire the scenario etc. all at the same time. When you arrive home in the evening and cannot remember the journey, this can be an indicator that you were driving at something close to the subconscious level.

What has this got to do with clearing the clutter in your mind which will allow you to switch off from work, get a good nights sleep function more effectively?

The frantic, fast paced world we live in requires that we are constantly reacting, changing and giving very little time to reflection. This has the result of blocking and cluttering up our access to the subconscious. The more hectic and stressed we get the more cluttered the access to our subconscious gets. When we go home at the end of a very hectic day at work and finally give ourselves the opportunity to unwind a little and relax, the clutter gets cleared and therefore the subconscious can start working.

Our brain wants to look after us so it will try to use this great resource that records every experience we have ever had - our subconscious to help us solve our problems and keep on top of things. When the million thoughts come into your head as you are trying to sleep your subconscious will try to look after you by helping you solve your problems. If you do not give your subconscious some kind of message to let it know that you have heard what it is trying to say and are willing to let it help, it will keep on at you until you pay attention. One way to give your subconscious this message is to have a notebook and pen beside your bed and write down any thoughts that come into your head. Another useful exercise I have found is to make To-Do lists for the following day before leaving work in the evening. Other ways that work include doing some exercise, listening to music or meditating. Many people report that a short run or visit to the gym at lunchtime helps them come up with solutions to problems that looked insurmountable in the morning.

If you find yourself tossing and turning and unable to get a good nights sleep, put a notebook and pen by your bed, scribble down your thoughts as they come to you and let your subconscious know you are willing to let it help. When you have a lot going on take a break to tap into that amazingly creative and resourceful subconscious.

Fergal O’Connor is a Business and Personal Life Coach working in partnership with his Business and Private clients providing a supportive, confidential, challenging and non-judgemental environment to make their ambitions and dreams a reality. Fergal also facilitates a range of Coaching and Management training programs, Team facilitation workshops and is available for public speaking engagements. Fergal can be contacted at Synergy Coaching Services, Tel: (061) 467287, web: www.synergycoachingservices.net

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