People in pain or under stress may have difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep. Often they hold unnecessary muscular tension and try to remain still when they are trying to fall asleep. These efforts can lead to stiffness, further pain, and more sleep problems, so that the cycle continues and worsens.
In each Awareness Through Movement lesson, students are directed to pay attention to their physical condition and to the quality of the movements they make. This exercise of directed attention strengthens your ability to move when you want to, and to relax when you want to. Students can be taught very small, gentle movements to do when they are sleepless. The movements can be done in bed and often change the way a person goes to sleep and the attitude the person has about sleeping. Once the worry about sleeping is gone, real changes can
occur easily.