Fall Asleep Faster

You breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, and breathe out for six. The longer out-breath is where you imagine stress, worry and tension leaving your body and drifting out of the room you sleep in. You practise a round together, then you're left to do three more on your own.

This is the first of the three things you'll do at bedtime, and its job is to quieten an active mind. The idea is that repeating the words about ten times lets your mind slowly start to believe them, so your thoughts and body slow down and you become more present.

You choose a safe, happy place, then double its size, add colour, and listen for its sounds, such as voices or birdsong. Then you stretch it into a surround-sound cinema with a 3D image, and step in. Stepping into it each night becomes a signal to your brain that it's time to let go and sleep.

The track describes your subconscious as something that protects you by holding on to old, out-of-date patterns. You thank it for that work, then invite it to be open to new, positive suggestions. It sets up the idea that falling asleep can become your easy, automatic habit.

It suggests keeping your room neither too hot nor too cold, at around 18 degrees centigrade or 65 Fahrenheit, and keeping it dark. It also suggests a regular bedtime, less technology before bed, and avoiding caffeine, alcohol and spicy food. These are offered as gentle reminders alongside the hypnosis.

If you want to carry on sleeping, you're told to ignore the closing suggestions and sleep until you wake at a time you set yourself. If you do want to wake, a count from one to five brings you back, with your eyes opening at five.