Solving Insomnia: Ilona Navickiene of ‘Mind Your Sleep by Unusually Usual’ On 5 Proven Strategies to Help You Sleep Through the Night

An Interview With Shawna Robins

Preparation: Lie on your back. Place a firm object, like a book or a yoga block, under your head. Adjust your head and neck to achieve the correct position: your chin should be pointing towards the hollow above your collarbones, and your gaze should be directed towards the intersection of the ceiling and the wall, forming roughly a 45-degree angle between your chin and the collarbone area.

Millions of people struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep through the night. Whether it’s due to stress, lifestyle habits, medical conditions, or environmental factors, insomnia can take a serious toll on our physical and mental well-being. But what really works when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep? In this interview series, we are talking to sleep experts, doctors, wellness coaches, researchers, and anyone who is an authority on the topic of sleep. We want to explore “5 Proven Strategies to Help You Sleep Through the Night”, techniques that are backed by science, experience, or both. As part of this interview series, we had the pleasure to interview Ilona Navickiene.

Ilona Navickiene established Mind Your Sleep by Unusually Usual in 2022 with the mindset of sharing her experience as a health and body mindfulness expert, trainer, rehabilitation consultant, leader and speaker of the health trainings and workshops. She teaches people who suffer from various body pains, health issues, and sleep problems, showing them how to tackle these in a simple and understandable way. So, in order to make the long story short, she does not give “the fish” as a present, she teaches people how to catch it by themselves, i.e. to care about their health and sleep on their own.

She believes that well-slept people make a better world!:)

Transform your health while you're sleeping | Mind Your Sleep

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your backstory?

I’m a health and body mindfulness expert, trainer, rehabilitation consultant, yoga, leader and speaker of the health training and workshops, Pilates teacher. Organiser and lecturer of many health and sports events, camps, conferences, seminars, the head of the Body Mindfulness association in Lithuania.

Body Mindfulness is the cooperation of our mind and body when performing any physical exercise or action — with the help of the mind focusing all your attention to the present moment of performing the exact task.

I’m a passionate advocate of a healthy lifestyle and healthy movement, with many years of experience working with people of all ages, helping them to know and understand their bodies, strengthen their health and comprehensively improve their overall well-being.

I believe that each of us can learn and understand the anatomy and biomechanics of our own bodies, as well as the integrity of processes occurring in them.

Can you share a story with us about what led you to this particular career path?

All the years of my work have led me to the most significant breakthrough of my life: the recent discovery of a tool that is incredibly useful for our health, sleep, and overall well-being.

So, it happened during the first lockdown of Covid-19 in 2020….

With full confidence I can declare that all of you remember this period of uncertainty and fear… all of us felt overwhelmingly strange, we all suffered mentally and physically, me and my family were not an exception.
Our lives were changed, our usual daily routine disappeared, it was the period of four walls around us and the small gardens next to our houses

Before that period I used to live a very active life because of my engagement as a health and body specialist, trainer, rehabilitation consultant, leader and speaker of the health trainings and workshops. Suddenly, everything has changed and stopped, we were closed. So, speaking in short, I was in tremendous shock mentally, as well as physically.
I suffered stiff neck, shoulder pain, tension headaches, insomnia, back pain and always was in a bad mood.

One of those days, early in the morning at 2.00 or 3.00AM I rolled over in bed, experiencing the same insomnia and pain over the whole body. I grabbed my usual pillow and threw it at the wall in a huge rage…, I sat in the bed and cried. After half an hour I felt exhausted and tried to lie down, but my pillow was far away from me on the floor. By accident, I noticed a book on my nightstand beside the bed and grabbed it in a hurry, feeling angry. I put it under my head, and,- CAN YOU BELIEVE? I fell asleep for three or four hours… When I woke up I felt rested, without any pain in my head, neck, shoulders and back. Frankly speaking, for me it was a little bit strange…, but I did the same, I used the same book on the following nights. The experience was the same, I SLEPT PERFECTLY and woke up without any pain. Then I tried to figure out and understand what was going on.

Thanks to my professional experience and knowledge, I finally discovered that a firm pillow — as solid support — is essential for healthy sleep. It helps keep the body properly aligned throughout the night. For me it was the same EUREKA as for Archimedes, or like an APPLE for Newton. I went through a bunch of the anatomical/medicine books again and again, checked some historical sources and confirmed for myself that such kinds of pillows exist and were used during all the centuries.

It turns out that something seemingly “new” is actually a forgotten, time-tested solution! After this personal discovery and experience, I came to a clear conclusion: I must share this idea with everyone who suffers from the same body pains, health issues, and sleep problems.

I went forward, collected the team …, we started! The creation of an Unusually Usual wooden pillow has begun. Our team, under all ANATOMICAL/ORTHOPAEDIC REQUIREMENTS has adapted this seemingly “new” invention to modern needs. In truth, we followed the wisdom of past generations — millions of people across the ages who relied on firm pillows for better sleep and well-being.

Now, let’s dive into the main topic. Let’s start with the basics: How much sleep should an adult get? Does the amount of sleep needed change as we age, from youth to middle age to older adulthood?

Sleep is our most mysterious activity, in which we spend a third of our lives, i.e. we sleep approx. 2920 hours per year.

What is sleep? Sleep is more than just rest — there’s something about it that makes you crave it so deeply, even the mere “threat of robbers” becomes unnerving.

Sleep — is a physiological state of reduced sensory alertness and the absence of conscious movement.

It is a vital existential state of the organism, after which we feel rested and restored (physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually…).

Young people, from ages 10 to 17, should sleep 8 to 11 hours; adults should sleep 7 to 9 hours; and older adults, aged 65 and above, should aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep.

Is the number of hours we sleep the main factor, or does the time we go to bed play a role? Can you explain?

I tend to think that the main factor is the time we go to bed.

Routine and rhythm are very important for a good sleep, so that we won’t damage the circadian rhythm of the sleep and do not disrupt the chemical and physical processes that occur during it. Why do I suggest going to bed at around 10.00PM in order to fall asleep until 11.00PM? At that period a structure the size of a grain of rice — the pineal gland (Epiphysis) will perform the incredible job in our bodies — produce the hormone melatonin which is essential for our healthy sleep.

How will someone’s life improve after getting enough sleep? Can you help articulate some of the benefits this person will see after starting to get enough sleep? Can you explain?

First of all, a person who gets enough quality sleep strengthens their immune system, protects themselves from diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or other neurogenic diseases. A person who gets enough sleep can concentrate on their daily activities, be creative, productive, and in a good mood. Why we must go through all the phases and stages of a good restorative sleep:

NREM — slow sleep and REM — fast sleep;

One cycle consists of four phases (3 non-rapid eye movement NREM + 1 rapid eye movement REM phase). Duration: 90–100 min. (in the first part of the night they are shorter).

NREM — stage 1–5–10 min./stage 2 — deep sleep, ~50% of the total sleep duration/stage 3 ~20% of the total sleep duration (very important for physical recovery, it is difficult to get up after waking up).

REM — mental, emotional brain recovery, duration ~25%/~2.5 hours.

NREM 1 — the shortest (breathing slows down, temperature drops, limbs twitch, quick awakening).

NREM 2 — lasts 40–60 min., the person is unconscious, it is easy to wake up. Good afternoon nap depend on it..

NREM 3 — deep sleep, total ~20%. Physical body recovery, growth hormone is released, bones, muscles, skin are restored.

During a night, we go cycles through these stages multiple times, with each cycle lasting around 90 minutes. In summary, REM and NREM are phases with different characteristics and functions that both are exceptionally essential for our physical and mental restoration.

So, if you pass all those phases you’ll be really rested.

That is why I’m suggesting all of you to build a healthy sleep routine for yourself.

Now, let’s tackle the main question of our discussion: What would you advise someone who wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back to sleep? Can you please share “5 Proven Strategies to Help You Sleep Through the Night”? If you can, kindly share a story or example for each.

First of all, don’t panic — if it happens rarely, one night without sleep will be more than compensated for by the next one. Try to avoid afternoon naps the next day. If this happens periodically, it is important to find the cause and follow 5 universal rules seeking for the better sleep:

1. Want to … improve your own live, sleep and overall wellbeing — let’s use your own free will and determination;

2. Get to know … your body, its algorithm and functionality;

3. Understand … what are the main principles to push it to operate smoothly? The importance of consciousness and the stress memory of body muscles;

4. Let’s do … it imperfectly better, but by no means “do nothing perfectly”;

5. Enjoy … the results you’ve achieved — higher quality life, sleep and wellness. Be proud of yourself!

What’s your opinion on taking naps during the day? Is it helpful, or can it interfere with the ability to sleep well at night?

Daytime sleep is one of the essential survival tricks of a person whose sleep routine or daily rhythm, due to work, lifestyle or a certain stage of life is damaged. It shouldn’t be long, 15–20 minutes is enough. You just need to fall asleep. By the way, a short nap restores strength, abundantly and often, especially by women, is called a “beauty sleep”. But, as I already mentioned, you shouldn’t fall asleep for longer than half an hour, or better, even shorter, so that you wake up at a certain stage (take a look at my answers above) of the sleep. After “oversleeping”, when we sleep 2 hours or more during the day, upon waking up, we often have a bad mood, drowsiness, irritability, because we woke up in the phase of deep sleep.

So, if you sleep too much during the day, sleep at night will be destroyed.

What about drinking alcohol before bed? Can it help with sleep, or does it have negative effects?

Alcohol should not be consumed before bed, as alcohol disrupts the rhythm of the REM and nREM sleep phases, destroying the circadian rhythm of the entire 24 hours cycle. Although there is a certain myth that alcohol is a sleep aid, the scientific studies on the required rhythmicity of the REM and nREM sleep phases I have mentioned, contradict that.

What should someone do if they are dealing with chronic insomnia? At what point should they seek professional help?

People who have insomnia don’t feel as if they get enough sleep at night. They may have trouble falling asleep or may wake up frequently during the night or early in the morning. Insomnia is a problem if it affects your daytime activities. Insomnia has many possible causes, including stress, anxiety, depression, poor sleep habits, circadian rhythm disorders (such as jet lag), and taking certain medications. Long-term insomnia may be caused by stress, depression, or anxiety. People can also become conditioned to insomnia: they associate bedtime with difficulty, expect to have trouble sleeping (and thus do), and become irritable (which can cause more insomnia). This cycle can be maintained for several years.
Circadian rhythm disorders are an important but less common cause of insomnia. Insomnia is a common problem. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) reports that when it comes to insomnia among adults: 30 to 35 percent have brief symptoms of insomnia; 15 to 20 percent have short-term insomnia lasting less than 3 months; 10 percent have a chronic insomnia disorder, which occurs at least 3 times per week for at least 3 months

Non-medicinal treatments. Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective Trusted Source first-line treatment for insomnia. CBT is a short-term therapy that can help you learn how to change your thoughts and behaviors to make sleep easier. Other therapies for insomnia are: talk therapy, relaxation or meditation, sleep education, sleep restriction therapy, stimulus control therapy, light therapy.

Insomnia, we divide it by cause and duration:

Situational (acute) insomnia — this is a mental reaction to life situations… It passes without treatment.

Chronic insomnia — bothers at least 3 times a week for more than three months and you must seek professional help. It is difficult to treat, disrupts work capacity. A very important condition is to look for the CAUSE!

Shift work/night work…

Stressful situations — at work, in the family…

Mental disorders (depression, anxiety, psychoactive substances, medications)

Abuse of caffeine, alcohol, nicotine-containing substances

Abuse of sedatives

Long-lasting untreated spinal joint pain

Jet lag.

When is it appropriate to consider prescription sleep medications like Ambien or Valium? What are the potential drawbacks of using these medications regularly?

If you suffer from chronic insomnia — and it bothers you at least 3 times a week for more than three months you must seek professional help and only your doctor can decide what is required/what is the best for your health. I’m teaching people to find a way to control their bodies and sleep without any medications. Because the main drawbacks of using this medications such as drowsiness and dizziness, tiredness, muscle weakness, headache are very unpleasant to feel and hard to bear. It is also difficult to stop using them, you become addicted. This is a temporary solution!

Other therapies for insomnia are: talk therapy, relaxation or meditation, sleep education, sleep restriction therapy, stimulus control therapy, light therapy, but everything depends on the concrete circumstances.

Can you speak to the role of exercise in promoting better sleep? Are there any specific types of exercise that are particularly helpful?

Optimising Your Sleep: Beyond Just Lying Down

Achieving truly restorative sleep isn’t just about getting into bed, it also involves specific exercises performed while you’re in the bed. Just as crucial is being mindful of our daily habits, particularly through isometric (static) exercises and maintaining a consistent daily rhythm.

A key component of this approach involves cognitive practices, which are essentially techniques for conscious self-management. One powerful example is diaphragmatic breathing.

The Critical Role of Diaphragmatic Functionality

When your diaphragm isn’t functioning properly, it can lead to a cascade of issues, including:

• Sleep disorders
• Increased stress and tension throughout the body, impacting your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
• Pain in the neck and shoulder area
• Back pain
• Pelvic floor dysfunction
• Dysfunction of internal organs

Crucially, a neutral neck position is essential for proper diaphragm function.

Mastering Diaphragmatic Breathing: A Step-by-Step Guide

Diaphragmatic breathing primarily engages your abdominal and intercostal (rib cage) muscles. Here’s how to practice it effectively:

1. Preparation: Lie on your back. Place a firm object, like a book or a yoga block, under your head. Adjust your head and neck to achieve the correct position: your chin should be pointing towards the hollow above your collarbones, and your gaze should be directed towards the intersection of the ceiling and the wall, forming roughly a 45-degree angle between your chin and the collarbone area.
2. Hand Placement: Place one palm on your stomach and the other on your chest.
3. Inhale: Gently inhale through your nose for 3–4 seconds. As you inhale, focus on expanding your abdomen. You should also feel your intercostal muscles expanding outwards to your back and sides. Importantly, your chest should remain calm and should not rise upwards.
4. Exhale: Exhale as slowly as possible, without creating any tension in your body. This exhalation can last anywhere from 5 to 15 seconds. As some help to slow down your exhale, you can pinch your nose a little with your fingers. So, as you exhale, your abdominal area should flatten, and your chest should descend. Pay particular attention to relaxing the muscles of your neck and shoulder girdle during exhalation. The correct head and neck position is vital here, as it ensures that crucial chemical and electrical impulses flow unimpeded through your spinal canal to your central nervous system.
5. Repetition: Consistently repeat this breathing pattern until your body feels relaxed and you begin to feel sleepy.

The Benefits of Consistent Diaphragmatic Breathing:

Regular diaphragmatic breathing has a profound calming effect on the mind. It activates the Nucleus basalis, which then secretes acetylcholine. This process synchronizes your heart rate, contributing to a state of mindfulness and controlled breathing.

Further Practical Details for Enhanced Breathing:

• Inhale Awareness: As you inhale, consciously notice which parts of your body react and expand.
• Controlled Breathing: Gently press your nostrils with your fingers to help slow down both inhalation and exhalation.
• Body Awareness (Analogy): Imagine the smooth, consistent flow of water from a tap, applying that steadiness to your breath.
• Side Lying Practice: Practice relaxation and activation of your respiratory muscles while lying on your side on the floor or in bed, possibly with a small ball for support.
• “Cylinder” Formation: Learn to engage your core and respiratory muscles to create a stable “cylinder” effect, both while sitting and lying down.

The Power of Simple Solutions

It’s truly remarkable how a seemingly simple act like correctly executed diaphragmatic breathing, particularly when combined with proper head and neck alignment during sleep (perhaps with a firm “wooden pillow” as previously discussed), offers a powerful counterweight to the health problems caused by our screen-dominated lives.

Ultimately, achieving neutral neck and spine alignment is paramount during our sleep time. These crucial features can be provided by a firm surface under your head. This means that through your own conscious decision and choice, you can passively counteract your daily routine, effectively healing yourself while you sleep, without needing a physiotherapist, remedies, or dedicated exercise time.

Other therapies to deal with insomnia are those which stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us fall asleep.

Vagus nerve stimulation- which sends a signal to the heart and lungs. As a result, the heart rate slows down, breathing deepens and becomes more frequent.

Cold water (contrast shower — the normalisation of heart rate), fights oxidative stress. Physical activity during the day / massages / music / meditation / prayer. Tongue position in the mouth and saliva filling

And: talk therapy, relaxation or meditation, sleep education, sleep restriction therapy, stimulus control therapy, light therapy, quiet relaxing music- i.e. “white noise”.

I know this is a huge topic by itself. What impact does screen time before bed have on sleep? What are some solutions to mitigate these effects? What are some strategies to limit screens before bedtime?

The smartphone emerges as an inevitable gadget in modern society and its increased usage results in neck disorders among its users. You see, our smartphones have become an unavoidable part of daily life, but this constant usage is taking a significant toll on our necks and spines. An incredible number of people are suffering from what’s often called “text neck syndrome”. It’s not just a minor ache; it’s affecting productivity and causing significant pain in our neck, upper back, shoulders, and even down to the arms and hands. We’re spending an average of over 7 hours a day looking at screens, which is roughly the same amount of time we should be sleeping! This prolonged downward gaze constantly strains and weakens the ligaments in our necks and backs, leading to a forward head posture and all sorts of pain and discomfort.

Given how prevalent phone neck syndrome has become, the solution needs to be effective yet simple. My suggestion focuses on what we do for roughly the same amount of time we spend on screens: sleep.

The key point would be the usage of a firm surface or a special pillow that ensures your head, neck, and spine are kept in neutral alignment throughout the night. This isn’t just about comfort, it’s about actively counteracting the daily strain. By providing the right support, such a pillow can alleviate pressure, pain, and strain, allowing your neck and spine to recover their natural curvature while you sleep.

Essentially, we need to balance those 7-plus hours of screen time with an equal amount of quality sleep where our neck and spine are properly supported. It’s a simple, passive solution that, in my opinion, can make a huge difference in managing and preventing the negative effects of our digital habits, all without needing constant exercises or remedies. More about the solutions you can find here: https://www.mindyoursleep.com/mind-your-sleep

What are some strategies to limit screens before bedtime?

Let’s be patient and follow those 5 universal rules:

1. Want to … improve your own live, sleep and overall wellbeing — let’s use your own free will and determination;

2. Get to know … your body, its algorithm and functionality;

3. Understand … what are the main principles to push it to operate smoothly? The importance of consciousness and the stress memory of body muscles;

4. Let’s do … it imperfectly better, but by no means “do nothing perfectly”;

5. Enjoy … the results you’ve achieved — higher quality life, sleep and wellness. Be proud of yourself!

What do you think is the biggest obstacle people face when trying to improve their sleep, and how can they overcome it?

As I already mentioned, the lack of awareness and the pursuit of quick results, such as reaching for a pill, only exacerbate the problem in the long term. And my suggestion again the same : let’s be patient and repeatedly reminded to follow up those 5 universal rules:

1. Want to … improve your own live, sleep and overall wellbeing — let’s use your own free will and determination;

2. Get to know … your body, its algorithm and functionality;

3. Understand … what are the main principles to push it to operate smoothly? The importance of consciousness and the stress memory of body muscles;

4. Let’s do … it imperfectly better, but by no means “do nothing perfectly”;

5. Enjoy … the results you’ve achieved — higher quality life, sleep and wellness. Be proud of yourself!

Wonderful. We are nearly done. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Dr. Michael Breus, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and both a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

https://www.facebook.com/ilona.navickiene.754/

https://www.facebook.com/BodyMindfulness.lt/

https://www.instagram.com/mindyoursleep_1

https://www.youtube.com/@mindyoursleep

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!

Thank you very much! It was a pleasure talk to you:)

About the Interviewer: Shawna Robins is an international best-selling author of two books — Powerful Sleep — Rest Deeply, Repair Your Brain and Restore Your Life, and Irresistibly Healthy — Simple Strategies to Feel Vibrant, Alive, Healthy and Full of Energy Again. Shawna is the founder and CEO of Third Spark, an online wellness hub for women over 40 who want to reignite their sleep, reset healthier habits and respark their lives. Shawna is a sleep expert, hormone health expert, and a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBHWC). She has been featured on many podcasts including Dr. Mindy Pelz’s “The Resetter Podcast” and in Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, and The Huffington Post. A free download of her latest book can be found at www.thirdsparkhealth.com/powerful-sleep/ You can follow her on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.