Insomnia is a way of life for too many people. The inability to sleep can be devastating to an insomniac’s mind and body. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The following tips should help you. Follow them tonight for a well-rested day tomorrow.
If you can’t fall asleep, despite being really tired, try taking a warm bath. Experts recommend treating insomnia with a 15 minute soak. Avoid extreme temperatures, or staying in too long. The warm water should work to ease any muscle tension you’re experiencing and help you to finally fall asleep.
One method of preventing insomnia is to make your bed a place that is just for sleeping. Don’t take your paperwork from the job to bed, don’t make long phone calls, and don’t pay bills in bed. It is also best to eliminate TV watching in your bed if you want to sleep well.
Practice sound tension and stress relief techniques. Morning exercise helps to beat stress. If you workout too hard near bedtime, endorphins might keep you awake until dawn. Meditate or do yoga before bed. Relaxing can help your overactive mind wind down.
Do not use your bedroom for any activity other than sleep. Working at a desk in your bedroom is particularly bad for insomniacs. Do not keep exercise equipment, computers, even iron and ironing board out of the room. Replace them with relaxing items, such as soft lighting, candles or soothing music.
If insomnia is an issue, computer time and video games should be avoided prior to bed as these will stimulate the mind into action. This makes it harder to fall asleep.
Don’t get too much sleep. If you cannot get to sleep after 30 minutes of lying in bed, try some relaxation or a soothing warm non-alcoholic beverage. Avoid taking naps during the day. If you must take a nap, keep it short and make sure it ends at least six hours before your normal bedtime.
If you can’t sleep because you are worried about something in particular, get up and write it down. Sometimes putting your thoughts on paper will help ease your anxiety. You could also try to busy yourself with small but productive tasks that need to be done around the house. Go back to bed as soon as you begin to feel sleepy.
Be sure the bedroom is noise-free and dark. Even small lights within your room can disturb you enough to keep you from sleeping. Any type of sound within the house should be dealt with. For the things you can’t change, try using a white noise machine.
Set the scene for sleep. Make sure that the lighting and the temperature in your bedroom is set for sleep. If you have been trying to sleep with all the lights on, that’s part of the problem. Bring the lights down and make the room slightly cool. Make sure the television is off as well.
Now you know how to beat insomnia once and for all. Try them and see if they work for you. Develop a sleep plan that will allow you to try a few new things to see what works for you. Eventually you’ll figure out how to sleep like a newborn.
Beatrice Cox is a writer and stylist with a passion for the intersection between biology, technology and design. High in Swedish Bali and Heritage, it travels around the world encouraged and informed a global perspective on the future of fashion and its relations with planetary health. She is currently working for a sustainable fashion label in Bali, Indonesia.