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Insomnia is a medical condition wherein the person has an extremely hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting enough sleep necessary to wake up the next day feeling recharged.

Some of its common symptoms include:

  • Irritability
  • A hard time focusing
  • Sleepiness during the day
  • Waking up very early in the morning
  • Waking up during the night repeatedly
  • A hard time falling asleep

Insomnia can be classified into two types: chronic or acute. Chronic insomnia can last for one month up to several years.

Acute insomnia lasts for one to a couple of nights. This article will address both types and give you tips to battle it and get your sleep on.

Take natural supplements

There are various natural sleeping aids that you can try. Some of the most popular ones include melatonin and valerian.

These two are among the most highly recommended supplements for this type of discomfort. However, effectiveness has still not been established.

Lower the temperature and dim the lights

Nothing is more conducive to sleep than a bedroom that is cool and dark. Use blinds or curtains to block any light from coming into the room.

Set the room’s temperature to somewhere between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. You may experiment until you find the best temperature for you.

Keep your laptops and mobile phones outside of your room or keep them on silent. Even the small amount of light emitted by these gadgets is enough to disturb your sleep.

Make sure to dim any lights at least two hours prior to bedtime. In addition, choose “warm” yellowish lights, instead of bright, white lights.

Rest your mind before sleeping

You’ll never stand a chance against an active mind. Thus, before you go to sleep, make sure to rest your mind.

Avoid any activities that could work out your brain such as watching a stimulating movie, reading complex books, playing mind games or puzzles, or simply thinking too much about anything.

Such activities will keep your mind active. You will find it very hard to fall asleep then.

In order to ease your mind and relax your body, you may want to try relaxation music and try to empty your mind until you fall asleep. Keep it on all night if needed.

Do not drink any liquor

While some actually believe that drinking will make you fall asleep faster, it can actually backfire because it doesn’t usually result in a good night’s sleep.

Your sleeping cycle can be disturbed later in the night. You could still have a drink or two before you sleep just do not make it a habit to use alcohol as a sleeping pill.

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Turn off any gadgets

Electronic devices with screens emit an artificial light commonly referred to as “blue light.”

This blue light triggers daytime hormones, thus disturbing the body’s preparation for bedtime.

One hour before you lie down to sleep, make sure to turn off any gadgets such as computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and TVs.

Besides the light, being on your phone or computer watching videos or scrolling through your social media may agitate your thoughts and fears and therefore keep you from sleeping.

Eat dinner before 6:00 PM

Eating a heavy meal just a while before bedtime has been associated with difficulty falling asleep. Thus, do not eat any more meals after 6:00 PM.

Have your dinner before then and try to keep it light and avoid food that could upset your stomach or are difficult to digest.

Try out relaxation exercises

If you always find it hard to fall asleep at night, you could try relaxation exercises such as meditation.

As a matter of fact, studies showed that individuals who meditated improved significantly in the quality and amount of their sleep.

Other activities that promote relaxation that you can also try include progressive relaxation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga. These activities have also been proven to promote peaceful sleep.

Try to keep yourself active physically to be more tired when it comes to bedtime.

Choose foods good for sleep

There are certain foods that promote good sleep. Examples include the following:

  • Legumes
  • Nuts
  • Green leafy vegetables
  • Spinach
  • Cashews
  • Almonds
  • Halibut
  • Foods rich in Vitamin B-complex

In addition, the following supplements are believed to help with:

  • Magnesium
  • Vitamin B6
  • Taurine

 

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Get sun exposure during the day

If you increase the amount of exposure to natural sunlight, you will achieve a healthy balance of melatonin. This contributes to falling asleep quicker and better at night.

Take short naps during the day

Even a nap of just ten to twenty minutes during daytime can recharge you and boost your memory, creativity, and make you feel rested.

However, you should not take a nap beyond 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Doing so will make it more difficult for you to fall asleep at night.

Avoid caffeinated beverages

While it can be tempting to have a cup of coffee whenever you feel tired due to lack of sleep, fight the urge to do so. Consuming coffee or other beverages containing caffeine can make it difficult for you to fall asleep.

Furthermore, this can result in an endless cycle.

If you really have to have coffee, take it early in the day so that it will completely be eliminated from your system by the time you are preparing to sleep.

Worrying should be done during the day

Dedicate fifteen to twenty minutes of your time for your worries. An example of how to do this is by writing them down in your journal.

When you write down everything that stresses you and you worry about, you can try to think of a solution or how you can work on it. This is so they won’t suddenly pop up in your mind when you’re about to sleep.

Exercise

Engage in physical exercise during the day

It has been shown by a number of studies that the quality of sleep of those who have insomnia can be improved significantly by engaging in moderate aerobic exercise.

It is recommended to exercise at least 3 hours before bedtime to give your body enough time to relax before sleeping.

Quit smoking

If you are a smoker and you find it hard to fall asleep at night, now is a good time to quit.

It has been shown that smokers usually experience symptoms of insomnia. This is most likely because a smoker’s body goes into nicotine withdrawal during bedtime.

Select the appropriate mattress

If your bed is uncomfortable, then good luck getting a good night’s sleep! Choose a mattress that is comfortable for you.

This will surely improve your quality of sleep.

Observe correct use of the bed

Your bed should be used for two things only: sleeping and making love.

Avoid using your bedroom to do any job-related tasks. Treat your bedroom as a sacred place exclusively dedicated to sleep and relaxation.

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Come up with a regular bedtime

Try your best to come up with regular activities to do to wind down before bedtime.

In addition, adhere to the same activities and same sleep-wake time, even during the weekend.

Try out cognitive behavior therapy

If nothing of the abovementioned tips work for you, you can try cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia. CBT is a form of therapy that helps you find happiness by changing dysfunctional behavior, emotions and thoughts.

This type of therapy differs from the Freudian method which focuses on the roots of the problem to heal problems developped during one‘s childhood.

If this article has been useful, you can read more and find out more tips to help you sleep better by clicking on the link below.

20 techniques to help you fall asleep

 

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