The inability to get a full night's sleep is a major problem for many, and has no easy solution. It is caused by many things, or may have no apparent cause. Emotions, like fear, anger or joy, can cause insomnia. To beat it, the ideas below are truly second to none.
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.
Create a bedtime routine, and follow it faithfully each night. You could start by watching a favorite show with a cup of herbal tea. A bath, or washing your face, and flossing your teeth could come next. Get into bed, and read a peaceful book, or devotional, then turn the lights off. Once you get used to the routine, sleep should be the natural next step.
Experts suggest that if your insomnia is causing you difficulty, getting out of bed is the best course of action. Avoid getting too frustrated and just counting the minutes away. Get up and walk around or read for a bit, to get your mind off of the obsession of needing to fall asleep. This should help it come more easily.
About half an hour before heading to bed, warm up a glass of milk. Drinking it will calm your nervous system and allow your body to rest when you lay down in bed. The calcium in milk is particularly effective in targeting jumpy nerves, making it the perfect before bed drink.
Avoid spicy foods or foods that contain a lot of sugar before bedtime to help prevent insomnia. Spicy foods can cause heart burn or stomach problems during the night that will interrupt your peaceful sleep. Foods that are high in sugar can rev up your metabolism and prevent you from falling asleep.
If you find that common sense and natural techniques aren't helping you sleep, talk to your family doctor. They can refer you to a sleep clinic where the staff can get to the bottom of your problem. They'll monitor your brain, heart and movements until they find the culprit for your sleep problems.
Worrying about the next day can keep you asleep at night. You could have to pay bills, so do that during the day so you can rest at night. Try to get rid of stress through the day. Make yourself a list and get everything crossed off by dinnertime.
Avoid eating or drinking things that have caffeine in them when it is close to bedtime. To be on the safe side, you should do them no less than six hours before. Caffeine is a stimulant and it will keep you up for far longer than you would like, so drink decaffeinated versions of your favorites as bedtime approaches.
If your insomnia persists or you find it is affecting you physically or mentally, then consult your doctor. You may have an underlying problem such as sleep apnea which needs to be treated. Even if you don't have a serious medical problem, it should help you to know that everything is OK.
Incorporate some carbohydrates in your dinner or nightly snack. Carbohydrates increase your blood sugar when eaten. However, when your body begins to produce insulin in response, this will elicit drowsiness. Do not over indulge with snacks though. Too much snack at night can have the opposite effect. Keep it light and at a time that will give your body time to process it.
Learn breathing techniques. You can use these techniques while lying in bed trying to fall asleep. Focusing on your breath can help remove your thoughts from other things and allow your brain to relax. If you are lying there thinking about a thousand other things, you will never get to sleep.
After climbing into bed, practice meditation for at least 20-25 minutes. This will allow you to let go of your stress, and only good energy will remain. Release the negative energy with each breath and soon you will be right to sleep.
If you are having a hard time getting to sleep, try eating a snack that contains trytophan. This is a chemical that helps the brain relax and the body becomes a bit drowsy. Foods that have this natural chemical in it include turkey and watercress. Try having a light salad made of the two slightly before it is time to sleep.
Without great advice, you'll have trouble licking insomnia. This shouldn't be something you fight by yourself, so it's wonderful you decided to read the preceding article. All that's left to do is experiment with these ideas to find the solution for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment