How many times have you found yourself lying awake in bed, long after bedtime, just waiting to drift off - or worse, trying to force yourself to sleep? Most of us will have trouble getting to sleep at one time or another, and taking medications to aid sleep is not usually an appealing option. The next time you’re having trouble shutting off your mind and getting to sleep, you can help the situation with no chemicals using just a few simple steps.
1. Don’t exercise for at least 3 hours before bed. Exercising increases blood flow and wakes you up. Getting in your daily workout just before bedtime will keep your heart rate elevated and make it difficult to calm down enough to sleep.
2. Keep the TV and computer off for 30 to 60 minutes before bed. The light from the screens can trick your body into thinking that it’s still daylight and not time for sleeping. Read, write in a notebook, or listen to soothing music at a quiet volume just before bed.
3. A turkey sandwich with lettuce on whole wheat bread and a glass of milk may help make you drowsy. These foods all contain Tryptophan, an amino acid that helps the body relax. Though it’s questionable whether the levels contained in one meal are high enough to actually induce drowsiness, at least you’ll get a nice healthy meal in the process.
4. While we’re on the subject of food: try not to eat for at least four hours before bedtime. Eating too close to sleeping time can lead to heartburn, which is likely to keep you awake most of the night.
5. You’ve heard this one before, but it’s one of the best pieces of sleep advice around:
wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day. Your body will become conditioned to follow this schedule, meaning that you will become tired and be able to fall asleep at a predictable time every night.
6. Try to condition yourself to respond to a physical stimulus. Every night when you’re drifting off to sleep, give yourself a concrete physical cue - something that you wouldn’t do at any other time. A good example is stroking the bridge of your nose with your thumb. Continue repeating this movement until you fall asleep. In two or three weeks, your body will learn to recognize this cue as the beginning of sleep time. You will only have to repeat this action when you’re having trouble drifting off to convince your body that it’s sleepy.
7. Don’t read, watch TV, or work in bed. Associating waking activities with your sleeping space can confuse your body and make it more difficult to use that space for sleeping.
8. Try telling yourself a story in your head. Make it a calm and cheerful story and focus on nothing else. This will help you to block out the day’s events and all of the other thoughts that can swirl around in your mind and make it difficult to find sleep.
9. Set the stage for sleep. Make your sleeping space as quiet, dark, and pleasant as possible. Clean sheets, room-darkening drapes, and a pair of earplugs will all help to make the room as sleep-conducive as possible.
10. If all else fails, there are some very good self-hypnosis MP3s out there which can help you get to sleep peacefully and naturally. The relaxation methods you learn from these programs can help you learn to fall asleep on your own even without listening to the program.
11. Nicotine is a stimulant. That bedtime cigarette may be what’s keeping you up at night. Don’t smoke before bed or if you wake up in the middle of the night.
12. Your body’s systems are slowed and sluggish at lower temperatures, so sleeping in a cooler room may do the trick for you. Many people find it impossible to sleep when the room is too hot; turn on your air conditioner, take off your socks, or turn on an overhead fan to get your bedroom to a comfortable sleeping temperature in the summer.
Long-term insomnia may be indicative of a medical problem, so see a doctor if your sleep disturbances continue for more than a couple of weeks.