Insomniac? What I Do To Help Myself Fall Sleep

The clock is ticking and you keep on turning. You think you can fall sleep but it's been few hours and you're still wide awake. Consider yourself lucky if you don't have work the following morning, but if you do, you know you'll need to do everything you can to get that sleep you need.

I had my share of sleepless nights, and if you're reading this looking for tips on how to help yourself fall sleep, here are some things I do that I like to share to get myself the sleep I need. Some of these might be of help to you too.

Alright, first thing first. We all know that caffeine isn't good to be taken at night. And don't eat too much food too so your body doesn't have to work overtime to digest all the delicious food you had for dinner. On the other side, fruit like grapes has the sleep inducer melatonin that can help you fall asleep while cottage cheese has protein and the tryptophan amino acid than milk has, can help you to drift off faster to "sleep island."

Maybe there's something not right in your bedroom. So why not redesign it? Change the colors. You probably are fond of light, happy colors but if you are trying to fall sleep at night and your pillows and bed sheet colors are lively, it won't help.

My pillows, bed sheets and blanket are color reddish with flowers in it. I know I'm sleepy but I just can't sleep, tossing and turning. And I keep seeing this colorful red flowers reminding me of a sunny day. I know I had to try something, and my idea at that time is to change my pillow cases! My mom even asked me why am I changing my pillow cases and bed sheet at past 10 in the evening.

And guess what? It did worked! Few minutes after I changed it I drifted off to sleep. I changed my pillow cases and sheets to a darker color. To me, darker colors are sleep inducer, helps calm my thinking mind and sends the message that it is time to rest.

Now, this is one I prefer doing to help myself relax and to calm my busy mind from all the thoughts. And that's when Youtube comes to my rescue as I had categorized the videos I had liked and saved on a playlist. It makes it easier for me to access and play them continuously so I don't have to get up and play the next video.

Listening to the sound of pouring rain, thunder and crickets are my favorites to de stress and help my mind relax.

I really do suggest you try this as this helps me a lot, it's quite comforting listening to the rain, thunder, frogs and crickets as this somehow travels me back in time back into the farm where I grew up where I can actually hear the frogs and crickets at night.

What you have to do with this is just go to Youtube and search for "nature sounds" and make a playlist of all the videos you like from your search result.

And if you are more into the dolphins and whales, here is a video to listen to that could help you relax and fall sleep. You can listen to this alone or you can add this video to your YouTube playlist.

Now, if you're a Youtube junkie I'm sure you know your ways around Youtube. But for those whose been watching Youtube videos once in a while and have an account but doesn't have a playlist, and for those who doesn't even have a Youtube account, this creating a Youtube playlist tutorial is for you.

Here's how to create a Youtube playlist so you can add the meditational videos you'll find and like while browsing on the site:

1. Log in to your Youtube account if you have one. Or register to create a Youtube account.

2. Now that you are logged in, browse the Youtube website. Either search for "meditational videos," "relaxation music," or the best, "nature sounds." Listen to the videos from your search page so you know what you want amongst the results.

3. If there's a Youtube video you like and you want it on your playlist, click on "Add to" button below the video.

4. Click on "Create a playlist" if you haven't created a playlist yet for these videos. Or choose from your playlist below.

Now you've created your relaxation playlist. Just continue on listening to other suggested videos and if there's some you like, add it them on your playlist.

Once you're done and you think you got all videos you like and want, go on the "video manager" by clicking your username on the top right. Hit on "playlist" to access all your playlist and choose the one you want to play, your "relaxation" playlist.

You can just relax, lie down and listen to the sound. Or you may want to use an earphone, whichever works for you the best. But in my case, I prefer using the earphone. It makes me feel more into it and I don't worry about any family members complaining in case they don't want what I'm listening to.

So, how to create a Youtube playlist? Below is a video tutorial on how a Youtube playlist is created so you can make one as well.

This is one of my favorite and I love using lavender essential oil. The aroma doesn't only lift the stress off but it also makes the home fragrant. You would need an oil burner and of course essential oil for this one.

You can have few essential oils to use on your oil burner for your home, but if you want a good night sleep, that's when lavender essential oil can be of help. The sweet scent of lavender essential oil can help you relax, de stress and fall asleep.

If you aren't comfortable of falling asleep while there is an oil burner in used, damp few cotton balls with the lavender oil and place it somewhere near your bedside where you can smell the aroma. Or in case you have a lavender plant, you can also used the lavender flowers instead, laying it near your bedside table instead of using the essential oil.

Let's get on tapping. I just stumbled on this few months ago. EFT or "Emotional Freedom Techniques" could be a miracle to you and it is worth trying.

With EFT, you would be "tapping" body points such as the beginning of the eyebrows, the side of the eye, under the eye, between the nose and upper lip, chin, on the collarbone area, on the armpit area and the top of the head while repeating an affirmation.

With this mind and body work, the only thing you lose is your few minutes of trying the method. And this might just work for you to get that restful sleep you want.