Can't sleep? 21 Insomnia tips to help you sleep
Sleep - Insomnia tips
Can't sleep? Suffering from insomnia?
It's late, and you still can't relax and fall asleep. Your body feels wired and stressed. You want to sleep but sleep eludes you. Or maybe you woke up at 2-3 am and no matter what you did, you found you couldn't get back to sleep?
The old solutions work, but new ones are needed for our modern environment
Everyone knows the old insomnia solutions, and the oldest advice still works - counting sheep, reading a boring book, rubbing your feet, and drinking warm milk. There is good science behind all of these, but sometimes this is not enough. We live in a complicated world, with electronic pollution that affects our sleep, a general diet that is not very supportive to relaxing, and a lot of stress from the demands of work or school, We also live in a time of economic instability. All these things add up, and many people are suffering from sleep problems as a result.
Many different people - many solutions for insomnia
Here are some insomnia tips that might make a difference for you when you can't sleep. For some people it is the sleep environment that needs to change, for others it is jangled nerves or worry that keeps them awake, or for others, it may be a medical condition like back pain. No matter what your problem is, you can find a remedy or solution here that may help you get to sleep and stay asleep. Try these solutions and remedies out and see which ones work for you. Please don't forget - everyone is different, and the cause of your insomnia is not necessarily the same as other people you know who have a sleep problem. Please see your doctor for help if your sleep - insomnia problem is serious and long-standing.
I am including some of the things I do for myself, with links to products I have found work well.
All photos in this page were purchased or were taken by Elyn MacInnis.
Simple Insomnia Tips to Try First
Make sure your body knows when it is Day and Night
1. Get some sunshine on your face.
If you let the sun shine on your face for at least 15 minutes a day, you will be able to affect your body's subtle sleep system. Your pineal gland, which is located in the brain a little above and right between your eyes, produces a chemical called melatonin to regulate sleep. The pituitary gland is affected by the sun, and when you don't get enough sunshine entering your eyes, the pituitary gland may not produce the right amount of melatonin to maintain proper sleep. Sunshine helps your body produce vitamin D, which is also necessary in the production of serotonin, the "feel-good hormone." Sunshine will help your body know it is daytime.
2. Don't nap. Go to bed at the same time every night.
Sleep experts will all agree that it is helpful for you to go to bed at a regular, planned time. This way the body settles into a natural sleeping rhythm.
4. Don't do vigorous exercise within 3 hours before bed.
Exercise raises the heart rate and also stimulates the body into an alert state. Alert is what you don't want at bedtime, and will make your body think it is morning instead of night.
Insomnia and Food
More Insomnia tips: Foods to Help You Sleep
5. Eat a high carbohydrate snack before bedtime.
Food can be your friend when it comes to helping your sleep - insomnia problems. After eating some carbohydrates your body may have a period of slightly higher blood sugar, and then when the insulin kicks in, your blood sugar levels fall slightly and you will feel drowsy. This is a good way to create the right environment to help you move into sleep. It is important to remember, however, that if you eat a big meal before sleeping it will more likely to end up as fat. A snack is not a banquet...
6. Some foods contain a significant amount of tryptophan, which is a sleep inducer. These foods will definitely give you a boost into dreamland:
Warm or hot milk (but not cold milk) and cottage cheese
Eggs
Chicken and turkey
Cashews.
7. Take Melatonin. Melatonin is the end result of a conversion that happens in the brain after you eat foods high in tryptophan, and melatonin is what helps you fall asleep. It is not necessary to take a large amount - for me, 1/4 of the smallest pill (0.1 mg) works better than taking a whole pill. Try different amounts to find the dose that best suits you.
Montmorency cherries work too...
One food recently proven in scientific studies that will help you get to sleep and even increase the time you spend asleep by half an hour per night is tart cherry juice. Montmorency cherries are highest in melatonin, and you can find this juice at natural food stores.
8. Magnesium
8. Magnesium is another mineral that will help us sleep, and many people are deficient.
Magnesium helps us sleep by affecting the neurotransmitters in the brain. Good sources of magnesium are:
Green leafy vegetables like spinach or Swiss chard
Pumpkin seeds
Soybeans and black beans
Halibut - yes, I know it is expensive, but sometimes it goes on sale in the summer, and if it does, this is an amazingly delicious fish.
A nice added side effect: If you get cramps in your muscles at night, it could be that you are deficient in magnesium. Taking magnesium will help relax cramped muscles. When I eat a lot of dairy products I always take a capsule of magnesium to balance the calcium out. It works like a charm.
9. Helpful herbs for insomnia
Herbs have been used for centuries to help people relax and sleep.
Try a cup of herbal tea before bed and see if one of these helps you sleep:
Chamomile or Passionflower tea (used in many countries, especially for children)
Hops Hops helps build strong bones too, and comes in extract form which you can buy in the market,
Valerian, a proven and time-honored remedy, especially good for people who have a hard time falling asleep;
California Poppy, which has also been proven to not only help you get to sleep, but to improve the quality of sleep;
Kava, the national drink of Fiji, is also a popular tea for helping people get to sleep.
Herbal Teas and Remedies - Helping you sleep naturally
Try a cup of herbal tea before bed and see if one of these helps you sleep:
Chamomile or Passionflower tea (used in many countries, especially for children)
Hops
Valerian, a proven and time-honored remedy, especially good for people who have a hard time falling asleep;
California Poppy, which has also been proven to not only help you get to sleep, but to improve the quality of sleep;
Kava, the national drink of Fiji, is also a popular tea for helping people get to sleep.
Insomnia and stimulants
The sleep destroyers
10. Caffeine - the BAD ones. Coffee, high caffeine sodas, colas, chocolate, caffeinated tea, and energy drinks. Hmmm - yes, chocolate has caffeine in it. The half life of caffeine is supposedly 7 hours, which means that if you drink coffee at noon, half of it will be gone by 7 pm. Just remember this when you reach for coffee at 4 pm - the half life will be 11 pm. Uh oh. Better not do that!
11. Smoking is very bad for your sleep. Make an effort to stop.
12. Alcohol may make you tired initially, but the sleep doctors have done some recent research that proves that alcohol significantly interferes with your sleep cycle and prevents the restorative aspect of sleep, so you wake up feeling unrefreshed. That is the truth. You didn't sleep well, because you missed out on some of your sleep cycles that keep you healthy and happy.
13. Stimulants: There are stimulants added into many over the counter preparations, even cold medicines. Read your labels carefully.
14. Avoid liquids before bed. Some sleepers need to get up in the night to go to the bathroom. Limit your fluids two hours before your bedtime and you will sleep better. If you are up a lot, your body may be reacting to medicine or food. Note the food, medicines, and vitamins you eat, and see if any of them are connected to nights when you have to get up a lot.
Relaxing your body before bed
Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh.
15. Massage. Ahhhh. It is so calming and sleep inducing. Get your spouse or a friend to give you a massage. Don't forget, you can do the same for them too. Foot massage is especially soothing at night and sends relaxes you into delicious sleep.
16. A Warm Bath is a great way to relax before bed, but if the water is too warm you may have the opposite effect. Magnesium helps induce sleep, so putting a cup of Epsom (magnesium) salts into the bath is an excellent idea.
17. Sleep on a bed that is comfortable for you. Beds that are too soft wreck your back. And so do beds that are too hard. Find one that is right for you and stick with it. Since we will spend one third of our lives in our beds, it is smart to have one that feels very comfortable and helps us get a good night's sleep.
Insomnia Tips about your Sleep Environment
Your Bedroom
18. Turn off the phone and hide the clock! Noises interrupt your sleep. If your home is in a noisy area, you can try using a white noise machine to block the noise from outside.
19. Keep it dark in your bedroom. A small night light is enough to keep you from falling over things on your way to the bathroom. Lights interfere with sleep. Curtains help, and are especially necessary if you have a night shift at work. And make sure your clock is not shining so brightly that you are affected by its light. Find a clock that only lights up when you push a button, not one that shines in your eyes all night.
20. Be especially careful with your electronic devices. Looking at a bright computer screen is like staring at the sun, and will interfere with your sleep cycle. Turn off the cellphone, shut off the computer and ipad/tablet devices at least an hour before bedtime, preferably sooner, so that your brain will understand that it is night. It is especially important to do this for children. Also - try not to use an ipad for reading at night. The light shining right into your eyes will not make it easier to sleep.
21. Sleep Music is one way to create the perfect environment for sleep. There are special audio tracks that include music or sleep sounds which can help you get to sleep, and some have the rhythm of the sleep brainwave embedded in the music that will tune your brain to the frequencies of sleep. These are a really excellent option for people who have trouble sleeping, and can relax the brain deeply so you get a good night's sleep.
Sleep Music - The BEST solution - please try this! - Special frequencies/rhythms make all the difference
In my opinion the best way to get to sleep is through specially composed music which has the frequency of sleep brainwaves embedded into the music.
For some you will need to find a comfortable pair of earphones. For others, no earphones are necessary. If you haven't tried this musical solution to insomnia, you really should give it a try. This works.
The sound of rain is very soothing, and is a good cover-up for a noisy environment. This is a family favorite.
This music has embedded brainwave technology, and will help your brain relax into the deepest brainwave frequencies of sleep.
About MSG
MSG is a "flavor enhancer" that you find in a lot of food. I have found from experience that too much can give me insomnia. How about you?
Which methods have worked for you? - We want to hear from you...
Magnesium is good for all the aspects of our health
Sleep insomnia started for me a few months ago and has gotten pretty bad. I take melatonin during the week but not during the weekend. I also lift and usually work out towards the night, around 6 or 7pm and go to bed by 9:30/10pm - I wake up at 5:30am for work M-F.
Definitely stay off the phone or anything screen related too before bed. Might try some of the food. I've tried the high carbs before bed... seemed to work but as a body builder it's not ideal for me.
^_^
Goodness I wish i had read this last night when I just could not fall asleep!
Following this hub because I have many nights where sleep almost feels impossible to come by. Great job and thanks for the useful tips!
l must be strange,, l nap for 1.5-2 hrs a day and in bed between 10- 11 till 6;30 am.. l like my glass of wine at night and like playing facebook games,, and when l go to bed at night, l put the tv on with low volume and put the timer on for 15-30 minutes, and it is like a lula bye for me.. no tv no sleepy...
I find sleep hard to come by most nights. A sleep journal showed early morning sleep, and not getting up until afternoon.
Now though, I go to bed early feeling tired, but still lie awake for hours.
Nothing helps me. My husband can be watching TV and I won't sleep one night, but will the next night. Its strange that way.
I don't drink tea, so that remedy is out. I wish there were more ideas.
All these points are extremely interesting and I have SO many close friends who will benefit hugely from reading this so I will be sure to pass it on :) thank you for all the great suggestions on how to relax and get a good night!
I do not use MSG
A dark bedroom do the works. I can sleep faster if it is dark.
Sleep rationing works well for me. But, like you suggest, I also take magnesium (with B vitamin complex). I've been experimenting with melatonin recently as well, which works well. Thanks for a great lens.
These are great tips. Thanks for the post.
I wonder if any of these work??
I don't have insomnia but if I can't sleep at night then I start meditating for a while. Thank you.
-
-
Great lens! I have found that keeping the bedroom very cool helps me sleep better. I always go to sleep with music playing and no lights on.
Lavender Oil works for me. I place it on my temples, wrists, front of my PJs and on my pillow. very soothing and relaxing. You can put a few drops on a cotton bal and stickit inside the pilowcase too. So you inhale the aroma of the oil all night. Drinking a warm glass of milk with a tsp honey always works for me too. gets you relaxed.
#3?
Drawing a little one eyed green man on my index finger, and having him tell me a story helps. If I wake during the night, he does too!
Insomnia is the worst - thanks for the great article.
Those interested in kava, check out my page (It's more of an introduction at this point but will continue to grow as I have time to add more content!)
Some great ideas, hope one of them works for me. Great lens.
Lots here to think about. I'll be sharing some of your tips.
Going to try those Herbal Teas.
I don't about insomnia, but I do know when a restaurant has used too much MSG, because I don't feel well after I eat there.
Thank you for sharing this. I have had insomnia for the longest time.
I suffered from insomnia some months back. My doctor suggested early morning walk or light jog so that I could get some sunshine & it worked . No sleeping pills here. You have very well covered this topic as I myself did some research when I was spending sleepless nights. Thanks for sharing.
I take Valerian Root and Melatonin to help me sleep. At first I was taking 5mg Melatonin but as you said, more isn't always better. I recently switched to 3mg and I think it's working better. I also had some recent success with Dream Water.
I use the rain CD you mentioned above, as well as another nature sounds tape.
Excellent informative lens! I use melatonin and 5-Htp. But my very favorite...a foot rub from my husband!
My black tea habit is not helping my tendency to insomnia.... Great tips here!
Good ideas. I take valerian and it's very good for helping me sleep.
Keeping the bedroom for sleeping and reading - no electronic devices in the room, no TV - make a big difference.
Interesting lens thank you
There are new things here to try. Really worthwhile resource.
Very useful tips. Thanks for sharing. :)
great lens! thank you for sharing this. Very useful tips.
Thanks so much! There are loads of tips on here that I haven't heard of before. :)
Some nights I just CAN'T fall asleep. Thanks for the tips. I had to return to this lens and sprinkle some angel dust!
Thanks for sharing these very useful tips for those who can't sleep.
wow..nice tips..i would shared it with my friend..thank Mrs. Elynmac ^_^
Lots of great tips for insomnia. This is something I experience occasionally and I find melatonin works wonders.
Excellent tips both old and new for folks struggling with insomnia. I used to have trouble getting to sleep but nowadays I'm usually asleep when my head hits the pillow. I'm working at getting 8 hours a night but do have some odd hours at times when I burn the candle at both ends and do occasionally nap. Nicely done...didn't know magnesium being low might cause a sleep issue.
I use a fan on low to cover up noises. Thank you for all the great ideas.
I have to have some background noise if I can't sleep.
These insomnia tips are great. I found a lot of useful information here. I've nominated this lens for a purple star. *blessed*
Very informative lens.
Thank you for such a wonderful lens! I hope this will help me get some good night's sleep.
This is all so true! Well- except I do think that it is okay, if not helpful to nap a little once in a while. And caffeine and bad don't often occur in the same sentence for me. :) But nonetheless, I really liked your lens on insomnia - have pinned it to my "health" board, linked it as related on my own lens: https://hubpages.com/literature/drseusssleepbook - and have sprinkled some angel dust. Good job! And now to bed.
Thanks for your great tips! I try to not deviate too much from my sleep schedule by waking up at the same time each day (including weekends), and I also avoid caffeine past noontime.
Very useful tips. A warm bath is always helpful for having a sound sleep.
Great tips - ones which I use all the time. When dealing with chronic pain, insomnia is a close friend. Anything that will decrease pain, shut the mind down, and relax the body before sleep is definitely a good thing!
Meditation helps too, breathing exercises, Pranayama and Yoga are very effective for insomnia.
I used to have a healthy walk...and it works for me forever
Take a walk in the evening. I find that walking (not running!) in combination with staying off the computer before bed solved my sleep issues. My doctor explained to me that if you've had a few nights of poor sleep steroids may build up in your system which tend to keep you awake. The act of walking will actually burn off the excess build up of steroids and thus make you feel tired at bedtime. For years I couldn't find the answer to my sleep issues. A walk in the evening plus staying away from bright screens before bed works for me every time.
watching a movie before going to bed
great tips.
This lens has helped me more than you know!! I recently bought the tart cherry extract along with some other supplements. Well I forgot what the tart cherry was good for, so for the last 2 days I have been taking it in the morning.....I guess that explains why I have been so sleepy during the day! They must really work great. lol I feel a little silly now, but so glad I found your lens. Thank you!! :)
I like to have a familiar movie or tv show playing in the background which blocks out all the other noises.
Great lens with good info. Thanks.
Wear earplugs to block out top end noises. This simple tip was a miracle cure for me having a very noisy, selfish ex!
Thanks for the useful tips.
Usually a warm bath helps. Lots of good info here...thank you.
nice lens
I'm a fan of relaxation podcasts, warm baths and magnesium. My weakness is staying on the computer far too late at night!
keeping the room dark is a good start to sleep
Great ideas. I will defiantly try them! Thanks. Blessed.
interesting article...and very useful...melatonin is great , a really step in dicovering sleep mechanism...
I never have trouble sleeping, but my mom does. I'll have to share some of your tips for insomnia with her. I never knew about the pumpkin seeds, hmm, have to buy her some. Angel Blessings**
I have a difficult time turning my mind off at night. Sometimes it helps if I read a bit of a very light novel. I actually have a very hard time falling asleep and sometimes I don't sleep all night long. I hope that some of your tips here help me. I'll come back and bless this lens later if your tips help me. Just kidding! Blessed!
Not taking any caffeinated drink before bedtime helps a lot. It also helps when you free your mind of thoughts and worries.
A warm bath before bed helps me - but try adding lavender bath oil or salts. The scent helps induce sleep. Lavender in the linen cupboard to scent your sheets also helps.
Thanks for the tips! I'm gonna try some sleep music.
Great tips! I suffer from insomnia a lot so I may have to try out some of these methods!
These are excellent suggestions! I used to struggle with insomnia when our children were little. I think that is when I got in the habit of reading a book at bedtime :)
129