Can't sleep? 21 Insomnia tips to help you sleep

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.