What is your best remedy for insomnia?

1. 94

   ziyenaposted 13 years ago

   What is your best remedy for insomnia?

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2. 74

   prektjr.dcposted 13 years ago

   A hot bath, soft music and sweet smelling candles relax me and dissolve the day away.  I climb out, dress and crawl under the covers and off to sleep I go!

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3. 61

   Miss Fijiposted 13 years ago

   Just start reading something you like or start doing any homework you need to.

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4. 60

   smzclarkposted 13 years ago

   meditation is probably actually the most successful insomnia remedy. I used to struggle with sleep (until I started working nights :-p), what I would do was; as i was breathing (deeply) I would count my breaths down from 1000. Most people who struggle to sleep at night because their minds are full of thought---you have to think a little bit more about counting down than counting up...You lose yourself in the numbers and get sidetracked by thoughts... but it does help.
   
   Things to avoid before bed: heavy foods/large meals, dairy, computer, t.v.
   
   In the day: exercise, healthy foods, no caffiene or cigarettes, no napping
   
   If there's something that you need to do the following morning or something that you are thinking about that you just cannot shake; write it down.
   
   lavender helps, as does chamomile, jasmine and benzoin
   
   this is getting too long...I'm just gonna write a hub about it :-)
   
   thanks for the idea!

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5. 41

   ChristinSposted 13 years ago

   I also use meditation and relaxation techniques and cut out caffeine after morning coffee - no caffeine in late afternoon or evening.  Also if you exercise try doing it a bit earlier in the day if you find you are having insomnia as exercise tends to give you energy for a few hours afterwords.
   
   Also, if it's really serious or it's been a couple of days I will take a Benadryl (the allergy pill) because they knock me out.

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6. 60

   Cynthia Perkinsposted 13 years ago

   I have found deep breathing exercises to be the best remedy for insomnia.
   
   The primary cause of insomnia is that the sympathetic nervous system is not shutting off. The sympathetic nervous system is also known as our fight or flight system or stress response system. Because most people are living high stress lifestyles, eating a poor diet and being exposed to numerous environmental toxins on a daily basis, all of which activate the stress response system, the sympathetic nervous system gets stuck in the on position. When the sympathetic nervous system is dominant, we experience, high states of stress, hyper alertness, nervousness, inability to relax and sleep.
   
   Deep breathing exercises, when down properly by breathing from the abdomen, turn off the sympathetic nervous system almost instantly; which allows the mind and body to relax and enter the sleep state. Additionally, deep breathing exercise stimulate the release of serotonin, endorphins and other feel good neurotransmitters in the brain that oppose stress and incite relaxation.
   
   However, it's equally important to reduce exposure to environmental toxins and remove foods from the diet that trigger the sympathetic nervous system like coffee, soda pop, chocolate, sugar and other refined junk food.

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7. 81

   tamarawilhiteposted 13 years ago

   Turn off the TV at least 1 hour before going to bed, put the phones on mute, ban all gadgets from the bedroom. Dark and quiet makes it much easier to sleep.
   Stopping all caffeine at noon also helps.

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