How to Sleep Better and Say Bye-bye to Insomnia
Remember the movie Sleepless in Seattle? A boy calls up a radio station in search of a wife for his father who has trouble sleeping at night. Perhaps you have not resorted to calling up any radio stations but you may have experienced those sleepless nights, or more commonly known as insomnia. It is defined as habitual sleeplessness or inability or difficulty to sleep. You may lie in bed, wide eyed, tossing and turning and before you know it, morning has come and you have not slept a wink.
At first glance, this may not seem like a serious condition. One may attribute this inability to sleep to factors such as stress or having too much on the mind. It is always said that it is important to get one’s beauty sleep. It’s true. Prolonged insomnia can lead to detrimental consequences such as fatigue and tiredness, difficulty in concentrating or performing a task, irritability, not to mention great big panda eyes! Insomnia night after night can also lead to physical illness whereby the tired body will be more susceptible to attacks on its immune system. Thus, insomnia is not something to take lightly.
If you are experiencing the above and would like some help on how to sleep better, there are a number of tips and tricks that you can try before resorting to over the counter medication. Perhaps you are not suffering from insomnia, but you may still not be getting enough restful sleep as you need. A good night’s sleep is important to enable you to have a good start for the next day’s tasks. If counting sheep is not working and you want to learn some ways of how to sleep better, the following suggestions are a good place to start.
One of the reasons of difficulty to sleep is too much stimulation. We live in a world full of visual and audio stimulations – from the television to the radio to the computer and mobile phone. Do yourself a favor, switch these off come bedtime. Remember that the bedroom is for sleeping and so, try your best to not have a television and your computer in the bedroom. Turn off the lights completely as this will also help you on how to sleep better through the night.
Too much stimulation or having an exciting and exhilarating day can also keep you awake at night. I’m not saying you need to have a bad day to get some good sleep. It’s just that the built up energy and excitement can keep you a buzzing enough to stay awake. What you can do is to work that energy off by exercising. A run, a dance class even light stretching such as yoga can help you use that pent up energy to help you to sleep better.
Perhaps you are too tense and tired? The body and mind need to be relaxed in order to go into a good night’s slumber. Listening to soothing music, getting a massage, having some warm milk or tea or indulging in warm bath are all ways in getting yourself relaxed. If you are stressed and have too much on your mind, try putting it on KIV (keep in view), settle as many issues that you can before leaving work, make a to do list for tomorrow so that you are prepared and won’t have to worry about it through the night.
Pay attention to the physical condition of your bedroom. Keep it neat and tidy, clear out any clutter as a messy room will distract your mind as well. Make sure the temperature is just nice for you to sleep in. Not too cold and not too hot, keep it just nice. Wearing loose and comfortable clothing will also help you to sleep better.
There are some don’ts to remember as well when thinking of how to sleep better. Don’t go past your normal bedtime. Try your best to sleep at approximately the same time each night. Once you have stayed awake past the normal time you are used to, it is going to be harder to fall asleep. Don’t eat too heavy meals for dinner as this will cause your stomach to have to work harder to digest the food, which in turn, can disrupt your sleep as well.
If you are looking into natural remedies, there are also a number of options that you can try. One of them is the use of aromatherapy oils such as chamomile and lavender, which both contain good relaxant properties that can help you to sleep. Supplements such as calcium and magnesium, melatonin and valerian are also natural sleep aides.
Still can’t sleep? Try these – wake up, go to the other room and do something else for a while. Read a boring book! Technical books should do the trick. If all else fails, just try and tell you to sleep. Repeat the mantra – sleep, sleep, sleep.
Each person is different. The suggestions outlined above may or may not work for you but you will never know unless you try. Before resorting to over the counter medication, try out the methods above. If you feel that your insomnia has gotten to the point that is really concerning and you are not able to concentrate and perform your day- to-day tasks, do seek medical advice. Ask your doctor how to sleep better. You do need your zzzs. I hope you are able to get them. Sweet dreams.
