There is few things in life more frustrating than having to lie there in bed, staring at the ceiling and being unable to fall asleep. Night after night you try to get some rest, but you just can't seem to get and stay asleep. You know you have to sleep, but for some reason it doesn't happen. There are some steps on how to relieve insomnia that might be able to help you get your much needed rest. Eventually, you might have to go see a specialist to help you, but if one of these steps works, then that expensive trip might be avoided.
1) Eat consistently throughout the day and be careful what you ingest. A sharp decline or spike in your blood sugar level can disrupt any sleep patterns you might fall into. Try avoiding caffeine the last half of the day. Avoid alcohol in the evening. Yes, alcohol might relax you and help you get to sleep, but the quality of the sleep isn't that good and you stay in a light sleep and are easily wakened. Tobacco can also have a negative effect on your ability to go into a deep sleep.
2) Light exercise in the evening. After a sensible dinner, take a nice evening stroll. This will help you work out tension you might be feeling and helps your body relax. Try to avoid doing anything strenuous as this might cause your body to get overstimulated.
3) Allow yourself a chance to wind down in the evening. Stay away from work, the news, or anything that might get your mind active. You have to get yourself to a point where your mind and body are moving towards a relaxed state. Take a nice warm bath and then sit back and relax sipping a nice warm chamomile tea or glass of milk with honey.
4) Set a regular bedtime. If you can put yourself on a routine, your body will respond favorably. Your body loves to be on a consistent schedule. Just make sure that you are able to keep that schedule going over the weekend.
5) Make and keep your bedroom a sleeping chamber. Try to keep everything out of there that might get you stimulated. Try to make it as dark as possible. Take your TV and computer out of the room so you aren't tempted to use them. Keep your work out of the bedroom as well. You have to associate it with just sleep.
6) Empty your brain. There are many ways to do this. The first thing to remember is not to remember anything. Don't think about the day you just had and don't think about what has to be done tomorrow. Read a boring book, do a boring crossword or sudoku puzzle, or count backwards from 100.
It may take a lot of planning and changing of behavior to get to the point where you can do these things on a regular basis, but no matter how much you don't want to do some of these things, life can't continue for long with your not getting the sleep you need. Whatever you have been doing so far obviously isn't working. Try to do something to change your routine following these steps on how to relieve insomnia and you might just find yourself getting that every elusive full nights sleep.
