A good nights rest is something that just about everybody craves. So why is that so many people struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep? You have tried all the recommendations from cutting down on the caffeine in the afternoons, you avoid eating heavy meals before you go to bed, you even make sure your room is dark enough, and you always try to stick to consistent schedules for bedtime every night. Yet, you still find yourself tossing and turning, feeling frustrated, and wondering why you even try. When insomnia is affecting you, it is usual to spend many hours stressing, rather than focusing on a few easy tasks to help you drift off to sleep.
Difficulties in staying asleep or falling asleep is actually a very common problem. Sleep is a vital fuel source for your body, which makes it a highly valuable commodity. If you lie for hours in bed and you just can’t fall asleep, get out of bed. Avoid staying in your bed, stressing about the fact that you have not gotten enough shut-eye to give you the energy you need for the next day. Here are a few tips you can use to help you get the rest that your body and your mind deserves.
1. Get Into A Bath
Relaxing in your bathtub will help to relax and soothe your mind and body. Add a sleep-inducing essential oil into your bath such as lavender oil. Avoid taking a shower as this has the opposite effect and will make you feel even more awake. Rather choose a warm and relaxing bath instead. To increase your relaxation add calming music and a few candles. You can also add a couple of drops of essential lavender oil to your pillow which will help you to relax even further.
2. This Is An Old Wives Tale That Actually Works
Drink warm milk. You may think that this is a myth, but it really does work. Warmed milk provides a natural tranquilizing effect which will help you to feel calm and help prepare you to go to sleep. An amino acid known triptophane that has given turkey a reputation when it comes to causing drowsiness is present in milk. It also encourage the body to release more serotonin. If you do not like warm mild, maybe add a few drops of vanilla essence or an extract. If you cannot drink milk, you can also try chamomile tea. Some people believe that drinking alcohol directly before bed will do the trick. Even though alcohol might cause you to feel sleepy initially, it does not prepare your body for deep sleep. In most cases, you will probably end up waking up in the middle of the night where you will start to toss and turn again.
3. Try A Relaxing Activity
Engage in a relaxing activity out of your bed. Try yoga, reading, or watching a boring TV channel at a very low volume (try the Home Shopping or Learning Channels). Avoid watching something that interests you and will keep you awake for even longer. If you would like a few other ideas to try, thinking about writing letters, scrapbooking or sewing. Any activity that you have chosen needs to be simple and easy, and stay away from anything which will cause you to stay awake for longer than you should. As soon as your eyelids start to feel heavy, get into bed.
4. Unwind And De-Stress
The worst thing that anyone can ever do is to lie in bed thinking about the tasks that they failed to complete for the day, and about everything they need to do the next day. Stressing about these things is not going to change anything so do your best to think about something else. If it makes you feel better, quickly write down your to-do-list for the following day. Once you have made your list, leave it. You should also make sure your clock is faced away from you, so that you avoid constantly checking on how much time has gone by. If you are keeping your thoughts on why you haven’t fallen asleep, you will only make your problems worse.
5. Add A Bit Of Noise
You may be thinking that your sleeping environment should be very quiet. This does make sense to a certain degree. The quieter, darker and more comfortable your bedroom is, the more you increase your chances of obtaining a deep and restful sleep. Increase your chances further with a Saatva mattress. But by adding “white noise” to your background, it can help you to fall asleep and stay asleep. These quiet and steady sounds will help to block or mask other noises that are disturbing that may be keeping you awake. Once you have fallen asleep, it is possible that you won’t wake up even when there are other noises. You should also keep a fan going at night. A cooler bedroom will contribute to a better sleep. You can also choose to put on natural sounds or relaxing music. You should use a timer that will switch the music off after a few hours. Look for tracks which will play gently wind, waterfall, or rain noises.
6. Listen To What Your Body Is Trying To Tell You
Your body might be too tensed up in order to fall asleep. Try relaxation tracks that will help you to relax and loosen up all your muscle groups. Start from your feet working your way up by tensing followed by untensing each muscle. You can also try deep-breathing exercises that will help to encourage your body into drifting off to sleep.