ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT – Things You Can Do To Help You Sleep

3 o’clock in the morning, and it looks like it’s going to be another sleepless night…. Song lyric by Crystal Gayle.

Some many people I know, including myself and members of my own family, have insomnia. I tell people all the time, “I don’t sleep.”

Do either of the following scenarios sound like you?

Sometimes it’s so hard to fall asleep. You get tired, and you lie down to sleep, but your mind won’t quit racing, and you think about the billion things you have to do the next day, or the things that went wrong during your day, and before you know it, 2 hours have passed. The alarm will be going off in a few hours, and you still are not asleep.

Or, you are so tired you fall asleep the minute your head hits the pillow, but then 2 or 3 hours later, you wake up and are unable to go back to sleep.

These two scenarios play into my life. I actually get sleep pretty fast, but can’t stay asleep. I roam the halls of our house at all hours of the night. I stay up for a couple of hours and then try to go back to sleep. It doesn’t always work, though.

My husband, on the other hand, falls into scenario number one because he cannot get to sleep. So, we have been trying different things to remedy our sleep problems without prescription medication. We try the natural way as much as possible.

Here are a few things that might work for you

Meditation. Don’t discount this. It’s a more modern form of “counting sheep” only with this meditation exercise, you count your breaths. You count to ten and then start over. Every time a thought tries to come into your head, you just focus on the next number and let that thought go.

This is the same thing I wrote about in my post about relieving stress. Only this time, you keep doing it until you get so relaxed you fall asleep. Your mind racing is coming from stress and anxiety. Try this simple exercise to see if it will help you can sleep.

Chamomile tea. Drink a cup about 30 minutes before you go to bed. The properties in chamomile give you a sense of calm and relaxation to help you fall asleep. A cup of chamomile and the meditation exercise can be used together.

Magnesium. Magnesium helps reduce anxiety, and it helps relax you so that you can go to sleep. There is a magnesium supplement called CALM by Natural Vitality that combines magnesium with melatonin, L-Theanine and GABA, and is sold specifically for help with sleeping. You can also get plain magnesium for anxiety relief.

If you can get magnesium powder, then you can mix it in with a cup of warm tea (perhaps your chamomile tea). This is fast acting, and you will relax within minutes. Start with one-half of a teaspoon and work up from there. I use this, myself, every once in while when I need help falling asleep.

Melatonin. This is a naturally occurring hormone in the human body that helps regulate the sleep cycle, but sometimes it gets depleted by our stressful lives. Taking a small amount of melatonin can help you relax and go to sleep.

Don’t take too much, though, because if you get too much, then it works as a stimulant, and you get agitated instead of relaxed. According to webmd.com, melatonin generally has fewer side effects that other supplements.

Valerian. This is an herbal supplement that can also be used as a treatment for insomnia. It does have some side effects like dizziness, so start with a small dosage if you plan to try this.

Daydream. Sometimes if you make up a fictional story that you can think about instead of worrying about tomorrow’s to do list, or today’s problems, it will help you relax and go to sleep.

According to besthealthmag.ca, you should let your daydreams be fanciful and free because it sweeps you out of conscious control and into sleep. My daydream at night before I go to sleep is a beach in Hawaii. The beach is relaxing and beautiful and far away from my everyday world. Visualizing myself on the that beach relaxes me and helps me turn off my mind to the daily stressors. Try it. You might find this works for you.

Find What Works For You

Everyone’s sleep patterns are different. What works for one person may not work for another. I encourage you to try some of the things listed. My husband and I have tried most of them, and they work for us.

Goodnight and sweet dreams!

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