As we’ve discovered before, curing insomnia includes first treating any underlying problems that are triggering it.
You have to address the CAUSE of the insomnia. If the cause is mental, such as stress or inability to relax, you have to deal with that first. The more relaxed you get, the greater the likelihood of getting a good night’s sleep.
This means that one of the most straightforward ways to regain your ability to fall asleep naturally is to change behaviors that may worsen the insomnia while fostering new behaviors that promote good sleeping habits and help you relax.
Here are commonly recommended behavioral
strategies for curing insomnia:
strategies for curing insomnia:
Before going to bed:
- Stick to a regular bedtime schedule: Go to sleep around the same time each night and try waking up around the same time each morning, even if it’s a weekend or holiday. This helps your body develop a sleep schedule. If possible, avoid night shifts or alternating schedules at work and other causes of irregular sleep schedules.
- Don’t take your worries to bed: Develop a personal pre-sleep ritual to break the connection between all the stress and bedtime. If you worry a lot, schedule a “worry period” during the evening or late afternoon to deal with these issues. Allow yourself to worry only during the scheduled “worry period.” Or get a journal where you write down concerns that may keep you awake, creating a “to do” list for tomorrow, and stash it away until morning.
- Set aside some time to relax before going to bed. Establish a routine for yourself that will help you wind down and relax before bed and stick to it. Do whatever you find enjoyable or relaxing: read a book, listen to music, take a hot bath, or go for a nice long walk before turning in. After a few repetitions this will help your body “remember” that it is nearing bedtime.
- Start your “slow down” routine from about 6pm each evening. No phone fights, no drama, no adrenalin overflow. Just give your mind and body a chance to slow down. And don’t watch TV in bed. Television is a very engaging medium that tends to keep people up.
- Avoid daytime napping. Daytime napping can alter your body’s natural circadian rhythm, making it difficult to get to sleep when you should. If you must take a nap, only rest for 30 minutes and don’t nap after 3:00-4:00 p.m.
- If you have a sedentary job–you sit for the most of your day–you may not be getting enough exercise. A good physical workout, or any physical activity that works the body and brings the blood to the brain, can help with a better sleep. However, avoid stressful activities and vigorous exercises for two hours before going to bed. Do exercise regularly, but earlier in the day.
- Before going to bed, try relaxation techniques, such as meditation, deep breathing, or yoga. A number of yoga postures are designed to calm your body and prepare you for sleep.
- A helpful technique is to relax your body one part at a time.Here’s how to do it: Lie down comfortably; close your eyes, breath slow and deeply. Imagine your limbs submerging into warm water, getting relaxed and pleasantly warm. Start with your feet, one at a time. Then your legs. Then move up to your lower abdomen. Then up to your chest. Relax the arms, starting with the fingers. And finally, your head, starting with the jaw, up to the very tip of your head, until your entire body is relaxed and warm.
But here’s the most important behavioral
tip to curing insomnia:
People with insomnia report that they often experience nights where they lay awake for hours trying to sleep, with mounting anxiety, counting time left until morning and worrying about how awful they will feel the next day. Such behavior causes the bedroom to become a place of anxiety and frustration and not a place for restful sleep.
Get out of bed if you can’t fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes.
Only spend time in bed when you are actually sleeping. Leave the bedroom if you can’t sleep. Go into another room and read, or do something relaxing and quiet.
To break this association, remember the rule: “The bed is for sleep only”.
That means, use the bedroom only for sleep and lovemaking. Avoid reading, watching TV or worrying in bed. These can cause your body and brain to associate your bed with these activities, rather than with sleep. Make your bedroom a place to sleep. Don’t eat, read, drink, smoke, or watch TV while in bed.
The Last Note: What Not To Eat Before Bed
- Don’t eat stimulating foods such as sugar, spices and grease.
- Avoid substances that contain caffeine: coffee, tea, soft drinks, or diet pills.
- Avoid alcohol and nicotine before bed (Find out why in the next section)
- Avoid eating large heavy meals or drinking a lot of water in the evening.
In the next section we’ll take a look at Natural Remedies For Insomnia, Part 3–– harmless natural supplements that are recommended as natural remedies for insomnia. How well do they work… How safe they are…
