It is late at night. You are tossing and turning. You look at the clock and see that only four minutes have passed since the last time you looked. You have to get up early the next morning. but your brain just will not shut off and sleep refuses to come. What are you to do?
Many of us have found ourselves in this very predicament on a regular basis. part of the reason is that we live hectic lives and stressful lives. But experts tell us that the best way to deal with stress is by sleeping for at least six hours to eight hours a night. Yet, it is a catch 22, if stress is keeping us from sleeping in the first place.
What are we to do? Should we take sleeping pills to help us to go to sleep? Many of us do not wish to go this route, unless it is absolutely necessary. We fear getting used to taking them. We fear getting dependant on them. We also may fear some of the side effects of taking them. Are there other options that will make getting to sleep easier? We could try these techniques first…
Writing our worries or stresses away.
You may have kept a journal. You may keep one now. You could try writing in it right before you go to sleep. Write whatever is on your mind: your worries, your stresses, your thoughts, etc. Sometimes by putting those thoughts onto paper you are releasing them and giving your mind an output for them. Now once you are finished. Close the book and tell yourself that you are finished with those worries until tomorrow.
Try calming methods to help you sleep.
Take a deep breathe and slowly focus on each part of your body, from head to toe. Feel your face muscles as they begin to relax, then your neck, your shoulders, continue slowly down your body all the way down to your toes. Try to feel the stress as it eases away from each part. If you can’t do this on your own, you may want to investigate in calming and relaxing tapes or CD’s that you can listen to as you fall asleep.
Make the hour before bedtime, your time and make it a ritual for bedtime.
You want this time to be completely quiet time. You don’t want to do anything that will excite you. This means that you should shut off that television set and the computer. If you must have noise play some quiet music. Now drink a cup of herbal tea. Take a relaxing bath. Read a book (if this relaxes you and doesn’t stimulate your mind too much, this depends on the person).
It may also help if you try to make your bedroom a room for sleeping (and sex) only. Remove that television set and that computer. Make the room darker with paints or curtains. Also try to keep this room cooler than the other parts of the house.
Finally, if you still have trouble sleeping after trying for twenty minutes or so, try reading a book. Make sure the book isn’t that interesting (if you are reading a great who done it you may not be able to finish until you solve the case and end up staying awake all night).
If this night turns into many regular nights of not sleeping well, you may want to discuss the situation with your doctor. There could be an underlying physical problem that is causing your insomnia or you may be experiencing a side effect because of a medication you are taking.
Sleep is important. Our minds and stress sometimes are reasons that keep us from getting as much of it as we need. Yet, little steps such as these sometimes will aide us and eventually help us reduce our stresses as well.
