How to Overcome Sleeplessness
Overcoming sleeplessness is a pervasive issue in our society today. The recommended dose is 7-9 hours a night. While this varies with age and genetics, it is a good goal to aim for. Too many Americans spend countless restless nights awake, making them tired during the day, irritable, and causing a severe lack of energy. While many solutions have been suggested and tried over and over, there are simple things that can be added to your routine to make it much easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Your routine may be the one causing your sleeplessness
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Routine is probably the most important issue with sleeplessness. Many people spend their nights watching television, playing video games, or doing something active. Unfortunately, our bodies did not evolve to handle this type of activity right before bed. The light that comes out of devices, being outdoors, or in a club confuses our minds into thinking it’s daytime and we should still be awake. Our brain needs a cool down period after our day to relax. By watching television or staring at something with a screen, we’re telling it that we’re not ready to rest. By simply turning off these devices at least an hour before bed, you can let your mind begin to shut down for the evening. This includes cell phones! Texting in the bedroom, however tempting, still induces this reaction in the brain. In fact, any lights, no matter how small, make a difference while you’re sleeping. Good blackout curtains, taping over the power light on a DVD player, and putting your cell phone face down on silent make a huge impact on how well you’ll sleep. Try reading a good book instead. Also, when getting up in the middle of the night, try to use a motion sensor nightlight instead of a bright bathroom light. Besides the initial hurt, you could be telling your brain it is alright to wake up.
Exercise is a major factor in sleeping well. 30 minutes of intense exercise everyday is ideal, but any kind of workout will do. Even yoga will help you relax and make it easier to fall asleep at night. When you’re body is tired and beat up, it wants the night to recover. Instead of extra energy, your body can’t wait to curl up in the sheets and rest.
Another part of your routine to consider is when and how much you’re eating before bed. It can be hard not to reach for another bowl of ice cream or another drink, but cutting that out can make a difference. Not to mention it might help if you are looking to lose weight. A small glass of milk would be the best option, just make sure it’s at least 30 minutes before you lay down.
To overcome sleeplessness, try using a white noise generator
If you live in a noisy environment, you could also consider a white noise generator. This will give you a baseline level of noise to drown out any random noises that might cause you to wake up otherwise. It doesn’t need to stay on all night, but helps a lot in falling asleep since you are less likely to hear a car horn to distract you. White noise also interacts with your brain waves to help you relax. Also, instead of simple white noise, there are alarm clocks that play soothing sounds. These include a rainstorm, the waves, a jungle, or even city sounds if you’re so inclined. Many people get used to falling asleep to a certain sound, so recreating that can be a big help.
Your bed might be contributing to your sleeplessness as well. Try videotaping yourself over a few nights to see what kind of sleeper you are. If you’re on your stomach a lot, you might need a firmer or softer mattress. The same goes if you’re on your back or side. Pillow selection is important too. If you’re on your side, you want something that will keep your spine in alignment instead of letting your head droop. Temperature is part of the bedding issue also. It’s been proven in many studies that when your head is colder, you’ll fall asleep faster and longer. Everyone has had those nights where they’re sweating, twisting, and turning. Stay cool in the sheets and you’ll be much better off. There are pillows you can freeze right before bed, but even something as simple as throwing your pillowcase in the freezer (in a ziplock bag of course. Nobody wants a soggy pillow) 15 minutes before bed can help.
Finally, there are a multitude of drugs on the market that promise to help you get a better nights rest. Some require a prescription, while others like melatonin can be bought in the vitamin aisle. Melatonin is a good place to start because it is all natural and can’t really hurt. Just read the label for the recommended dose and look around online for some credible sources to see how much to take. If that fails, and you have tried everything else in this article, it is definitely worth talking to your doctor about something a little heavier. You will need to consider some of the serious side effects these drugs produce. Yes, everyone has heard of people sleepwalking and doing weird things on these drugs, but they are definitely the minority. Most are very safe, but keep in touch with your doctor in case anything comes up. There are plenty out there, so if one does not work, move on to the next until you find something that does.
To sum it up, there are plenty of things you can try to help you reduce your sleeplessness. These include simple changes to your routine, to some fast bedding fixes, to talking with your doctor about prescription sleep aids. Start with the smallest changes and work your way up. A pillowcase in a freezer and a fan turned on is a lot cheaper than a prescription. Not sleeping puts too much stress on your body when everyone has enough as it is. Taking care of your body is extremely important and sleeping well is a huge step in a long and healthy life.
Here’s a YouTube video on how to overcome sleeplessness.
November 27th, 2011 at 10:36 am
Great post. I used to have trouble sleeping until I started exercising more. I realised that I needed to sleep more otherwise my exercise would be in vain.