Do you have trouble falling or staying asleep? Have you struggled with insomnia? If so, you are not alone. How we sleep affects our ability to function. We can all get by on a poor night’s sleep here and there, but if this happens to you on a regular basis, it can have serious effects. You are also more likely to be anxious or depressed. The good new is, that there are many things you can do to get rid of your insomnia or improve your nights sleep.
Self talk
What do you say to yourself if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Are you riling yourself up by saying things such as, “I’m never going to get back to sleep, I’m going to be exhausted tomorrow”? Or do you say things such as, “I’m just going to lay here and relax. My body is getting the rest it needs and I will be fine in the morning?” The difference in these thoughts makes a big difference in your ability to fall asleep.
Don’t nap
You may be so exhausted in the middle of the day that it is hard to keep your eyes open. Taking that little nap, or long nap may make it more difficult for you to fall asleep at night.
Notepad by your bed
Do you have thoughts of what needs to be done for the next day, and you are worrying about forgetting it? How about putting a pen and pad by your bedside? If something comes up, write it down. You don’t need to have the lights on, and you will be able to decipher the gist of what you have written.
Don’t read anything disturbing prior to bed
If you do, your mind will be preoccupied and may make it more difficult to fall asleep. This also means don’t discuss anything with your partner that may get you agitated. You want to be able to relax, not get revved up.
Don’t use your phone or tablet one hour prior to bed
These devices have the blue backlighting which affects melatonin production. Many of us use our devices quite a bit, so this may be difficult for you to do. If you want to read, read an actual book or magazine. Many people do read prior to bed as a way to relax and get sleepy.
Try melatonin
Many people have luck using melatonin. If you rely on over the counter sleep medications, you may eventually become resistant to them, and they will no longer work.
Establish a regular wind down routine
What relaxes you? Do you like to take a hot bath or shower prior to bed? Maybe you have a cup or decaf tea or milk. Maybe you spend some time with your pets. Whatever works for you is best. If you establish some sort of routine, and stick to a set bedtime your body will learn that this is the time for sleep.
Meditation
This is a wonderful tool if you have insomnia. Meditating prior before bed helps quiet those thoughts that make it difficult to relax. You can also do it if you wake up in the middle of the night to help you get back to sleep.
Don’t look at your clock/watch/phone
If you look at your clock and are having trouble falling asleep, or staying asleep, what do you tell yourself? Most likely if it is early in the night you are relieved. However if it’s 3, 4 or 5 in the morning you start doing mental math and may panic because you haven’t had enough sleep. Don’t look at the clock, pretend it is early and relax.
Exercise
Regular exercise makes it easier for your body to fall asleep. Even if you don’t feel like exercising, make yourself do it, or at least walk. However, you don’t want to do heavy exercise prior to bed as you want your body to have time to wind down.
Don’t drink to excess
Drinking alcohol may make it easier to fall asleep, but not stay asleep. In addition, your body doesn’t go into the deep REM sleep if you have had too much to drink.
Decrease caffeine usage
If you drink a lot of caffeine, try to cut back. You may not want to go cold turkey as some people get caffeine headaches. Perhaps switch to half-calf or slowly cut down on the number of caffeinated beverages you drink on a daily basis. Also, stop your usage by the early afternoon so it won’t affect your ability to fall asleep.
Keep the temperature of your room on the cool side
This will help you be able to fall asleep. If it is on the warm side it will be more difficult.
Be sure your room is dark
Have you ever noticed that you are able to sleep later in a hotel room? One reason may be that hotels use blackout curtains, so no light gets through. Most of us don’t have those at home (unless your work the night shift). Getting blackout curtains may help if you have some source of light that is not possible to block out in your bedroom.
Additional resources to help you sleep:
Say Good Night to Insomnia: The Six-Week, Drug-Free Program Developed at Harvard Medical School by Jacobs.
CALM app has sleep stories that help people to fall asleep as well as meditation guides.
If insomnia is something you struggle with, give me a call at 713-304-6554 and we can come up with a plan to help improve your sleep.
Take care,
Debbie
