Sleep is a gateway to a world of imagination that you may have never considered. Sleep, a way for the body to replenish energies, process information, and free your mind from the troubles of the day and for far too many people, sleep is a nightly journey into the unknown. This unknown is not the blessedly mysterious world of fantasy and limitless capability that comes through dreaming, but instead the silent fear is “Will I fall asleep tonight?”
I personally know the pain that comes from spending hours in bed, watching the ceiling fan, counting the specs that float behind eyelids that cannot taste the blessed slumber. It’s a torture to finally come to bed, exhausted emotionally, physically, and mentally and then be robbed of the sweet release.
Despite the cause of your restlessness, there are several methods that can help you find that sweet release, we know already about the warm glass of milk, the theory is that the warmth activates the tryptophan and you’ll feel that “after thanksgiving dinner” feeling which will help ease you into a non-chemical induced stupor. Let’s not forget the other obvious suggestion of counting sheep. This works by distracting your mind and giving you something repetitive and easy to focus on.
My Suggestion for falling to sleep is more like counting sheep than drinking warm milk, though I don’t discourage that.
Establish a bed-time routine, if right before bed you do the same few things, it’ll establish a signal to your body and mind that it’s time to start closing down. For me, I watch my hands, put lotion on, lay in bed for three minutes allowing my mind to flit through anything that touches it, and then I turn on my right side and pass out.
Once in bed close your eyes, and as you follow this method focus on your breathing, it’s really the main entryway to the relaxation you need in order to go to sleep. Now try to clear your mind, exhale, as you do that count one, then inhale, that’s two, exhale and this one is number 3, counting your breaths, inhales and exhales up to 10, then start over again. This method works like a dream. The key is to count each breath out, and count each breath in, count up to 10, then start over. Focus on your breathing, it won’t give your mind the time to think about other things, it’ll give you a center of focus, and as you do this you should drift off to sleep.
Please let me know if this helps,
Please let me know if you have anything that helps you fall asleep at night,
Let me know of any tricks you know at going to sleep (really the sky is the limit)
Bibliography:
National Sleep Foundation
Is it true that warm milk can make me sleepy?
Disclaimer:
Nothing contained on this web site should be construed nor is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider. Should you have any health care related questions, please call or see your physician or other qualified health care provider promptly.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
As a sufferer of insomnia, I’ve found little tricks that help me fall back to sleep. Watching an old episode of “I Love Lucy” in the adjacent room may not be for everyone, but it usually does the trick for me. Lying in bed only to toss and turn just makes it worse for me.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Sleep,sleep ah perchance to dream. Milk upsets my stomach. I love sheep. I’m going to try the breathing. It sounds good. Sheep don’t work. I usually get up a play Bookworm. A childs spelling game. Or rice bags heated up on my feet and neck. I usually lose my body heat when bedtime, and then can’t sleep.
Actually, you reminded me that I used to blow imaginary balloons up and fill them with the problems in my brain and let them go. Watching them drift up into the sky, higher and higher until they reach the atmosphere. Here they burst and leaving the problems up close to God, and then he can handle them.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:56 am
I read. I devour books. I tear apart words and put them back together again. I indulge myself between the pages of past and present literature and soak them in to my skin, tattoo them under my eyelids, taste them with my lips.
And then, when the words blur and my hands tremble, only then, do I go to sleep, my dreams filled with visions and magic.
Yeah, I have insomnia too. But the night is where my world expands. Where I feel safest.
x,
Claudia
July 30th, 2008 at 10:00 am
I have used the counted breathing method for years. It has been the only thing this night owl has found to work consistantly. With each breath I can feel my body letting go of the daily stress. I also use a contoured pillow which has helped to reduce the headaches that used to wake me.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Wordgirl, there are some nights when I simply cannot sleep, and I have to agree, getting out of bed is great. We have a way to associate locations with activities, and if your bed isn’t synonymous with sleep in your mind then it’s not a place to sleep (Wow… that sentence hurts my brain, my apologies)
Omama, great idea, through my research it does suggest that an “un-natural” warmth like the rice bags would also help you fall asleep.
Claudia, you’re amazing. I used to write a journal to put me to sleep at night, not on purpose… which made for some of the most interesting writing I’ve ever seen.
Gloria, great solutionw ith the contoured pillow, I use a full down pillow that is I can adjust to suit any sleeping position, it’s amazing.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I am often up at night and I’ve got no good advice. Funny thing is, I usually wake up because I’m too hot, so “unnatural” warmth would probably not help me much.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Last night I started going to bed at 2am, at 3am I realized I really wasn’t in the mood to sleep, it’s not that I don’t know how, it’s simply that some times I don’t want to. It’s nice to have that freedom. I agree Green Girl, sometimes I can’t sleep when it’s too hot, I can sleep on top of the covers, or under a ton of covers, but I cannot sleep under light covers… kind of a funny thing about me.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:03 am
I agree with Green Girl too…I cannot sleep while being hot. But I need covers on me…I love to be able to cuddle up inside them, and soak in there warmth. So I need for it to be chilly….if I had it my way our windows would be open all winter long.