Fighting insomnia is a common but really frustrating battle. Sometimes a few lifestyle changes will do the trick and provide sweet sleep for you. Otherwise, it may be a trial and error matter, but with a little perseverance, your sleeping habits should improve.
Instructions
1. Determining any factors that are hindering your sleep will save a lot of time in finding your answers. When you should be falling asleep, what state of mind are you in? Are you stressing about things you need to do? Are things you need to deal with popping into your head? Are you fretful about falling asleep itself? Addressing these concerns will help save time.
2. Using a handheld recorder can help you tame racing thoughts. If you are lying in bed and you are thinking about what you need to do, what you should have done and so forth, you will never get a restful night's sleep. The great advantage of a recorder is that you can usually learn to use it without turning on the lights, which always makes us more alert. Speak your concern into the recorder so that you are sure you won't forget it. Then tell yourself that you will be fresh and clearheaded enough in the morning to think things through more clearly. Tonight you can prepare for that by sleeping.
3. Keeping a notebook by your bed can also help, although you should keep a very small wattage light bulb for this, so as not to wake yourself up even more. Write down your concerns and tell yourself you can't do anything till morning.
4. Praying helps people, who are so inclined, to give their thoughts and worries to God. It has been shown that people who pray are much more able to deal with stress and to be calmer about life's difficulties. Praying quietly in the darkened room calms some people. Turning over each concern by name to God gives some people peace enough to fall gently off to sleep.
5. Chanting has a calming effect for some people. Speaking a word over and over aloud softly or silently will calm you and distract you mind from any troublesome thoughts. Chant a word that brings you peace and comfort like joy, peace, gentle, thankful or loved. Play with it during the daytime to see if there's a particular word that gives you comfort. The word isn't as important as the chanting itself. It busies and distracts and calms your mind at the same time.
6. Counting your blessings can not only put you to sleep but it can stave off your fears and worries. Listing the things you are thankful for--your health, senses, nature, loved ones, good experiences, a sound mind and others will make you feel more grateful and less stressed.
7. Counting sheep may sound silly but it sometimes works to distract the mind from other more stressful thoughts. Counting softly aloud and then silently or just silently often makes someone very sleepy. Try counting backward or by fives which will keep your mind too full to think on anything else yet still be easy enough to do almost effortlessly.
8. Worrying can keep you wide awake. Tell yourself that you will take ten minutes to worry over this tomorrow and see what you can come up with. You can speak this into a recorder or write it down if you need to also. Tell yourself that tomorrow you will be fresh and thinking more clearly. You cannot solve any problems tomorrow without sleep tonight.
9. If you still have trouble find a little box and actually put your hands on it and 'transfer' all your worries to your worry box. This helps some people to leave all the office business at the office before coming home. Having a deadline of 5:00 or 6:00 to deal with business matters or bills or other concerns can really help at bedtime, too.
10. If you take time to relax your mind or even to distract your mind, sleep will come easier. Learning to put worries aside until tomorrow can really help. It may take a little practice, but doing so is a big part of getting restful sleep.
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