5 Tips to Fall Asleep Without Medicines
Having trouble sleeping? You aren't alone. Lots of folks suffer from insomnia. Unfortunately, the medications that doctors are prescribing so much these days can have nasty side-effects and are often quite addictive. Nobody wants that. So what can you do?
Here are a few tried and true methods to help you in achieving a happier and healthier sleep schedule.
1. Meditation
Here's a simple breathing exercise. Breathe in for a count of three. Hold your breath for a count of 3. Breathe out for a count of three. Practice this a few times while focusing on clearing your thoughts. A useful exercise for this is to simply close your eyes and follow the 'lights' behind them.
Pretend that you are a hunter and that 'thinking' too loudly will scare the light-beasties away. Soon you'll be able to sneak up on them, quietly in your mind. Between this and the paced, careful breathing, congratulations are in order. You are now in deep meditation! This is number one because it truly is the most useful for achieving the deep relaxation that you need to enter the world of sleep.
Once this becomes a habit it is much, much easier to relax in the evenings so get meditating!
2. Herbal Tea
Still getting the hang of the meditation thing? Not to worry. A nice cup of tea can work wonders for helping you to relax. Chamomile is a good example but there are many soothing blends you can try.
Just make sure that you don't pick any with caffeine and you should be alright. Sip it slowly and relax, maybe with some soft music to help you wind down a little. You'll be ready for dreamland in no time.
3. Rain Noises
Some companies sell machines that produce relaxing sounds like running river water or a rainy night. These can help you to focus on something besides that irritating 'can't-sleep' feeling. Clear your thoughts and let the sounds take you to somewhere more relaxing in your mind.
Before you know it that alarm will be going off and it will be time for work. You won't like it(we all hate the alarm) but you will be much better rested.
4. Make a Sleep Schedule and Stick To It
If you make a schedule for your body and keep it as religiously as possible then you'll be surprised what you can achieve. If your day is hectic and you are always going to sleep at different hours this can throw off your natural rhythms. After all, the body doesn't know when it will be getting sleep next.
Start ordering your day and more importantly, your night. Make sure that your body knows it will get rest the same time each day in the form of a nap or at night, when it's time for a full night's sleep. You'll be surprised how much this little change can help you.
5. Read Something Boring
Sounds funny, right? It can be effective. Read something that you've already read previously. Preferably something from an author who is overly verbose so that you can get lost in some long-winded rambling. Really abstract poets are good for this as well.
Too much thinking when you are too tired plus the familiarity from having read this time and time again will have you nodding off in no time. Just don't tell the author if they are a friend of yours what you are using their work for. We writers are a sensitive lot.
Use these five methods to improve your sleepy-time and get some extra hours of much-needed rest. Try to be patient as you use them. It can take a while for your body to get used to new things but in about a week you should notice a difference. Wake up refreshed and thank us later. Sweet dreams!
