The number of people with insomnia has risen, and there are many answers online about what you should do to sleep. Healthline.com has an article about “Twenty Simple Tips to Help You Fall Asleep Quickly” written by Arlene Semeco, MS, RD.
These are things taken from that article that I haven’t yet tried.
1. Practice yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness are tools to calm the mind and relax the body; they’ve all been shown to improve sleep. Yoga encourages the practice of breathing patterns and body movements that release stress and tension accumulated in your body. Practicing one or all of these techniques can help you get a good night’s rest and wake up re-energized.
I already practice mindfulness and meditation, including Yoga Nidra, but I will add the yoga postures she included as a link in her article.
2. Avoid looking at your clock. Clock-watching is common among people with insomnia. This behavior may cause anxiety about sleeplessness.
Guilty! I’ve been keeping a journal of the time and temperature I go to bed and noting the times I have gotten up during my sleep. I will move the clock elsewhere tonight.
3. Get comfortable. Using a weighted blanket could reduce body stress and help improve your sleep
I have been turning the AC down so I could add a blanket to the quilt and cotton duvet that is already on my bed and that helped.
5. Turn off all electronics. Watching TV, playing video games, using a cell phone, and social networking can make it significantly harder for you to fall — and stay — asleep. This is partly because electronic devices emit blue light which has been found to suppress melatonin. If you need to use your devices late in the evening, at least consider blocking the blue light with blue light eyeglasses or a screen filter.
While it’s true that I watch a movie every night, it is not true that I always wear my “blue light glasses”. My computer screen has a screen cover for blue light as do my computer glasses.
6. Try aromatherapy with these: lavender, damask rose, or peppermint. An essential oil diffuser could help infuse your room with relaxing scents that encourage sleep.
Like so many other things, my essential oil diffuser was lost during my relocation. But I can put some on my body and my pillow tonight.
7. Practice writing before bed. Writing down the positive events that happened during the day — or may happen in the future —can create a state of gratitude and happiness, downgrade stressful events, and promote more relaxation at bedtime. Practice this technique by setting aside 15 minutes every night to write about your day. It’s important to focus not only on the positive events of the day but also on how you feel at the time.
I love this one! And I will do it tonight.
8. Visualize a place that makes you feel happy and calm. A friend told me to do this and I found it difficult because when I lie down I remember all the ugly things I’ve experienced. Since I have been practicing Ho’oponopono every day while walking the trail, that’s changed. I will try this one again.
Want to know more? Read this: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ways-to-fall-asleep
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Till next time,
Please be kind to everyone you meet, for we all have our hidden sorrows. ~Tzaddi
skatingthru2012 