Warning: If you have CHRONIC INSOMNIA many of these tips may stop working after a few days or may not work at all. Click here to avoid the trap of taking more pills and discover a shocking secret your doctor won’t tell you.
These tips are a list of the best sleep tips you’ll find anywhere. As an insomnia expert, I’ve thrown out the tips that I know will only cause more problems, and I’ve put the tips in order from most helpful to least. You can click on any link for more information.
#1 - The top tip is don’t try to fall asleep. Sleep is not a choice - trying to fall asleep is guaranteed to keep you awake. Instead, choose to deeply relax and care about deep relaxation — not falling asleep. The more you think about sleep, the worse you make negative, unconscious associations with insomnia that keep you awake.
#2 - Avoid Stress and Worries at Bedtime. Instead, make a specific time every day where you go over all your worries, and restrain from worrying after this time period. If you feel anxiety is a problem, click here to learn more about what you can do to fall asleep and stress less during the day.
#3 - Prepare for sleep and develop a relaxing nightly bedtime routine.
Here’s some ideas for things you can include in your routine:
- Reading a light, entertaining book or magazine
- Visualization/meditation
- Take a Warm Bath (soaking in hot water for 20 minutes just less than 2 hours before bedtime is ideal.)
- Get a Massage
- Listen to soft music or radio broadcast
- A light bedtime snack
- Drink Warm Milk or Herb Tea
- Hobbies such as knitting or jigsaw puzzles
- Listening to books on tape
#4 - Improve daytime habits that cause nighttime sleep. (Click Here to find out what things you’re doing during the day that keep you tired or awake at night)
- Get out in the sunlight soon after waking up in the morning and get a minimum of an hour of direct sunlight a day.
- Get a total of 30 minutes exercise in throughout the day, even if in small chunks. Don’t exercise just before bed.
- Have less stimulants during the day including alchohal, caffine, and nicotine.
#5 - Create a good sleep environment.
- Don’t watch TV
- Is your bed large and comfortable enough?
- Keep the noise level down.
- Keep your room dark during sleep hours
- Keep a cool room temperature and have ventilation.
- Reserve your bed for sex & sleeping ONLY.
#6 - Don’t lie in bed awake (mainly helps create an environment for sleeping… this deals with unconscious habit and context.) If you don’t fall asleep within 20 to 30 minutes, get up and do something else. Go back to bed when you’re tired. Repeat as much as necessary. Don’t agonize over falling asleep. The stress will only prevent sleep.
#7 - Eat food that helps you sleep, including tryptophan-containing foods with carbohydrates, calcium, not too much protein, and eating earlier in the evening.
- Dont go to bed hungry, but don’t eat too much before going to bed.
- Try these snacks:
- Glass of warm milk and half a turkey or peanut butter sandwich
- Whole-grain, low-sugar cereal or granola with low-fat milk or yogurt
- A banana and a cup of hot chamomile tea
#8 - Don’t use an alarm clock and establish consistent waking times. Being waken up by an alarm or sleeping in can cause interrupted sleep cycles. When you break a cycle at the wrong time, it can cause you to be very tired all day.
#9 - Try simple sleeping remedies and tablets (sleeping tablets are purchasable at any drug store), such as chamomile, valerian, kava, passionflower, skullcap, catnip, or hops. Click here to what I consider to be the top 10 insomnia remedies.
#10 - Avoid looking at the clock and other activities that cause anxiety, like trying to get comfortable (enjoy the comfort of being in bed, do not try to get more comfortable. This exercise is a great sleep tip in and of itself.)
Mentionable Tips that Didn’t Make the Top 10
- Avoid medications that may interfere with sleep if possible and safe. Always consult your doctor before altering your medications.
- Use sleeping pills only as a last resort. Sleeping pills have side effects and can be dangerous, and only mask over the causes of your insomnia.
- Don’t stress over not getting enough sleep. Accept that you may be up all night or you may fall asleep, and that no matter how tired you are tomorrow, it’ll all work out in the end. Once you’ve accepted that, don’t think about sleep anymore - instead, try to think about things that are relaxing and naturally cause sleep, not actually caring about whether you sleep or not.
- Avoid exercise near bedtime. No exercise at least 3 hours before bed.
- Consider medical problems that may be keeping you awake and what you can do about them.
- See a doctor, as insomnia can be a symptom of physical disorders. The doctor most likely won’t be able to help if your insomnia is due to psychological causes.
- Keep pen and notebook next to your bed and write down all ideas that occupy your mind. Once written down, consider the idea saved for later and don’t continue to think about it.
Remember, these are only tips. I highly recommend reviewing the Top 10 Most Effective Insomnia Remedies report to find more powerful solutions to your sleeplessness.
If you’ve already tried more than 1 of these tips and they stopped working or never worked at all, click here to find out why chronic insomnia makes these tips and other remedies ineffective.
