MouseNaround

Adequate sleep affects everything in our lives, our mood, mental acuity, spiritual well-being and health, to name a few. I have always been a light sleeper and have battled insomnia for nearly 15 years. I sleep better than ever now , so I thought I would share my tips with you. I hope you don’t have to be as extreme as I do, but if you start with some of these tips and are still not sleeping well, you may just have to try my extreme measures. : ) Consistency is key. My list is generally in the order that is most important to my good night’s sleep.Balanced hormones I’ll start with one, that I suppose is for women only. Balanced hormones have a huge impact on my good night’s sleep. Try to keep your hormones as regulated as possible. Check with your doctor for help in this area. I am post-menopausal and do hormone replacement therapy (HRT). If I miss a dose, I remember to take the dose when I wake up after only a few hours sleep. Arrgh. I have used alternative, natural hormone treatments in the past. If you are inclined to do that, you may want to read this article, Complications Regarding Progesterone Cream by alternative medicine physician, Dr. Joseph Mercola. Don’t take this as an endorsement of Dr. Mercola or alternative treatments. I am not qualified to make a judgment in this area. I am just passing this on in case you are inclined toward alternative medicine. This article does make sense to me. But, I am doing well on my HRT and will continue it for now. OK, back to the list.

Limit your caffeine intake and have a set time that you stop all caffeine for the day. I stop caffeine around 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm.

Avoid eating about two hours before your bedtime.

Turn on a sound machine or a fan… something that drowns out other noises. Make sure the noise you pick is even keeled… no classical music with crescendos.

Darken your room. Go to extreme measures to make the room as dark as possible, paying special attention to keeping it dark as the sun comes up in the morning. I prefer to darken the room when I am at home, but when traveling I pack a comfortable eye mask. You will find the more comfortable eye masks at luggage stores.

Set the temperature cool enough so that you don’t wake up hot.

Set a bed-time and try consistently to go to bed either 30 minutes before or after that time… even on the weekends. Get as much sleep as possible before 2:00 am. You get “double points” for every minute you sleep before 2:00 am. : )

Control evening activities. I hope you won’t have to be as extreme as I do to get a good night’s sleep, but if you think you are doing well on all the other items and you are still not sleeping, you may want to give this a try. In the evening, limit your activities to those that are relaxing to the mind and body. For me, reading and watching television fit the bill. But, even here, I have to be selective. I don’t usually watch movies. If I get sleepy, I fight sleep to see the end and by the end of the movie, my body has obeyed me and I am awake. TV shows that are not extremely exciting are good. I don’t watch shows like 24 or ER within an hour of my bedtime (tape them if you must). The same goes for books. A book that you “just can’t put down” is not good preparation for sleep. Have a cut off time for exciting books and television.

Avoid the computer for surfing or work, a couple of hours before your bed-time. This is not the time of day to stimulate the mind. Now, this next one is extreme.

Turn off the telephone ringer about 6 pm. If you can’t turn it off, screen your calls and only take emergency calls. Tell your family and friends what you are doing and why and ask them to call before your cut off time. And, remember to end phone conversations by the time you choose. I also avoid evenings away from home on a regular basis. If I do need to engage in evening phone conversation or activities, I pay the price of a light night’s sleep or maybe only four hours of solid sleep then full fledged insomnia.

Empty your bladder just before going to bed, or if you are reading in bed, empty your bladder when you are feeling sleepy, but about 15 minutes before you expect to fall asleep. If you don’t have problems with kidney stones, stop drinking liquids a couple hours before your bed-time.

Relax your muscles. I am so relaxed employing the above techniques, that I rarely practice this one anymore. When I used to have more problems, I would settle into bed and start at my feet and think about each body part, assessing if it is relaxed and if not “telling” it to relax. End with your jaw and head. You might be surprised at how tense you are.

If I am having an episode of insomnia, sometimes I will get up and eat a banana or a couple of cookies and drink some milk. Then, go right back to bed.

Many medications interfere with sleep; read the labels and check with your doctor.

Avoid alcohol and pain pills before bed. They may make you drowsy, but they interfere with deep sleep. If you are in pain, take some Tylenol or ibuprofen.

Avoid sleep medicines. I found they also interfere with sound sleep.

Decongestants and sometimes antihistamines interfere with sound sleep. High quality sleep is the goal.

Cold feet can cause awakenings. Wear socks to bed if you have poor circulation or cold feet for any reason.

Miscellaneous: Establish a bedtime routine. Take a hot bath or shower late in the evening. Exercise regularly and avoid excess weight.

Sweet dreams.