How do I Fix Sleep Insomnia?
Many people are troubled by insomnia or difficulty with sleeping each night. There are actually quite a few things you can do to overcome insomnia if you happen to be one of the people troubled by it. Try some of the suggestions below, and you may find yourself sleeping more soundly each night, and for a longer period of time.
Limit daytime naps
There may be several times throughout the day where you feel drowsy enough that you need a nap, but this is actually a hindrance to a good night’s sleep. It’s very important to have a regular sleep pattern at night, and napping frequently has the effect of disrupting that pattern, and your nighttime sleep. It’s best to avoid daytime naps so that you sleep more soundly at night.
Wake up at the same time
Again, to establish a consistent sleeping pattern it’s best that you wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This will train your body to wake up at a consistent hour each day, and it will help to establish a pattern at night where you can get to sleep at the same time as well, hopefully sleeping more soundly.
Eliminate alcohol and coffee
Any stimulant like coffee or some kinds of soda beverages will contain caffeine, and that can keep you awake at night. Alcohol is also known to disrupt your sleeping pattern, so you should avoid drinking alcohol when you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep. Even though alcohol is a depressant and has a sedative effect for the first couple hours of sleep, it will generally cause frequent wake-ups, and a poor night’s sleep overall.
Get regular exercise
When you exercise regularly, it has the effect of tiring your body out and preparing you for a good night’s sleep. Studies have shown that regular exercise improves sleep quality, and helps individuals enjoy a sounder sleep each night. It also helps you to be less anxious, and anxiety can also interfere with sleep.
When you get in bed, go to sleep
Another way you can help train your body to get a good night’s sleep is to not get into bed unless you plan to actually go to sleep. This means you should not get into bed and watch television for several hours, or read books or other materials. Any activities like these can actually increase your alertness and work against the body’s natural inclination to fall asleep.
Don’t eat or drink prior to bedtime
Whenever you have a late dinner or any kind of late meal before bedtime, it will activate the digestive system, and that will keep you awake. If you’re a person who suffers from heartburn or acid reflux, it’s even more important to avoid eating anything, because that could trigger an unpleasant reaction that really inhibits sleep. If you drink a lot of liquids before bedtime, that could cause you to make several trips to the bathroom, all of which will wake you up.
Make the environment comfortable
You should try to make your sleeping environment as conducive to sleep as possible. This means the temperature should be cozy but not excessively cool or hot. The lighting should be generally dark, since that naturally triggers the sleeping response, and any noise should be turned off unless you happen to be one of those people who needs white noise in the background. You should have a comfortable bed and pillow, and if you have a pet, it’s best that you don’t allow the pet in bed with you.
Don’t fret before bedtime
If there’s anything that has been troubling you throughout the day, try to limit any period of review for those troubles to a time at least a couple of hours before you go to sleep. You don’t want to take any of those anxieties or worries with you to bed, because you are likely to be staring at the ceiling all night considering them. If you can set a time frame where you review all those issues earlier and then stop at a certain point, that will leave you in a much better frame of mind for having a good night’s sleep.
