Hey,
Recently I have been having the hardest time falling asleep at night. I will think that I am tired but the minute the light turns off my brain turns on and I find myself tossing and turning for hours unintentionally trying to solve all of the mysteries and problems in my life. It is no fun at all and it makes it nearly impossible to awaken the next morning at an hour that doesn't make me feel like a teenager again!
Here are some things that I have started trying in an attempt to curb this thorn in my flesh of insomnia. Hopefully, they will help me to solve this problem once and for all and if you are struggling with this as well hopefully that will help you!
1. Camomile Tea:
This is quite a common solution to the insomnia issue. Camomile is said to naturally relieve anxiety and make you sleepy. Some new studies have shown that to receive the full effects it needs to build up in your system over time, meaning that in order to have it really help you fall asleep you need to drink at least one cup every single day and then in the long run it will cure your sleeping problem (or lack of sleeping problem should I say).
2. Exercise:
Exercise makes you tired. Simple as that. Exercise also helps with anxiety, which is commonly the main cause of insomnia. Exercising an hour or two before bedtime will help to relax both your body and your mind. win win.
3. No Late-Night Snacking:
How can our bodies relax enough to fall asleep while they are working so hard to digest those hostess donuts we were just snacking on five minutes before we turned the lights out? I am big on late-night snacks it's totally my vice. Before 8:00 PM I have no interest in snacking on things with no nutritional value, but after 8:00 PM that's a different story. However, sleep is much more important than dessert, not to mention infinitely more healthy!
4. Stay Away From Electronic Devices:
How many of us have said: "I'm going to bed now." And then we immediately pick up our phones and check Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, KIK, try to beat the next level of that game we our playing, check our junk mail, etc for the next hour. Sometimes our problem isn't that we can't fall asleep, it's that we can't let go of our electronic BFF.
5. Read:
"But I need to look at something before bed to relax me!" you may say. Read! Looking at what so-and-so had for dessert won't make you want to fall asleep, but it will make you hungry! (see number 3 for more on that) Instead of getting yourself all riled up over your friend-of-a-friends exotic vacation that you just can't figure out how they can afford, read something relaxing and encouraging. Something that gets your mind off of life (yours or otherwise) and takes you somewhere else, closer to dreamland ideally.
6. White Noise:
If you want to see me literally not fall asleep, like, ever, force me to sleep somewhere in complete silence. I cannot do it. My whole life I have slept with the white noise of a fan off in the background lulling me to sleep and I cannot sleep without it. If you've never tried it, give it a shot, it's a game changer, trust me. Now, if you don't want to dry out your sinuses or freeze to death in the winter by having a fan blowing all night long, fear not, there's an app for that! When I'm on vacation I use the app called, you guessed it: "White Noise." You can get it on your smartphone, or your tablet, or your computer. There's even a "Lite" version that is absolutely free and still has so many options. You can listen to the sound of waves crashing on the shore, raindrops falling, a shower, an air conditioner, an oscillating fan, an airplane engine, the list goes on. You can also listen to regular white noise, brown noise, and some other color noises I can't remember at the moment. The options are endless! "Hide yo kids, hide yo wife, cuz errybody listening to White Noise out here."
These are just a few tips that I have been trying out. I hope that maybe they will help you out as they have been starting to help me. Feel free to let me know in the comments below anything that has worked for you in your struggle to get some shut-eye, I am definitely open to suggestions!
Until Next Time My Darlings!
xoxo Courtany
