Do your nights look like this? Are you exhausted and yet unable to sleep?
Insomnia can be an inability to fall asleep easily or an inability to stay asleep or both. There are physical, emotional, mental and energetic reasons for poor sleep, but often our own bad habits contribute to or create insomnia. The good news is that natural healing can occur when we change our habits. The following changes will usually improve the quality and quantity of a person’s sleep. Sometimes they will completely correct the problem of insomnia.
1. Go to bed and get up at the same time everyday, even weekends.
Our bodies love rhythm and routine. By going to bed at the same time we train our bodies to be tired at bedtime.
2. Limit caffeine consumption to the morning.
Remember black tea has the same amount of caffeine as coffee. Green teas have less but can still affect sleep. One more common source of caffeine is chocolate and the darker the chocolate the more caffeine it contains. So have your chocolate dessert at lunch.
3. Drink no more than one small glass of alcohol in the evening.
This will help you sleep but drinking more will cause sleep disturbances from lack of REM sleep to having to make nighttime trips to the bathroom.
4. Shut off electronic equipment and dim the lights an hour before bedtime.
This mimics the cycles in Nature. Many people claim to be night owls. If this were true they’d be able to see in the dark like real owls, hyenas and cats. Human beings are diurnal animals. Don’t be fooled by electricity.
5. If at all possible don’t nap during the day.
If you must nap limit it to no more than 20 minutes, especially during the afternoon. If you are tired you can get great benefit from sitting down and putting your feet up or getting completely horizontal for 10 minutes without actually sleeping.
6. Keep your bedroom pitch black and cool, 60-70 degrees F.
If you’re not comfortable within this temperature range add or remove blankets and clothing. Your bedroom is your cave; keep it cool and dark.
If you are not sleeping like a baby after incorporating these tips, there may be side effects from medications you are taking, sleep apnea, or an imbalance in your system that is affecting hormones, temperature regulation, stress and other issues.
In Sasang Constitutional Medicine different foods can actually keep you awake depending on your constitution or at the least cause you to sleep less soundly so that you wake up exhausted rather than rested.
Disclaimer: This blog is not intended to be a substitute for personal, professional, medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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