August is “Good Night, Sleep Right” month at ButYouDontLookSick.com!
As many of us know sleep can often be a dream in itself when you’re lying in bed at night wide eyed and frustrated, unable to fall asleep. With many chronic illnesses and many medications comes the dreaded insomnia, but although we are unable to come up with a surefire cure for the odd sleepless night, there are some tips and tricks that can help you out the next time you’re longing for some zzzz’s.

1. Don’t look at the clock. I personally know how hard that can be especially when you have to get up for work the next morning and you’re laying there counting the hours you have left, if you were to fall asleep at that moment! However, very often the stress of that alone is enough to keep you from getting to sleep. So what I have done is throw a towel or blanket over the clock or even better turn it around, anything so that I’m not laying there counting the hours and feeling frustrated for not falling asleep.
2. Get up: If you find that half an hour or more has passed and you’re feeling restless and unable to fall asleep, get up and QUIETLY do something until you feel sleepy. Try reading, watching TV, or even folding laundry. Once you feel sleepy again get into bed and relax until you fall asleep.
3. Keep a journal: Have a small journal and pen placed beside your bed and when you find that you just can’t sleep because all these jumbled thoughts are floating around in your mind, reach over grab your journal and write them
down. Believe it or not, studies show that keeping a journal can help with stress. Write down thoughts, worries, anything you feel is bothering you and maybe even brainstorm some possible solutions. That alone can help you clear your mind. Once your mind is at peace, sleep should seem a lot more attainable.
4. Warm Drink: Yup that age old remedy can actually help! Try some warm milk, caffeine free herbal tea, or even just plain hot water with lemon and honey. Cozy up under the covers with a warm drink and feel the sand man
bring you a great night’s sleep.
5. Turn off sounds: Studies have shown that we as humans sleep better in the dark, in complete quiet. So if you’re like me, I like to sleep with the TV or radio on and that can greatly impair your sleep. Having even the
slightest noise not to mention light in the background actually prevents you from entering the REM stage of sleep known as rapid eye movement, which is the rejuvenation stage that we as humans so desperately need. So my
solution is a timer, my TV has a timer which I set before I go to sleep and I keep the volume very low. This helps so that once I’m asleep the timer will turn the TV off and I’m able to enjoy a nice quiet sleep.
6. Daily Naps: Make daily naps no longer than one hour, I know how hard that can be when your just too tired all the time and would love to just sleep all day. However, your body will be able to enter into a routine sleep if your
daily naps are kept short.
7. Routine: Believe it or not our bodies actually need routine. Make sure that you get up early enough in the morning and at the same time each day and yup that includes the weekends too. Eat at the same time each day also and most importantly try to go to bed at the same time each night! All this will help your body feel good and it will help you have a restful sleep!
8. 7-8: This is easy we as humans need at least seven to eight hours sleep each night, and some even need more! Did you know that the body gets a better rest if having fallen asleep before midnight, as opposed to after? That’s why even if you go to sleep at two in the morning and sleep till noon you still tend to feel tired and unrested!
9. LAUGH!: I believe that this is most important! Laughter has been proven to have a healing power, but it also has a sleeping power too. When we laugh we release chemicals in our brain called endorphins and those produce serotonin which helps us against depression and helps us sleep. So throughout the day watch a comedy show, or talk show- anything to give you a giggle!
10. Lastly if you feel that you need a sleep aid then the best thing to remember is to first check with your doctor. Often doctors will prescribe an anti-depressant that usually can be very helpful used once in a while for
sleeplessness.
More information can be found at
consumerhealthdigest.com/sleepaids.htm
Written by Stefanie Leale © 2008, www.butyoudontlooksick.com