When you are living a life in the fast lane, a good night’s sleep is usually your best weapon against complete breakdown. With the obvious exception of having a big project the following day, insomnia is something you can do without. Attempted failures of sleeping can leave you drained and ill-tempered the following morning, and that is enough to ruin your whole day.
You have probably tried the classic practice of counting sheep (and if it worked for you once, that is saying something!). You have taken reasonable enough suggestions like drinking warm milk or tea before bedtime while avoiding caffeinated drinks, sleeping in a nice relaxing bed and in a well-ventilated bedroom, taking a warm shower or bath, and passing up naps the whole day. Maybe you have even gone to a doctor or a psychiatrist. But sometimes still, insomnia defeats even these most prescribed solutions.
Following are a few more other suggestions on how to sleep better at night:
- Turn out the lights. Unless you are afraid of the dark, extinguishing out all the lights remains one of the best sleeping measures to date.
- Sleep on your back. This way, all your internal organs are well rested. But if you would rather sleep on your side, do so with your right side. Otherwise, your lungs and liver may increase pressure against your heart. Sleeping on a prone position may cause you to be stiff and sore the following day.
- Move your feet rhythmically. The channels of energy in your feet connect to all energy channels across your body just as pulling the rope causes the church bell to clang. This activity is not meant to energize your body, but to relax it. Remember when, as a child, your mother used to pat you gently to sleep? A rhythmic foot movement works exactly like that – minus mom.
- Rub your stomach. This is another way of body relaxation. In addition, you might lose a little extra weight as this activity improves digestive functioning.
- Stop deep thinking. Because keeping your mind blank is almost impossible, instead keep your visualizations peaceful and dull. Further mind stimulation will only keep you thinking and thinking of more thoughts and ideas.
- Try reverse psychology. Remember how you just hate getting up from bed every morning? Well, if you are suffering from sleepless nights, nurture that early morning feeling and it might do the trick. As you lie down and ready yourself to sleep, tell yourself that you need to get up and imagine reasons why you should (like a visit to the bathroom, or to return a book to its place on the shelf). You would find yourself not wanting to do those trifling chores, thinking that you would rather fall asleep – and luckily you might be able to do just that.
Good luck and hope you sleep well tonight!