Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Use Relaxation Techniques
• Part 2 of 3: Develop a bedtime routine
• Part 3 of 3: Get Help

Many people have difficulty falling asleep. Insomnia has an extremely negative impact on health and mood. Insomnia can cause the immune system to malfunction. In addition, anxiety and depression are the most common causes of chronic insomnia. Chronic sleep deprivation also increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart problems. However, there are some simple techniques that can help you relax and sleep well.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Use Relaxation Techniques

1. 1 Exercise throughout the day. This will make you feel tired and fall asleep faster. Exercise also promotes the production of endorphins, which have a calming effect.
   • However, do not exercise right before bed, as exercise will invigorate you and make it difficult for you to fall asleep. If you have a choice: go to the gym in the morning or in the evening, choose the first option.
   • Adults 18–64 years of age should devote at least 150 minutes a week to moderate-intensity exercise, at least 10 minutes at a time.
   • Make sure that the child is getting the necessary physical activity. This is especially true for those children who suffer from insomnia. By exercising throughout the day, your child will feel the fatigue necessary to fall asleep.
2. 2 Drink a soothing tea. Natural herbal teas that do not contain caffeine can help you relax before bed. Brew chamomile or valerian tea. Purchase a tea that contains soothing herbs. As a rule, on packs of such tea it is written: "Tea for insomnia".
3. 3 Practice deep breathing. This is a great way to free your mind of disturbing thoughts and relax your body so you can sleep peacefully. After you have gone to bed and are in a comfortable position, do the following:
   • Breathe in as follows: inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth.
   • Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Feel how the air fills your body and passes through the nasal cavity, larynx, throat, bronchi and lungs.
   • Try to understand where you feel tension in your body. As you exhale, try to relax that part of the body.
   • Every time your mind gets distracted from the exercise and you start thinking about problems, try to get rid of the distracting thought and focus on your breathing again.
4. 4 Practice the visualization method. The visualized imagery helps you take your mind off the stresses of everyday life and focus on something else. Choose something that can distract you. It could be your favorite place, an imaginary place, a favorite pastime, or a story you can tell yourself.
   • Provide the selected location or situation in detail. For example, if you imagine a beach, try to see the waves, hear their sound as they crash on the shore, hear the cry of seagulls, smell the salt water. Try to feel the breeze and the warmth of the sun.
   • If worrying thoughts distract you, tell yourself what you will think about the problems tomorrow and try to focus on the image you present. It will take time to learn this relaxation technique. Therefore, practice and you should be able to achieve good results over time.
   • This method can be very helpful for children who have trouble sleeping.
5. 5 Practice the progressive muscle relaxation technique. This method is especially useful for people who are under physical stress. If stress is causing your back, neck or head muscles to strain, this method can help you relax and sleep well.
   • Starting with the muscles in your legs, slowly work each muscle group in your body.
   • Squeeze each muscle group for five seconds. Concentrate on the sensations. Then, relax each muscle group. Feel the difference. Do five reps for each muscle group. When you're done with one muscle group, move on to the next.
   • Do not hold your breath while the muscles are tense. Breathe deeply and calmly.
6. 6 Ask your partner to give you a massage. If you are under tension in any part of your body, it can cause pain. Pain can be the cause of your insomnia. Many people feel tension in their shoulders and neck. This in turn causes headaches and back pain.
   • Have your partner give you a gentle massage before bed. If you experience pain in any part of your body, pay attention to it. Massage and general muscle relaxation will help you relax both emotionally and physically and sleep peacefully.
   • Turn off or dim lighting to reduce visual stimulation.
   • If you are using massage oils, choose oils with a soothing scent, such as lavender or vanilla.
7. 7 Read a soothing book. Choose a book that will be interesting to you, and thanks to which you can distract from your worries. However, do not read a book that is so interesting that you cannot stop.
   • When reading scientific and similar literature, the mind is involved, not emotions.
   • Don't read detective stories before bed. Otherwise, you risk not falling asleep all night, as you will not be able to tear yourself away from the book.
   • This tip is especially effective for children who find it difficult to relax at the end of the day. Read 10-20 minutes before bed to help your child relax and fall asleep.
8. 8 Write down any worries or concerns you have. If you can't relax because you are thinking about what you need to do the next day, write down what worries you. Write down anything that bothers you and prevents you from relaxing. If, after you've written down all your worries, the disturbing thoughts still don't leave you alone, remind yourself that you wrote it down and you can return to solving these problems tomorrow.
9. 9 If you are having trouble falling asleep, don't force yourself to do it. If you've been trying to sleep for more than 20 minutes and you're having trouble, get up and walk around. This will help free the mind of anxious and disturbing thoughts. Within 10 minutes, try the following:
   • Take a warm shower to physically relax.
   • Read a book to help you take your mind off your daily worries.
   • Listen to relaxing music.

Part 2 of 3: Develop a bedtime routine

1. 1 Maintain a good sleep schedule. If you fall asleep and wake up at the same time for several days, then your internal clock will adjust to this schedule, and you can easily fall asleep at your usual time. Stick to a set schedule throughout the week. While you may be tempted to go to bed later on weekends, resist it by following your established schedule.
   • It is believed that a healthy adult should sleep seven to nine hours a night. If you still feel tired, you may need to sleep more. Chances are, you should increase your sleep to ten hours a night. Children and adolescents need to sleep more.
   • Try not to doze during the daytime. While taking a nap may make you feel better, it can negatively affect your night's sleep.Therefore, try to avoid this, remembering that taking a nap during the day will prevent you from falling asleep at night.
2. 2 Take a warm bath or shower. Take a warm shower or bath about an hour before bed. This treatment will relax and warm you. When you get out of the bath, your body temperature will drop. This is very important because the body temperature usually drops when you go to bed. Consider this fact in your sleep patterns. This will help you fall asleep quickly.
3. 3 Prepare your bedroom for sleep. Remove anything that might distract you from sleep. Make sure that you are not distracted by extraneous noise, uncomfortable body temperature, TV, lights, allergens and an uncomfortable mattress. The following steps will help you eliminate what may be interfering with your sleep:
   • Use earplugs or white noise to reduce the noise of loud sounds. White noise is a constant noise that sounds the same at both low and high frequencies. In just a few minutes, you will not notice the sounds of white noise, as well as sounds that can distract you from sleep. This tip can be helpful if you are unable to sleep due to noisy neighbors or traffic noise.
   • Use a bandage for sleeping or choose blackout curtains that block out light. This is important if you work at night and sleep during the day, or if the bright street lighting outside the window prevents you from falling asleep.
   • Take care of a comfortable temperature. The optimal temperature in the sleeping room is considered to be 16-19 degrees. If you live in a hot, dry climate, use a humidifier or fan to keep your bedroom temperature comfortable for sleeping.
   • If you have allergies, take care to reduce the number of allergens in your bedroom. If you have pets, keep them out of the bedroom. In addition, you can vacuum as often as possible to remove the most common allergens: pollen, dust, and pet hair.
   • If your mattress is over 10 years old and you wake up in the morning with back pain, it's probably time to get a new one. Get a comfortable mattress that will properly support your back. Check your mattress to see if it is sagging under your body weight. If so, get a new mattress. A good mattress and pillow are vital for a good rest.
4. 4 Turn off electronic devices. Turn off computers, laptops, TV and radio. Bright light from computer screens and TVs interferes with the natural regulation of sleep. If possible, remove TV and other electronic devices from your bedroom completely. The bedroom should be a place to sleep.
   • Turn off or remove computers and other brightly lit appliances from the bedroom. Lighting at night can disrupt your circadian rhythm, which can prevent you from falling asleep.
   • Turn off devices that make noise. Remove the loudly ticking clock from the bedroom. Turn off the radio. If you find it easier to fall asleep with background noise, choose something soothing, without words. Otherwise, you will ponder the meaning of what you heard, and you are unlikely to be able to fall asleep.
   • Don't let yourself look at your watch when you are trying to sleep. If you look at your watch and realize that it is already very late, it will keep you on your toes and you will hardly be able to fall asleep.
5. 5 Adjust your sleep cycle with lighting. This tip is especially useful for those who work at night and sleep during the day. With bright light, you can regulate your sleep cycle.
   • Make sure you get enough natural sunlight. If possible, go for a walk in the morning, or open the curtains to let sunlight into the room. This will train your body to wake up at the same time. Also, avoid bright lighting before bed.
   • Purchase a lamp that can be programmed to turn on at a specific time, for example, a few minutes before the alarm goes off. Thanks to the light, you can wake up more easily.Light helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle. This tip can help those who don't get enough natural light during the day.
6. 6 Avoid stimulants such as caffeinated drinks, alcohol, and nicotine.
   • Do not drink coffee, tea, or caffeinated sodas. Even if you feel tired and think that drinking these drinks will not affect your sleep in any way, you are mistaken. Caffeinated drinks interfere with the sleep-wake cycle.
   • Stop smoking. Nicotine is a stimulant that can cause your insomnia.
   • Cut back on alcohol. Although excessive alcohol consumption can cause you to fall asleep very soundly, alcohol tends to promote shallow sleep, which makes you wake up more often at night. In addition, if you drink a lot of fluids before bed, you will often wake up to use the bathroom.
7. 7 Don't eat heavy foods before bed. You may experience heartburn that will keep you awake. Eat a light meal at least two hours before bedtime so your body can digest your food. If you get hungry before bed, eat something light, like a piece of fruit or a cookie.
   • Eliminate foods that can lead to digestive upset from your diet. Eliminate fatty foods, tomatoes, or spicy foods.
8. 8 Limit the amount of fluids you drink before bed. Of course, if you are thirsty, do not torture yourself, otherwise you are unlikely to be able to fall asleep. However, don't drink too much before bed. Otherwise, you will often wake up to go to the bathroom.
   • If you reduce your fluid intake before bed, be sure to drink a large glass of water when you wake up in the morning to prevent dehydration.

Part 3 of 3: Get Help

1. 1 Check with your doctor if insomnia affects your quality of life. Many people who have sleep problems, including insomnia, have the following symptoms:
   • A person cannot fall asleep for half an hour
   • Frequent awakening at night
   • Early awakening
   • Sleepiness during the day
   • Bad mood, depression, or anxiety
   • Inattention, which manifests itself in the fact that a person makes many mistakes at work or at school
   • Headaches
   • Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract
   • Worry about the body not getting enough sleep
2. 2 Talk to your doctor about medication. Certain medications can help you sleep. Many of these drugs are available over the counter. These drugs include:
   • Pain relievers, over-the-counter decongestants, and dietary products
   • Stimulants such as Ritalin
   • Antihistamines
   • Corticosteroids
   • Antidepressants
   • Medicines for high blood pressure and to improve the work of the heart muscle
3. 3 Consider psychotherapeutic treatment options. Typically, doctors recommend psychotherapy for those with sleep problems. The doctor can use the following treatments:.
   • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy... The goal of this therapy is to help the person change the wrong thinking that may be causing sleep problems. This is especially helpful for those experiencing intense stress or anxiety.
   • Stimulus control therapy... Following the principles of this therapy, you should only go to bed when you feel sleepy and only use the bedroom for sleep and sex.
   • Sleep Restriction Therapy... The goal of this therapy is to limit the actual stay in bed in order to ensure deeper and more stable sleep the next night. When your regular sleep cycle is restored, you can increase your time in bed.
   • Paradoxical intention... This method is especially effective for people who are worried about being unable to sleep.Instead of worrying about it, try your best to stay awake.
   • Biofeedback... This method can be useful for people who cannot understand that intense stress is the cause of their insomnia. It is a healing psychological technique in the process of mastering which the patient learns to understand and control the reactions of his body, such as blood pressure, muscle tension and heartbeat. You will learn to relax. Follow your doctor's instructions.
4. 4 Take medication for short-term relief. If you have insomnia, your doctor may prescribe medication to help you sleep. However, many of these drugs have serious side effects, including addiction. Therefore, take these drugs in short courses. Do not take these drugs for more than one month. The following drugs can help you if you have trouble sleeping:
   • Over-the-counter antihistamines. Note, however, that you may feel very sleepy the next morning. It is important to consider this for people who work with machinery or drive vehicles. Also, if you have urinary problems and have to get up at night to use the bathroom more than once, antihistamines can make the problem worse.
   • Melatonin (as Circadin). Melatonin is a natural hormone that helps regulate the sleep cycle. This drug is most often prescribed for the elderly. The course of treatment can be up to 13 weeks. Side effects include headache, cold symptoms, joint and back pain.
   • Benzodiazepines (Valium and similar drugs). These drugs can be addictive and less effective over time. They also cause side effects such as dizziness, decreased attention and concentration, dullness of emotions, depression, irritability and drowsiness the next day.
   • Z-preparations (Ambien, Sonata). These drugs are also addictive. They also become less effective over time. They can cause drowsiness, indigestion, snoring, dry mouth, confusion, nightmares, and hallucinations. If you experience side effects that affect your mental health, seek immediate medical attention.