If you have ever struggled with sleeplessness, you will know that there are at all times plenty of tips from people who mean well but do not understand. They’ll ask if you have tried leaving your phone on for a few hours before going to bed (yes, obviously). They’ll recommend that you get out of bed early and ensure you’re tired before bed (and will not count towards the “tired three hours before bed, get a second wind when it’s bedtime” game our bodies love with us). They barely have anything new or practical to say, and it isn’t their fault because they do not live it.
As familiar as you are with insomnia, and as familiar with the handicapping approaches people recommend to treat it, you must still wonder what you can do about it. One of the most common recommendations appears to be “turn off your mind”, which sounds good, but tends to fall short with regards to reality. Below are some tips from people who have thoroughly studied sleep and understand the constraints of clichéd ideas you have heard more than enough about. They will not guarantee success, but science does.
Hack your brain: Think about something meaningless
You will not be capable to silence your inner voice as you restlessly lie awake at night. He wanted to speak, and the silence was easily broken. So you can let your idle mind prompt you to consider some nagging aspect of life for which you really haven’t got the answers, otherwise you can fill that voice with busyness. What’s your favorite flag Inside the world? How many flavors of potato chips can you name? How are you going to build a garden shed out of just the stuff in your garage? The more anodyne, the better – the scientists explained that it would run out mentally energy without throwing you back into existential questions.
Try to stay awake
When you are trying to sleep, you are repeatedly presented with the undeniable fact that you are still awake, and so you do not succeed in accomplishing the one thing you really wanted to do. It’s annoying because it is at all times there and creates a vicious cycle. So – and as petty as it sounds, there’s a method to madness – call your own bluff by deciding you do not want to sleep right now. Get up, get a drink – something like a glass of water or Blue Bear, not coffee or Red Bull. Don’t turn on any lights, but do as much as you can to get ready in the morning. Before long, the fact of how long you have been awake, and the use of mental and physical energy, will remind your body that it needs sleep, and you’ll feel sleepy again.
open the window
When preparing for sleep, your body naturally lowers its temperature gradually – subconsciously creating the best conditions for a beneficial sleep. This is why insomnia is more common during heat waves. The warmer you are, the harder it’s to sleep, and the more you consider how hot it’s. You will have a better chance of falling if your body colder. Even in a heat wave, when it is bedtime, it is going to be cooler outside than inside. Heat wave or no heat wave, that drop in temperature will increase your chances of sleeping.
