how to deal with sleepless nights
just in case some of you don't know what insomnia is, insomnia is a sleeping disorder in which a person struggles to fall asleep or stay asleep. it can have a huge impact on your physical and mental health and affect your education/work.
if you are suffering from insomnia or just lately been having trouble sleeping at night, this article is for you!
here's a guide of ways i find help reduce insomnia:
☾ have a regular sleeping schedule
don't wake up early only for school or work and then sleep until 2 pm when you have a day off. i know... it's tempting to sleep late on weekends, especially if you have had poor sleep during the week. however, if you suffer from insomnia you should try to get up at the same time every day in order to train your body to wake at a consistent time.
☾ limit naps
while napping seems like a proper way to catch up on missed sleep, it's not always so. it's important to establish and maintain a regular sleep schedule and train your brain to associate sleep with signals like darkness and a consistent bedtime. also, napping can affect the quality of nighttime sleep.
☾ do not eat or drink right before going to bed
for 2 to 3 hours before bedtime avoid eating a full meal or fatty foods. if you are hungry or if you are like me and enjoy eating a snack before bed, i suggest you eat a light snack about 45 minutes before bed, such as:
- a banana
- a small bowl of whole-grain, low-sugar cereal
- yogurt
- oats
- almonds
- glass of milk
☾ make a sleep playlist
if you're someone who can't stand little noises from the outside and needs a constant noise, you can use your earphones to listen to a constant rain noise on youtube or go on spotify for a rain playlist or listen to the spotify sleep playlist. you can also make your own playlist with calming noises.
☾ make your room completely dark
darkness is essential to sleep. the absence of light sends a signal to the body that it is time to rest. cover your room's windows with curtains/ blinds to make it fully dark or cover your eyes with an eye mask.
☾ don't force yourself to sleep
if you can't fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed and do something relaxing like reading a book or taking a nice bath. don't check your phone if you can't fall asleep, the light will keep you awake.
☾ keep your room cool
a bedroom, that is too hot or too cold, can also interfere with the quality of your sleep.
☾ reduce stress
there are a number of relaxation therapies and stress reduction methods you may want to try to relax your mind and body before going to bed.
☾ exercise during the day
exercising will make you tired in general which will make you fall asleep easier at night.
☾ aromatherapy
aromatherapy is using the scents of essential oils and plant oils to create a calming effect, it can't cure insomnia, but it can create relaxed atmosphere and induce a better frame of mind to fall asleep and stay asleep. common essential oils used for aromatherapy and recommended for relaxation are lavender (my personal favorite), rose, orange, bergamot, lemon, sandalwood and others. you can breathe the oils in directly from a tissue/cloth or indirectly through a diffuser. you can also mix it into your bath water. start an aromatherapy session about 30 minutes before bedtime. if you have a essential oil diffuser, you can let it run throughout the night.
☾ other things you shouldn't do a few hours before bed
- drink coffee or anything caffeine related - smoke (nicotine is a stimulant)
- eat chocolate or sugary foods
- play video games
- use any kind of digital technology
call your doctor if you are worried about sleeping problems, especially if insufficient sleep or disturbed sleep is interfering with your ability to function normally during the day.
i hope this guide will help you beat insomnia!
sweet dreams,
V
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