Do you find yourself tossing and turning at night, watching the time on your alarm clock get later and later? Or do you realize that even if you get to bed at a reasonable hour you still manage to wake up tired? If your answer to these questions is “yes” then you may be one of the 20% of Americans that suffer from sleeping disorders such as Insomnia.
When it comes to treating your insomnia, prescription drugs don’t have to be answer. They tend to have side effects and some people are just plain uncomfortable using them. So if you’ve been desperate to get better sleep at night, give one of these tips a try:
- Stop daytime napping – Sometimes you just need a nap – but if you do crash out during the day for an hour or two, it will not only be harder to fall asleep when you want to, but you’ll find it difficult to maintain your sleep overnight.
- Do away with late-night carbohydrates – Two hours before you plan on calling it a night,
resist the urge to snack on foods loaded with carbs or sugars. Instead opt for sleep-inducing foods like turkey or nuts. - Avoid Nighttime fluids – Drinking anything a couple hours before bed – water, juice, soda (the caffeine is a double no-no) will have you running to the bathroom 2-3 times overnight, which obviously interrupts a consistent night’s sleep.
- Adopt a habitual sleeping schedule – It’s not easy, but try to make a habit of laying down to bed and getting on up at the same times every day. If you’re not a morning person you’re body and head may resist at first, but sticking to a consistent routine will help your body develop a pattern.
- Keep Your Head Cool – Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine recently reported that by giving insomnia patients a cap that contained circulating, cool water to sleep in, they fell asleep as quickly as patients without insomnia. People with insomnia tend to have a more active frontal lobe, which explains why letting the brain cool off can help you fall asleep faster. If you don’t have access to such a cap, trying icing down your pillow or sleeping in a slightly cooler temperature.
If your bout with Insomnia is becoming increasingly serious and none of these tips do the trick for you, call us at 734-793-0215.
