13 Sleeping Tips to Help You Fall Asleep Fast
Insomnia is a problem for millions and women approaching mid-life are especially susceptible to it. Lack of sleep can make you irritable and grumpy, and it also can have a tremendous effect on your body. Professional and working women may see a decline in job productivity as well. If you’re one of many women (they work for men too!) who find it very hard to sleep, here are a number of falling asleep tips to help you drift off quickly:
1. Take a good look at your bedroom. Is it conducive to sleep? Make sure your room is as close to total darkness as possible. Close your curtains and make use of a towel, if you must, to shield any incoming light from streetlamps. Also, put a towel over your alarm clock – just make certain you can hear it in the morning.
2. Be sure that you have a comfortable bed. Make sure your mattress adequately supports your spine. Your pillows should be replaced every 2 to 3 years.
3. You shouldn’t spend time in your bed snacking, reading or watching TV. The only two activities that should be carried out while you are in bed are having sex and sleeping. You need to train yourself so that when you finally crawl into bed at night, you will go to sleep.
4. Try not to watch the news just before retiring for the night. Instead, try watching a sitcom or lighthearted movie. Most news is bad these days and it may trouble your mind.
5. Another one of those sleeping tips to help you fall asleep almost on command is to establish a bedtime routine. Make sure to stick to it so you’ll become acclimated and your body will know that this is what we do to get ready for sleep.
6. Don’t drink alcohol before turning in for the night. It can be stimulating and make it difficult to go to sleep.
7. Avoid nicotine and caffeine; these products are both stimulants. You don’t want to be bouncing off the walls!
8. If you are all stressed out and cannot sleep, try writing everything down that has you bothered. Committing these thoughts to paper puts them in the open and helps remove them from your mind.
9. Eat a turkey sandwich prior to getting into bed – the tryptophan in the turkey will make you sleepy.
10. If you take a nap during the day, it may sabotage your sleep at night. Resist the urge to nap if you have trouble sleeping at night.
11. Another great tip is to take a hot, relaxing bath. You can even combine it with some light meditation to calm your mind.
12. Did your grandmother ever tell you this one? Drink some warm milk and honey before bed.
13. If you just can’t seem to go to sleep, get up and try doing something for about one to two hours until you are physically exhausted. Just don’t choose an activity that will stimulate your mind and make you want to stay up longer.
Give one or more of these sleeping tips a try is you suffer from insomnia. You’re likely to be sleeping like a baby before you know it!