The human body needs good rest and sleep everyday. Sleep rejuvenates the body and replaces lost energy. How much sleep you need each day is up to you to decide. Experts recommend eight hours. Individuals needs differ though, so more or less time can be spent sleeping depending on what your body needs. But what if you can't seem to rest and sleep naturally?
The inability to sleep at night is known as insomnia. Several factors can contribute to this problem. The more stressed up you are the more your chances of not sleeping or not sleeping well at night. Stress could include depression and unnecessary worries.
The use of alcohol, drugs and certain beverages can affect your sleep pattern just as eating too late can.
Insomnia can become chronic and give one emotional discomfort. You become restless, lack coordination and lose energy. Worse still, every might you become more desperate to sleep and do things you shouldn't do, like taking sleeping pills. Here are some quick tips to help one cope with sleeplessness.
*Develop a sleeping pattern. Fix a sleeping schedule. With time your body adapts to set aside sleeping and waking times.
*Make your bedroom comfortable. I would suggest you start by taking a warm bath before bed. If you can get a massage or light exercise so much the better.
The darker, quieter and cooler the bedroom is the better you can sleep. Soft music playing in the background would complete the picture.
*No alcohol. Alcohol disrupts sleeping patterns rather than help them. So you would want to avoid all kinds of alcoholic drink before bed. If you feel like drinking something take a glass of milk or yogurt.
*Stop smoking. If you are a smoker this should be your reason to quit. In addition to the fact that it is not good for one's health, smoking makes you hyperactive and raises your blood pressure.
*Avoid extreme mental or physical activity before bed. Exercise is very good, but not immediately before bed. The same goes for other mentally demanding tasks you might have.
A good tip is to write on paper all difficult issues you have at hand. You can pick them up when you wake up in the morning. As you write them down assume you've checked them in safely somewhere. Your mind needs to be stress-free for now.
*No sleeping pills. Sleeping pills have short term usefulness and long term harmfulness. I guess you can do without their several side effects.
The key to defeating insomnia is to keep your mind free from worry, especially before bed. Worrying does not solve any problem. They rather compound problems. These quick practical tips can get you that much needed rest and sleep before long.