Insomnia Tips from a life-long Insomniac

Insomnia Tips from an Insomniac 

I have always had trouble sleep, just like my mother. We all have different reasons why we have insomnia. It affects around a third of all adults. Sometimes it is temporary e.g. if you lose a loved one. Sometimes there is chronic insomnia e.g. if you have an overly active mind or anxiety.

Plus there are many other causes of insomnia, such as when you are experiencing mental of physical pain. Or you could be leading a sedentary lifestyle leaving your body awake at night, despite you feeling tired.

The tips below are just a few things I have learned over the years, which should be of use to most people experiencing insomnia.

Follow these proven tips to help you sleep better

Insomnia Help Videos

At the end of this article is a helpful video from the Insomnia Help Videos YouTube channel. I recommend you subscribe to the channel and use other videos from YouTube. I always like to end my getting ready for bed routine with a sleep aid video, or sleep audio.

There are lots of different ones that can help e.g. white noise, ASMR, guided sleep meditation videos, nature videos, bedtime stories and much more. It is best to make your own playlist of what works for you, as we all react differently to different types of videos, there isn't one perfect video for everyone.

If you can't sleep the natural way, try the best sleep aid supplement, Stilux Rotundin, which I have written about in another post. It has been my safety net when all else fails and feels safer than other pills.

Activities you should avoid before going to bed:

1) Avoid using your phone in the last hour of the day

Do not use your phone, tablet or iPad just before sleeping. The glare from the brightly lit screens is not good for your eyes and the rapid eye movement associated with games and social networking is going to over stimulate your brain.

2) Avoid work and clear work tasks or issues from your mind

Do not work too close to the time when you want to sleep. If you have any work related stress on your mind, you are ten times more likely to have trouble sleeping. This can be solved by making a to-do list hours before sleeping. This effectively transfers your work tasks onto a notepad or to-do app, and away from your brain. You will then find it naturally easier to switch off and forget about work until the morning. Just enjoy the sounds to make you fall asleep.

3) Get your body read for sleep

Sleeping videos for insomnia won't work if your body isn't ready. If you have had a relatively inactive day, avoiding exercise even more can leave you restless in bed. Make sure your body has had enough exercise to make it tired and ready for rest. Stretching will help you to remove tension caused by inactivity or stress. You may find a head and neck massage by yourself, or ideally someone else, will calm you be the best sleep aid. The sounds to make you fall asleep on this video will be more effective if your body is relaxed.

Have a getting ready for sleep routine you follow every night at the same time

If you get in to bed stressed, worrying, or "wired" from caffeine or electronic devices, you are setting yourself up for a long night. Make sure your sleep time is calming and try to consciously slow down your body. Then videos to make you fall asleep like the one below will be a helpful sleep aid.

Following a pattern each night by turning off/down certain lights and ceasing activity is a good idea. This will make the video put you to sleep faster.