Tips for getting to sleep please
 

Have always found it difficult to get to sleep and thought this would be an ideal place to share any techniques

If I know you, you mean 'natural cures/home remedies'?

The problems I've had with insomnia / being a light sleeper have found much help in the form of studying up on Buddhism.

Counting sheep is a rudimentary form of mindfulness. Mindfulness can help... it does me, because if someone in a nearby apartment is making noises that I find objectionable, it helps me to focus solely on the sounds and not drag negative emotions into my mind.

Having a small snack of carbs and protein may help.

I sometimes wear a pendant with a rainbow fluorite stone - I was stunned at how effective it was the first few times I did this. It's amazing. I found them at Amazon.com - will probably try e-bay next. I am super-drawn to this stone.

Hi Podshell,

Not falling asleep can be a dilemma, but there are basic techniques i've utilized personally over the years.

- Relax....Relax..... Start with your feet. Relax them. Next your hands, then on to the next body part, until you have physically relaxed your entire body. Be sure to concentrate, as wandering thoughts have the potential to break your relaxation. Maintain this if possible until you fall asleep.

- Eleuthero. A fantastic herb for relaxation. Tension Tamer tea by Celestial Seasoning contains this. Gulp down a cup or two prior to bed, and feel the benefits.

-Soothing music, with little to no lyrics.

Hope this helps!

My humble suggestions:

At a physical level - eat a banana or two about an hour before sleep. If you don't believe me, Google "bananas good for sleep" for a medical explanation about the amino acid L-tryptophan. Check also that you are getting enough vitamin B12 (by supplementation if you are a vegan), as it counteracts homocysteine which can interfere with sleep.

At a mental level - listen to one of the excellent YouTube hypnosis videos designed to promote relaxation and/or sleep. Meditation will also help.

Every best wish to you, dear Podshell!

1. Making sure you have used your physical energy during the day and are tired.

2. Eating a few hours before bed. A proper balanced dinner.

3. Getting into your own personal quiet space, however you do that. For some people it's watching a movie on medium/low volume while relaxing the whole body and very passive. Nothing with an adrenaline-rush. For some people it's total silence, or listening to classics on medium/low volume. Or reading a book. Preferably in another room than the one you sleep in, but a comfortable temperature. Not too hot, not too cold.

4. Preparing for bed (dressing for bed brushing teeth etc) a little while before you go to bed, so that when you start to feel sleepy you don't have to start doing stuff, and can just crawl into bed.

5. Forgetting about work....the next day....emails....etc. Letting it all go after you have tied up loose ends for the day. Drop everything and let those things fade from your mind.

6. Maybe if you like, playing very low-level gentle music or sounds next to your bed. An on/off switch which takes very little effort to work will help. Or if you can't be bothered, sleep through the sounds. Let them play until they finish. Or you could put it on a fade-out and timer.

7. Very low lighting a few hours before bedtime. Candles or a soft lamp. But as much darkness as you can manage.

8. Rhythmic slow breathing. Short deep breath in, long slow breath out. The sort of breathing you do naturally when sleeping.

9. Sometimes when lying in bed, and unable to sleep, visualise it being much later....say early morning. Maybe 4am, 5am or so. The birds are starting to sing, the dawn is coming. You hardly dare go to sleep now.... You are so late it's early morning and you want to sleep so much because you are so exhausted, but now is NOT a good time to sleep. But you are drifting off against your will. You are just going to sneak forty winks before the alarm.....
Weird, but that visualisation....the opposite of what you think you should do.... can work very well!

10. There are some acupressure points also:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hPGHQE9ruI

The wrist (below the little finger) point works very well. I used it many years ago when I was having bad sleep problems once. I taped a bead onto the point on both wrists using a sticking plaster. It worked.

Are you not able to get sufficient sleep in the night then try this tip :At night take proper diet whether also drink milk before going to sleep. Additionally, if you are facing other big issue then you can contact any hypnotherapist who can help you according to your present situation.

Maybe This youtube video can help you further.


Slow paced music without talking/speaking is usefull.

here are some of music, from the youtube

VERY POWERFUL BRAIN HEALING SOUNDS

Silva Method- Alpha sound < use this and positive visualisations.

And even this

or this

The volume should be set as low as possible, but still kinda hearable. (around 5% to 10%) listened with headphones (if you aren't troubled by them)

Another useful thing is, before going to sleep, not to listen Radio or watch tv/movies for 30mins~1 hour.
Spend it in quiet, sitting on the bed, or look out of the window, moving your eyes very slowly from thing to thing, Looking at them without thinking.

Belated thanks for the tips folks, I also remember now trying cinamon in hot milk years back which helped some

Yes, as everyone has suggested above are all great things. As an insomniac myself - years and years of late sleeping, for me I just go with the flow these days but I do not need to be up early fortunately.

I read a while ago, can't remember if it was from a Deepak Chopra book or a Buddhist book but one thing you can try, especially if you're a "thinker" when you go to bed is recall every single thing you did that day but do it backwards.

Start when you get into bed, sit by the side of bed to take your slippers/shoes off, jarmies on, clothes off, etc, you get the idea. Go through as much detail from the moment you're lying in the bed to the moment you got up, backwards.

This process is so intriguing and sorta fun. I've never been able to do it fully but it has taken my monkey brain away from thinking of every other thing or problem in my universe.

Namaste

My problem isn't thinking about everything from the day....it's thinking about one incidence, and obsessing over it. I'm sure I have OCD. Every night, I pick one special thing out, to think about, and then I obsess over it until I've turned a small water balloon into a full size air balloon. And of course, I hand pick this special personal moment, right before bed time....so I can't sleep. Mountains out of mole hills, I guess I'm a hidden blanket drama queen. This comes from childhood I think...The places my mind goes...