1. Develop a pre-sleep routine. The mind and body responds to repeating patterns. Creating a pre-sleep ritual will signal your mind/body to prepare for sleep.
2. Try not to fixate on the time. Move your alarm clock out of your eyeline so you don't stress over not sleeping.
3. If you haven't managed to get to sleep after about an hour, rather than obsess over it, get up for five minutes. People often get 'stuck in a loop' when failing to fall asleep and getting up and moving about can help break that loop.
4. Avoid intake of stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol. If possible, eliminate them from your diet entirely but certainly avoid consuming stimulants in the hours before bedtime.
5. Restrict your bedtime activities to just sleep and sex. These days many people's bedrooms resemble the bridge of the Starship Enterprise with TVs, radios, computers etc. All these gadgets may be convenient but your mind also associates them with work and activity. Your bedroom should be sleep center rather than a nerve center.
6. Make your bedroom as dark as possible. Invest in heavier curtains and turn off any electronics that have bright displays such as VCRs.
7. Mask any external sounds that might prevent or disturb your sleep. Use a fan or tune a radio to static. Even if it's quiet outside, white noise can assist you in falling asleep.
8. Try to keep your bedroom at a moderate temperature - your body will find it harder to relax if the room is too hot or too cold.
9. If you haven't slept well the night before try not to nap during the day. Napping will disrupt your sleep pattern further and confuse your system, actually making it harder to fall asleep that night.
10. Exercise frequently so that your body gets tired and ready to sleep. Don't exercise within 3 hours of bedtime, however, as your system needs time to wind down and when hyped up will keep your mind awake.
David Harris is an insomniac who writes for Slumboo. Get in-depth advice and information on treating and beating insomnia at Slumboo
Insomnia Information
