Ok, so I’ve been struggling with insomnia for for almost 20 years now, and I only started getting serious about finding solutions a couple years ago. I talked to my doctor, poured over sleep sites online, and even read some books dedicated to the subject, and I’ve tried a ton of of things. Not everything I tried stuck or worked, but I’ve gotten my sleep to a pretty decent place over the last year or so. Here are the biggest things that helped ME.
Same bed and wake times, every single day: Yes even on weekends. This is the single most important thing for me in curing my insomnia. I used to be up all night, and then find ways to sleep in the next morning to compensate. Then during the weekends I would stay up late and sleep in the ‘catch up’ on my sleep. This doesn’t work, you need to train your body to know exactly when to wind down and wake up. Even if it means getting no sleep, stay true to your wake up time and you will reap the rewards later.
Establish a consistent, screen-free bedtime routine. You’ve probably heard this before, but it works. I’ve developed a nightly bedtime routine of washing dishes, personal hygiene, and then reading a book and drinking valerian tea each night. At this point, my body gets tired just thinking about these things.
Exercise daily, hours before going to sleep: Pretty self explanatory, sit around all day, and you’ll be wired at night.
Stick to natural sleep aids, and don’t count on them. I used to rely on pills like ambien, and even had a bout with zzzquil and over the counter sleep aids. These work for a few nights, but they lower the quality of your sleep, make you feel groggy in the morning, and you end up getting dependent on them. I’ve had good results with melatonin, and to some extent, magnesium. But if I don’t follow the above points, those will only get you so far.
I’ve learned through this experience that everyone’s different, and ultimately you’ll have to search for what works for you. But I found that sticking to the above four tips has helped me tremendously. Of course, knowing what to do is the easy part, it’s actually building these habits into your life that’s hard. Good luck and sleep well!
Before going to bed, I meditate. The cognitive behavior described above helps me sleep well.
Binaural beats really help me go to sleep. I listen to delta frequencies from EquiSync when I go to bed. It’s set for 20 minutes but I fall asleep before it ends.
Grounding also helps me sleep by either walking barefoot outside or using a grounding pad when I sleep.
The other thing that helps me sleep is taking Magnesium before I go to bed namely Zinc Magnesium by GNC. In addition to Zinc and Magnesium, it has very small amounts of
L-Theanine
L-Tyrosine
L-Trytophan
GABA
and only 1 mg of Melatonin
which are all natural sleep aids.
It’s like when they run a Tv cable into your house, the cable is grounded with the earth. This was discovered by Clint Ober who worked for a cable company. We are electrical beings and so we need grounding as well. The simplest way is to put your feet on the ground or cement that is on the ground. If you’re not able to do that, then you can get a grounding pad to put your feet on, that is connected to the ground wire in the outlet. I first came across them in my chiropractor’s office. I asked him about them, and he sent me to this website:
I like that there is a cardiologist, a family doctor, and several scientists that talk about the benefits. I noticed that when I went outside and walked barefoot on the grass, I felt better. I gradually increased the time from a few minutes to an hour. I asked my doctor about it, and she laughed. She said that she didn’t mean to make light of it, but that I was the third person to ask about it, and that her other patients had said that they had good results from grounding. I then went home and bought the mats and went the least expensive route.
To get to sleep or back to sleep after getting up for something, try one of the various sleep apps on your phone. I have tried Calm and Better Sleep. I prefer Better Sleep as it has more features. I think there is a free trial version to see if it will work for you. Good luck and good sleep everyone!!
I listen to Audible with ear phones in bed, i set timer for 30mins sometimes have to reset maybe a few times till get over but other times i can fall asleep before timer runs out, its my best option so far.
Plus i get Zoplclone from GP which arent really that good, get used to them to quick then less effect.
That is a terrific post thank you. I have also have long term sleep issues that have affected me significantly. I’d like to add that a bed time snack or oats, cashews, berries and tonight I’m trying protein yoghurt so I am not ravenous in the morning. Apparently oats and cashews contribute to making sleep hormones I agree with everything else you’ve said. I add calming music and I do take herbal supplements in addition to magnesium and melatonin and so far this is working for 8 hours a night. I don;t wake up feeling rested but I did a month or so ago after almost 4 consecutive nights of 8-10+ hours of consecutive sleep - I was there and slipped back a bit but the strategies have worked.
Thank you so much for sharing all this info and your routine.
Is there any othe vitamins that you take regularly?
I have fibromyalgia and pretty bad fatigue and I sleep better during the day and I want to change it.
Thanks for your attention and support.
Warm gentle hugs
Sylvia
For most of my life I was a great sleeper - and prided myself on it when so many people I knew complained of sleep issues. So now (71yrs old) over the last couple yrs I too have developed Insomnia - mostly all stress and probably somewhat age related. I agree with all the suggestions of others. I refuse to take prescription sleep meds for fear of the addiction to them. I take many natural supplements (some I get on Amazon and others direct: ‘Chelated’ Magnesium Glycinate, Glycine 1000mg, Nuvana Shut Eye, Charlottte’s Web ‘Sleep’ and ‘Stay Asleep’ Gummies (not to be taken together - one or the other is what they told me - one is CBD w/Melatonin, the other is CBN and supposed to help you stay asleep longer.) I switch it up depending on what I think I need. I recently added Lion’s Mane to the mix as all my research indicated it may help with stress which in turn may help me relax and fall asleep. (I caught a great sale from Dr. Love - neurosurgeon specializing in Alzheimer’s disease - you can find him on Instagram) I throw in other things from time to time if I come across something on sale for instance, and I’ll experiment - the gummy I recently found at TJ Maxx is Calm & Stress Relief: Ashwaganda, L-Theanine, GABA, and organic Hemp.
If you are on meds for Fibromyalgia, I would do your research online and talk to your doctor to be sure there are no interactions with your prescription medications. Getting a sleep routine in place helps - that is what is missing for me right now - and I need to get back to that. I am also thinking about Acupuncture and Pilates … and a great massage would surely go a long way!! Exercise can really help and I am not getting any right now. Simply walking outside can make a difference! I hope this helps! We all deserve a good nights sleep to keep our brains and nervous system healthy!
I take a lot of different vitamins and herbs. In addition to the one I listed from GNC, I also take a Magnesium, Potassium, and Calcium supplement in the evening. Magnesium is believed to be a great sleep aide. You might also check my comment on grounding which has no side effects.
So many people experience the benefits of grounding. Seems like an easy win for one’s life in general and especially for enhancing sleep. That’s easy for 6-8 hours of continuous sleep with either the mattress cover product and or pillow product being conductive to ground. I however have tried it all and it makes no difference that I can detect even after trying for well, if I add up all the times, about a year. Even just walking barefoot. But again, I am very aware that so many others have definite positive enhancement in their life and with their sleep. I wish I was one of them.
I agree with everything else you’ve said. I add calming music and I do take herbal supplements in addition to magnesium and melatonin and so far this is working for 8 hours a night. I don;t wake up feeling rested but I did a month or so ago after almost 4 consecutive nights of 8-10+ hours of consecutive sleep - I was there and slipped back a bit but the strategies have worked. 