Do you ever feel too anxious to sleep? Maybe you dread an upcoming event or you can't stop beating yourself up for something you did or didn't do 10 days/months/years ago. Or maybe you just think about the meaning of life.
Whatever it is, you can't fall asleep. You twist and you turn, but the dream world is like a runaway bride. Just when you feel it coming your way, it brushes past you, leaving you desperate and alone (well, at least you have your pillow.)
I've been through this numerous times, but I've found a few things that really helped me, so I decided to share them with you. Have in mind that all of this works best if you're consistent.
- Lavender essential oil
This was a revelation for me. Lavender is known for its calming effects, and it can be helpful for anxiety, deppression, nervousness and restlessness. I would put a drop or two on my wrists before sleep, and the scent was subtle and calming enough for me to soothe me. You should have in mind, however, from which type of lavender the oil is made of, because there are different types of lavender and not all of them have the same calming effect. Every respectable producer should have a latin name of the plant on the bottle. The one that I use is Lavandula angustifolia.
- Chamomile tea
This tea is also known for its calming effects, it helps with stress, anxiety, and troubles with sleep. I would make myself a cup of this tea about an hour or so before I planned to go to bed. You can also try out other calming teas, some brands even have calming goodnight tea mixtures.
- Stop exposing yourself to screens before sleep
Blue light emitted from your phone, laptop or TV keeps your brain awake. So try reading a book before bed instead of scrolling through your feed. If you can't do that, at least download some of those apps which turn this blue light into red. It's less disruptive to your circadian rhythm.
- Guided meditations
The previous three steps are aimed towards helping your body calm down, relax and release tension.
This step is aimed towards calming your mind. I personally believe that the main reason why so many people have trouble falling asleep is that their minds are working too much. They just keep thinking and thinking and thinking. And they won't stop. This was my issue also, and I realized that I had to find a way to soothe my mind, so that it stops going all over the place at full speed. Guided meditations saved me, honestly. I enjoy the calming music, and there's always some kind of a story going on (which is great for drawing your attention towards something more positive), and even if I don't manage to fall asleep, at least I come closer to my own self. Oh, and I'm also a sucker for deep, hoarse male voices so that's always a plus for me in guided meditations. My favorite meditation channel on yt is Jason Stephenson's, so maybe check him out if you want to try.
There are many different things that you could try out, but these are the ones that always work for me, and I recommend them from the bottom of my heart. Hope it helps :)
This is such a great post. I have had so many troubles with getting to sleep and find it really hard to switch off on a night time. I get palpitations at times too and that just sends your head into a fit of worry.
Meditation is super important and I recommend anybody getting into it. I mentioned it in a recent post I made saying the app Headspace is very good for people getting into meditation.
Lovely post! Great stuff.
Haven't tried that app yet, but maybe I'll give it a go. Thanks for your comment :))
It's so funny that we're so similar!!! LOL I also can't switch my brain off and JUST wrote a post talking a little bit about it too hehehehe
I've tried that CALM app... its so nice :) but I usually listen to ASMR videos on youtube. oh my gosh. I'm seriously out in 10 seconds. I'm so happy that they work!!! So many years of only getting 4 hours of sleep a night! ridiculous!!
Haha it really is! Nice to know someone has similar interests.
I haven't tried CALM but my friend was going on about ASMR the other day and he says they are so cool. I'm going to have to check them out and see if they help me out!
Oh my gosh. No joke. I found this one ASMRtist a few years ago. She was amazing.... And I guess everyone else thought so too because now she has almost 1.2 million subscribers! hahaha she only had about 100k when I found her.
Some of them are creepy. Cuz they try to make it like... Weird and sexual and it's so gross.
But you have to check out Gentlewhispering. My sister thinks the whole ASMR movement is weird hahahhaa but after YEARS of not being able to sleep... I put one of her videos on and I'm OUT in 30 seconds. Nuts. Some of her videos are strange than others hahahhaa but when you find a few that you like- you will totally wear them out hahahaha
I'm quite into it! I will definitely check out Gentlewhispering.
Good find by you! I'm getting to bed later and later lately, time to get it sorted out.
Oh you're already into ASMR! LOVE IT hahahaha that's so cool! tell me what you think of her :)
We will.compare notes of our favorite videos hehehe
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When I use to have troubles sleeping I had some dried lavender next to my pillow and used guided meditations, I still use them sometimes, they do help and they are lovely to listen to.
Thank you for sharing this with us, it is very educational and helpfull.
Yes, I think you can't go wrong with lavender and meditation :))
This helps, also I think less screen time was definitely my issue, could not sleep after a round of xbox, after stopping it, I slept much better. Also, I found that coffee after 7pm does contribute to a certain extent to the lack of sleep.
Yes, I think many of us aren't even aware how much the screens affect us until we stop using them so much. Thanks for the comment :)
Weed? :O
Haha that can also be an option for some
yes!!!! I've tried all of these :) and... sometimes use all in one night :)
my personal favorite (and the one that works like magic on me) is listening to asmr videos hehehe
the white noise and soothing voices... knocks me right out :)
wonderful post! I hope it helps others out there like meeeeeeeeee! hehehe
Thank you for a wonderful comment. I'm glad you found my advice useful :)
Insomnia is a huge problem for so many people these days with the rushed pace of life. I found meditation to be a huge help, thank you for your post, sure will help other steemians!
Yes, meditation is an invaluable help for me too. Thank you for your comment :)