You need to sleep better to think and feel better. Get more sleep to boost your immune system and fight cold and flu viruses. Eight hours of sleep a night can make a huge difference in your mood, cognitive abilities, and attitude.
Most of us know that getting a good night's sleep can make or break our day, but this knowledge doesn't necessarily translate to actual sleeping time. When you're tossing and turning, it doesn't matter that you know how important sleep is; in fact, that knowledge can actually make you more angry and frustrated -- and less likely to fall asleep! Learn how to cure insomnia and fall asleep fast by applying these sleep-easy tips.
How to cure insomnia
Not all of these ways to cure insomnia will work for you. Try one or two for a month; if they don't help you get more sleep then switch it up a little. Be open to testing new or traditional methods of curing insomnia. The more remedies for insomnia that you try, the more likely you are to find what works.
10 Ways to Cure Insomnia
- Limit food, liquids, and caffeine for a couple of hours before bed. Your body needs to start resting before it completely relaxes. This is an easy way to cure insomnia.
- Learn whether you're a morning lark or night owl (or neither!) and make the most of it. If you love to get up at the crack of dawn, then don't force yourself into a different schedule. Learn your rhythms and let them shape your sleeping habits naturally.
- Check your medications. If you're on a prescription that disrupts sleep, talk to your doctor or herbalist about remedies for insomnia.
- Exercise regularly (but not close to bedtime) because your health affects the quality of your sleep. Whether it's yoga, fencing, running, or going for a walk – get oxygen and move your body around. This is a healthy way to cure insomnia.
- Read, meditate, pray, or listen to relaxing music at least half an hour before your appointed sleep hour. Let yourself wind down slowly.
- Keep a journal or pad of paper by your bed; write your worries and thoughts down. There will be plenty of time to deal with them tomorrow.
- Stay positive. Even if you don't fall asleep fast, don't let frustration or anger wind you up. Adopt a positive mindset (and keep practicing until it becomes a habit – it may even spill over into your days!).
- Check your sleeping partner. Your partner may be a night owl and you may be staying up late too; this could easily disrupt your sleep schedule. This way to cure insomnia involves organizing your schedules so they complement one another.
- Deal with disturbances. You may need to find healthy, creative solutions to cure insomnia if you're sleeping with a partner who snores, moves around a lot, or is on a different schedule. Love may be blind, but it's not oblivious.
- Go to bed and get up at the same time each day. Your body will learn to start winding down as the appointed hour approaches, and will be easier to rouse the next day. This is a structured way to cure insomnia.
BONUS TIP: Clear your bedroom of your tv, exercise bike, office equipment, laptop, and phones. To fall asleep fast, let your bedroom be a quiet haven of peace and rest.
If you found 10 Ways to Cure Insomnia: How to Sleep Better helpful, try:
- Sleep Eating Disorders
- If You Can't Fall Asleep Fast
- Causes of Depression in Women
- How to Stop Worrying
P.S. The relationship between insomnia and depression
According to Psychology Today (March 2007), there may not be a cause-and-effect relationship between depression and insomnia. Insomnia has been found to precede depression more than half the time, but that may be due to serotonin. Low serotonin levels can indicate both insomnia and depression – but may be the sole cause of either.
