Beating Insomnia - 15 Top Tips!

1. Create your sleeping space, make it comfortable.

   Remember your mattress and pillow are both items which you use daily, every time you sleep - get good ones!

2. Separate your sleeping space from your living, studying, working and entertaining space.

   This way your mind will associate your bedroom with sleeping and not confuse it with any other activities.

3. Don't force yourself to stay in bed.

   If you can't sleep, try leaving your bedroom and going to another space (e.g. lounge room). Don't watch tv, but do something else, perhaps read a magazine or a book.

   Then after some time, go back to your room to sleep.

4. Darkness is your friend.

   Have you blocked out the light in your room? Perhaps try using an eye mask.

5. Eliminate sudden noise.

   Make sure that your room is quiet. If you have road noise, try and block out the noise by using something else like a fan. The noise from the fan will create a regular rhythm which is inoffensive and you can get used to.

6. Exercise regularly and physically tire yourself out.

   A healthy body is a healthy mind. It's hard to have insomnia when you're tired out from exercise! Even a simple half hour walk can make a big difference.

7. Find a way to relieve stress.

   Try meditation and relaxation. One method is, if you can't sleep, close your eyes and picture a large black spot. Don't let any other image come into this black spot. Clear your mind and focus on the black spot. It's challenging to focus on a black spot or nothing.

8. Maintain a healthy diet, eat lots of greens and vegetables.

   Different foods have different effects on your body. Eating a rich meal before sleeping can cause gas or bloating, and even affect your dreams!

9. Avoid stimulants!

   Don't drink caffeine or use stimulants after lunch! If you like coffee at lunch, try herbal tea.

10. Wait until you're tired before you go to sleep.

    This may seem logical, but some people decide to simply go to bed. You will avoid tossing and turning if you are tired.

11. Get up and do something.

    Ok, so you have been lying in bed staring at the ceiling for the last hour and you're tired but you can't sleep.

    Get up and do something. For example, you might be stressed as you have a lot to do in the morning, perhaps you forgot to iron your shirt or pack your bag. Get up and do it - as it will provide you that extra bit of mental relief.

12. Have a hot bath or shower before retiring.

    Sometimes you'll feel itchy or sweaty as you're trying to sleep.

    Having a long hot bath or shower before jumping into a cleanly made bed right at the end of the night establishes a ritual and can make a very pleasant difference to your night.

13. Write a list.

    When we're trying to commit something from short-term memory to long-term memory we use a simple technique - repetition.

    So if you're thinking of things to do, your body won't let you sleep because it's trying to think over the items on your mental list repeatedly.

    Try switching on a light and writing a to-do list for the next day. You'd be surprised how well this works!

14. Make your own dreams and create a story in your head.

    You might just find yourself becoming part of that dream and falling asleep.

15. Use Nocturnix regularly to create a habit of improved sleep.

    Nocturnix is a natural supplement which can help you reduce anxiety with sleeping. Change your life and improve the quanity, quality and maintenance of sleep.