Better Living

Many of us experience the occasional night of sleeplessness without any consequences.  It is when the occasional night here and there becomes a pattern of several nights in a row that you are faced with a sleeping problem. Repeated loss of sleep affects all areas of your life: The physical, the mental, and the emotional.  Sleep deprivation can affect your overall daily performance and may even have an effect on your personality.

If your insomnia continues for a long period of time it can cause problems in your relationships, compromise your productivity, and perhaps lead to other health problems. It can become a relentless cycle of worry and anxiety as night after night you toss and turn, wondering when sleep will come, wondering what is wrong with you.
Insomnia and sleeplessness generally fall into three categories:

1.    "Initial" insomnia: where you have difficulty in falling asleep, generally taking 30 minutes or longer to fall into a sleep state.
2.    "Middle" insomnia: where after falling asleep you have problems maintaining a sleep state, often remaining awake until the early morning hours.
3.    "Late" or "Terminal" insomnia: where you awake early in the morning after less than 6 hours of sleep.

Insomnia can be the symptom of some medical conditions that may require your doctor's advice and medical care.  In those cases the cause will be treated, not the insomnia. If, however, your sleeplessness is due to a pattern of not sleeping, or because your body and mind find it difficult to settle into a state of relaxation necessary for sleep, this guide offers you alternative choices for achieving healthy sleep without the use of prescription drugs.

This guide will teach you how to:
·    Set the mood for a comfortable sleep atmosphere
·    Prepare your body for relaxation
·    Use colors to stimulate calmness and relaxation
·    Understand the importance of exercise
·    Use music and other relaxation techniques
·    Relieve your mind of anxiety and worry
·    Discover the importance of reducing stimulants
·    Use herbal teas and warm drinks to promote relaxation
·    Use herbs and vitamins to promote natural sleep

After reading this guide you will have the information you need to turn your sleepless nights into restful ones, waking in the morning refreshed and alert rather than tired and anxious. All of the techniques and sleep-inducing aids in this guide can be applied naturally and easily in your life.  Get ready to embark on the journey of falling asleep naturally!

Bedtime Routine

It is essential that you establish a bedtime routine that works for you and stick with it.  Your body and mind need to have consistency at this time so that you can learn to fall asleep naturally.

Once you have read this guide you should decide on a course of action and stick with it for at least a week or two before making changes to your routine. Write down your plan of action, including bedtime and waking time.  Keep a list of the herbs and vitamins that you have tried as well as what teas you prefer.  Stick to your routine and after a week or two has passed and you are still experiencing difficulty sleeping make appropriate adjustments.  The key here is to be consistent and determined.

Your goal should be to establish a regular sleep schedule.  Wake up each morning at the same time and try not to oversleep.  Sleeping longer in the morning will only make you feel groggy and disoriented.


Sleep experts believe that you should get an average of seven to eight hours of sleep each night.  You can’t make up for sleep that you lose during the night by sleeping in later in the morning. Simply do your best during the day and try to get back to your sleep schedule that night.

Try to get ready for bed at the same time each night.  Once you have established what hours work best for you then try to be consistent. It is important to realize that a regular bedtime routine is imperative to your goal of achieving natural sleep.  Create a routine that will prepare you for sleep.

The routine can include many of the suggestions found in this guide or they can be as simple as brushing your teeth or reading a book.  Whatever routine you decide on it will be a way of telling your unconscious that it is time to fall asleep. Try to make sure that your routine is relaxing and not stimulating so that your mind can rest.
 
Make sure that daytime naps are not part of your daily routine! If you allow yourself to sleep during the day, even if it just for a few minutes, you will confuse your body's ability to differentiate between day and night sleeping. Make an effort to try staying active when you are feeling tired during the day and eat a small piece of fruit to increase your energy level.

Remember that natural remedies work differently for each individual.  Think positive thoughts as you design a sleep routine that is right for you. Don’t become discouraged if you have to change and alter your nighttime routine after a couple of weeks.
With perseverance and determination you will achieve natural sleep.