An open letter to all my fellow insomniacs,
As you can probably guess, yes, I am writing this letter at 2am in my oh-too-often insomniac state. I have just one thought running through my head right now – WHY? Why can’t I become naturally tired and fall asleep at a decent hour like so many people do not seem to have a problem with. “Count sheep,” they say, “imagine yourself falling asleep and then you eventually will.” Many who do not suffer from insomnia don’t understand the nightly struggle I, and many others endure. Counting sheep sounds a whole lot easier than it actually is, and is not a method that has ever been a success for me. Below I will uncover all of the secret methods that have been proven to be successful for myself:
1) Warm milk
Drinking a glass of warm milk is one of the oldest tricks in the books and was introduced to me by my mother. Whenever I was a kid and had trouble falling asleep she would simply heat up some milk in a pot on the stove, and drinking it almost always instantly made me feel sleepy; this is a trick I still carry on to this day.
2) Breathing
If you focus on your breathing and take long deep breaths, this will help you start to drift off. Various breathing techniques can help bring you full relaxation, and will make it easier to begin to let your mind and body fall asleep.
3) Screens
People always say not to look at a screen such as your phone or computer an hour or two before going to bed and I could not agree with this more. Although I am guilty of many nights where I watch Netflix before going to bed, I have found I have an easier time falling asleep right after completing my homework or doing any other activity that does not involve staring at a bright screen.
4) Yoga
If you are up at night because you use this time to go over all your worries and stresses in your head, try taking up a yoga class. Yoga will help you fully unwind and let go of these worries during the day so that they will not keep you up at night as they race through your head (bonus – you’ll become more flexible and strong and who doesn’t want that!)
5) Music
This trick doesn’t work for everyone, but I have found that when I am having trouble falling asleep, if I put on light calming music, it helps me doze off. Some even say white noise will do the trick just as well!