Insomniacs Should Find This Helpful

My mum is an almost insomniac. Almost is a word I use on her as she normally only has problem sleeping when she thinks a lot and worry over trivial issues. She wants to sleep desperately but sleep eludes her during those occasions. Then I have a friend, whom I shall not name (coz I know he might pop by and read this blog and if he found out that I was writing about him, I will get an earful from him). He has all the time in the world to sleep but he forgoes sleep for the internet; surfing, gaming, checking out porn sites (haha … my guess only lah). He used to come to office looking like the living dead. Vampire is what we called him at the office.

It is a given that our body needs to sleep in order to rebuild and restore the muscle tissue, our mental energy and other important repair works. In addition to that, we must sleep during the times between 11pm and 2 am as this is the must effective time for the body to repair itself. When a person lacks sleep, initially he may just feel tired, irritable or have trouble concentrating. But over time, this can lead to increased risks of diabetes, cancer, psychological problems, weight gain and also accelerated aging (HORRORS!!!)

It was reported that those who create a sleep debt will just have to sleep longer than usual to feel rested. However, there is a Chinese saying that says “That one night without sleep cannot be repaid by 10 days of sleep after that” (literally translated). Well, if it was lack of sleep caused by one’s personal choice, then I supposed that person is just asking for it. However, if a person has difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep, I have found a website which gives some tips on how to get your ZZZZs.

These were extracted from their site which I thought will be very helpful to insomniacs and also those of us who are unable to sleep due to the economic turmoil happening around us.

For more detailed information, please go to the website SixWise.com

1) Exercise, ideally everyday. This positive stress will tire out your body in a good way – just be sure not to exercise too close to bedtime (within three hours), as it could keep you up.

2) Drink a cup of relaxing tea, like chamomile.

3) Stretch a bit before you lie down. You can literally stretch some of the “kinks” and tension of the day.

4) Wear earplugs or an eye mask. If you can hear noisy traffic or see lights from outside, earplugs and an eye mask can give you the silence and the darkness that are ideal for sleep.

5) Create a relaxing bedtime routine. Take a bath before bed, brush your teeth, get into your PJs and turn on some soothing music to let your mind know that it’s time for slumber.

6) Once you are in bed, listen to a relaxation CD like the Sleep Easy CD to help you “shift gears” and relax into sleep.

7) Don’t drink caffeinated or alcoholic beverages near your bedtime.

8) Keep a regular schedule that includes a standard time to go to sleep and wake up.

9) Make your room “sleepable”. A very dark, cool room is best for sleep.

10) Get a handle on your stress. It is the number-one cause of sleep problems, according to sleep experts.

11) Put the kibosh on work before bed. If you work or do other mentally trying activities too close to bedtime, you may have a hard time relaxing for sleep.

And Now for Six Sleep Tips You May Not Know Of..

12) Get a new mattress. About 87% of people who purchased a new mattress say they are satisfied with their choice and its impact on their quality of sleep. Generally, a mattress’ life span is five to seven years.

13) Evaluate your prescription medication. Certain prescription and over the counter drugs such as steroids, decongestants and drugs for high blood pressure, depression and asthma can keep you up at night. If you are having trouble sleeping, consult with your doctor to see if your medications could be blame.

14) Make love. Sexual activity helps to relax your body.

15) Eat something. Feeling hungry can make it hard to fall asleep. A light snack, such as peanut butter on whole-grain crackers, can help you to get a good night’s sleep.

16) Massage your feet, especially with warm oil, right before bed. It is very relaxing.

17) If you smoke, quit. Nicotine is linked to difficulty falling asleep and problems waking up.

My own remedy for insomnia? It works every time for me. All I do is take a piece of motivational CD and listen to it with my headphones. In less than 5 minutes, I will be in lala land. So sorry if this is an insult to the speaker, but it must be that the sound of a speaker going on and on reminds me so much of my days in the lecture theatre. That accounts for why I am always chasing my friends for their notes: D

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