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Healthy Snacking 101: Tips & Ideas For Tasty, Healthy Snacks 
10 Tips to Save Money While Eating Healthy
How To Burn More Calories Without Breaking A Sweat
6 Jedi Mind Tricks That Convince People To Eat HealthyHow I Cured My Chronic Insomnia
Photo by Alyssa L. Miller
I don’t use the term chronic insomnia lightly. Have you ever heard of a kid who fakes naps during preschool just to placate the teacher? That was me.
Despite my parents letting me stay up to 9-10pm when I was 8-years old—way later than most of my peers (thank you Dad, you rock!)—I inevitably drove them crazy by waking up at the crack of dawn (literally) on weekends ready to kick off the day.
In high school I averaged maybe 5 hours of sleep a night. Even today I rely on the occasional Ambien to make sure I sleep through a flight or get enough rest the night before an important event.
My insomnia is multifaceted. I have trouble falling asleep because I am very sensitive to light (sometimes I joke that I have invisible eyelids). I’m also very sensitive to sounds and have difficulty getting comfortable.
Once I’m asleep, it’s also way too easy to wake me up. And once I wake up, falling back asleep in less than two hours is nearly impossible. I wake up at any hint of light entering the room, or any abnormal noise.
I’ve tried melatonin, tryptophan, St. John’s wort, camomile, kava kava and antihistamines. Most of them just make me extra miserable because I get groggy and drowsy, but still can’t fall asleep. Ambien has been the only prescription sleep aid that works for me without major side effects, but it is not for everyone and I certainly did not want to rely on it for my day-to-day sleep hygiene.
But with a combination of these techniques, I’ve been able to control my insomniac tendencies and boost my sleep to a solid seven hours a night.
9 Tips To Cure Insomnia
1. Get on a consistent sleeping schedule
This one is probably the most important. The circadian rhythms that control your sleep-wake cycle originate in a part of your brain called the hypothalamus (specifically the suprachiasmatic nucleus, for you neuroscience geeks).
These neurons are sensitive to light and work to sync your biological clock to regular light-dark hours. The more consistent these are, the stronger your body will respond to natural circadian rhythms and the easier it will be to fall asleep when you’re supposed to.
2. No interactive screen time 1 hour before bed
As mentioned above, bright light can impact your circadian rhythms and staring into a computer screen late into the night can make it more difficult to fall asleep. Working and other mental activity can also keep your mind alert and prevent it from relaxing enough to fall asleep.
I am acutely aware of how difficult it is to unplug when you’re a workaholic, but a good night’s sleep does more for my productivity than I could ever achieve in the 12th or 14th hour of my workday, so I’ve learned to disengage well before bedtime.
Though I haven’t had any problems from watching TV or a movie, it’s best to stay away from any devices that require input from you for the last hour before bed. This means you should turn off the computers, smart phones, video games and tablets, no matter how badly you want to level up. Instead, try to quiet your mind by taking a bath, reading a book, having some herbal tea, cleaning up the house, listening to music or practicing meditation.
3. Don’t eat too late
Eating close to bed time, particularly a high-calorie, heavy meal, is associated with poorer sleep quality. I’ve also noticed this in myself, and when I avoid late night eating I get better, more consistent sleep. If you’re hungry, try drinking a glass of water and going to bed on an empty stomach instead. You certainly won’t starve to death.
4. Exercise daily
The best sleep I ever got was when I was marathon training at 5am every weekday before school. I fell asleep like clockwork at 10:30pm every night. It was glorious.
Heavy exercise is certainly a great way to invoke sound sleep, but even moderate activity like walking 10,000 steps each day can make a big difference in sleep quality. If you aren’t sure how much activity you’re getting, a Fitbit pedometer might be a good investment.
5. No caffeine after 1pm
This one was hard for me to believe. I’d been a heavy coffee drinker from a young age, and never thought it effected my sleep one way or another. If I was really tired during finals, coffee never seemed to help much and there were a few times when I fell asleep not too long after having a double espresso.
I’m not sure if I changed or if my sleep cycle was just so messed up that I couldn’t detect relevant differences, but now that I’ve switched to drinking mainly tea I’ve noticed that if I drink any caffeine too late in the day it is harder to fall asleep. I try not to drink coffee after 12pm, but 1pm is sometimes more realistic.
6. Use a white noise machine
My old apartment was just two doors down from a bustling freeway off ramp, and as you can imagine the traffic noise was constant. As someone who is very sensitive to noise, this posed a tremendous problem.
I’ve tried sleeping with ear plugs, but I have small ears and find them very uncomfortable. The solution that works best for me to control noise disturbances is the Sleepmate, a white noise machine that is quiet enough to ignore but drowns out most other ambient noise. This thing is a lifesaver if you’re stuck in a noisy neighborhood.
7. Black out shades or sleep mask
I realized early on that I’m sensitive to even the slightest amount of light in a room, even small ones like a laptop charging light.
If you’ve taken care of all the light sources inside your bedroom but are still bothered by light that sneaks in under the door or through the window, consider getting some black out shades or a sleep mask. The shades work great but can be expensive and kind of ugly. If you go with a mask, I find that the cheaper, less cushy ones are the most comfortable. Mine looks a lot like this one for under $2.
8. Don’t drink too much alcohol
Though a small nightcap can often help me relax and fall asleep faster, too much alcohol is proven to disturb sleep and can cause you to wake up early. If you like to party, keep in mind that it may be impacting your life in more negative ways than you think.
9 . Practice mindfulness
Though light, noise and bad habits all play a role in my sleep problems, I’m convinced that at the root of it all is a wandering mind. These other factors just add levels of distraction to my already overstimulated brain.
In our plugged in world, constant interruptions are making it progressively difficult to keep your attention on a single task long enough to get it done. For me, the nightly task that eludes me is sleep.
Practicing mindfulness on a regular basis (e.g. spending a few seconds a day focusing on my breathing or taking the time to eat a bite of food slowly with my eyes closed) gives me the power to truly relax my mind when I’m trying to fall asleep rather than letting it drift to all the things I need to get done the following day.
Mindfulness isn’t easy, but the only way to get better is through practice. Whenever you’re waiting for an elevator, standing in line, walking up stairs, taking a bite of food, take a few seconds to reflect on where you are and how your body feels. Focus on a few breaths, in and out, and get accustomed to letting go of your worries. The longer you can sustain this practice the easier it will be to let go of your problems and get a good night’s sleep.
What helps you sleep better?
Melatonin works well for me, though I try not to take it too often. When I drink coffee too late in the day, sometimes I need it, unless I hit the gym and burn off the energy. Going to bed a bit hungry helps. I don’t usually have problems falling asleep (anymore), the problem is staying asleep. If I go to sleep at 11, wake at 2, can’t get back to sleep until 5, have to get up at 6 to get ready for work, I run into problems eventually.
I feel priviliged to get a 7 hour night, 5-6 is more my norm, and once every month or two, I’ll sleep 10 (usually aided by wine) to recover. Very annoying are those who tell me I should make sure to sleep at least 8 hours a night. Seems like silly outdated science, besides, it’s not happening, unless they’ve got a drug to help that I don’t yet know about.
A hot bath helps a lot, also. Alcohol generally makes for a bad night sleep, but sometimes wine actually helps (usually not).
Thanks for dropping knowledge about the SCN. Makes me feel good about staying awake through those long neuro lectures.
Ironically, the easiest I’ve ever fallen asleep was during formal seminar lectures in grad school *yawn* zzzzzz
I don’t have insomnia problem but I use the first five of the above tips on a consistent basis for a number of years, so I can vouch it works. I can also suggest if you have sleep problems try breathing exercise (simple inhale and exhale cycle) for 5 to 10 minutes or longer, it helps. Do meditation on a regular basis, even practicing a little bit daily helps.
I’ve developed a great bad habit before bed time: Watching the same episode of one of my favorite TV shows while in bed. I know the light isn’t great for me, but my biggest problem is calming my mind. When you watch an episode of something you enjoy, but you’ve seen literally hundreds of times, it allows you to focus without being stimulated.
I agree, that’s why I said tv and movies aren’t really a problem. I think it’s when the device requires input from you that it prevents sleep. Also, tv and movies tend to be much darker light than laptops and video games.
Earthing has helped me sleep tremendously better in the past 6 months. I got an earthing pad for our bed (http://www.earthing.com/) upon the recommendation of my naturopath. Wow – I sleep so much better. My quality of sleep is improved, I wake up feeling more refreshed. (No, I don’t work for this company, but I’m now a big proponent of earthing because it’s helped me a lot, not only with sleeping but with some chronic pain reduction.)
http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-Long-Life-QuietCare-Purifier-17000/dp/B000050AQ5/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1329166358&sr=8-16
Here’s the Amazon listing to the air purifier I use in my bedroom. We’ve had this model in our house in different rooms for years. My sister has worked for an allergy company and she suggested this one to us. The pre-filter can be found for $10ish (you cut it into 2) which will last six months. Some purifiers have expensive filters so that’s why I like this one. I run the machine on the middle setting and that gives me the sound I like during the night. On the plus side it sucks in air and traps dust! When we are away from home I try and tire myself out all day long because I really miss the sound of my purifier!
I have had trouble with waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep. I assumed that was the reason i was tired by the middle of the afternoon. I recently learned I had an iodine deficiency which prevented my thyroid gland from functioning properly. The thyroid also affects the function of the adrenal glands which control sleep cycles.
I have been taking iodine supplements and adrenal support for 2 weeks and now i sleep through the night and have energy all day.
The change is remarkable!
I’ve been a chronic insomniac myself and can relate to a lot of your points (starting with not taking it lightly: nothing more annoying than people who think this is just a thing you make up, or that their occasional bad night can be labelled as “insomnia”).
A few things should be mentioned though:
– Be careful with tea, as depending on the tea you drink it may actually contain the same levels of caffeine as a cup of coffee (some variants, more popular in some countries than others actually do not contain any bound caffeine or theanine. They aren’t really tea, but it’s the common name).
– Screens are bad, whether you are actively interacting or not, though you are right that being active is worse (as it obviously keeps your mind going than when you stare at it with a blank face). And some screens are worse than others, depending on type (cathodic, LCD, LED…) and settings. Be sure to dim the brightness as much as possible, and turn contrast higher to still be able to correctly see (I work with computers more than 16hours a day on average, and I actually set my screens, TVs included, to 0 to 15% brightness and a 60 to 75% contrast). Be sure to set a refresh rate that won’t make your eyes drier. Make sure to take breaks and force yourself to look at something else every now and then (which also helps to preserve your eye sight, coincidentally, as it will force your eye to re-focus temporarily on something else).
– Meditation helps, if your problem is more mind related. My most troubled period with sleep was in high-school, though I didn’t feel like it related to my life in general. However, I found out that practising a few mental exercises that take my mind off of other things can help. Can be simple things like picturing a relatively simple object and trying to detail all its parts one by one. The problem for me with this is that it gets close to some aspects of my daily work and sometimes allows my mind to shift back to it, which is the opposite effect… Reading a book helps, as long as it’s not something too serious and that makes you think, and not something adrenaline packed that will make you want to keep going.
Doing menial tasks is also a good cleanser, as long as they don’t frustrate and make you angry (don’t do your taxes before bed…). But sorting out papers on your home desk works, or even preparing a batch of laundry for the morning or doing the dishes.
– Exercise. Don’t do anything competitive or too straining (or adrenaline will keep you awake: could never sleep at all after a football game and always showed up tired at school on Mondays), but do a light exercise will tire you a bit and it’s also a good mind cleanser. Exercise, bath, read a bit and lights off works relatively well for me.
– Pitch black darkness is indeed important for me, but some people really dislike the disorientation feeling you might get when you make up from a nightmare or even in the morning. For me, it helps to keep me asleep longer (on the other hand, if I know I’ll need to get up in the morning, I don’t close my shades)
(Obviously, to everyone their own: these may not work for everybody, and you need to know what’s best for you. It took me years to refine the best process to put myself to sleep, so I wouldn’t pretend it necessarily applies to others.)
Here is another take on this problem I just saw today. Grounding oneself.
http://www.foodrenegade.com/can-earthing-help-adrenal-fatigue/
Duane, the earthing approach is interesting to consider. Never really considered the impact of static electricity for instance (wonder if there’s any tangible research on this).
That reminded me of other things:
– wear very light and soft clothes to sleep
– make sure to have the right temperature in the room
– make sure to have good natural ventilation in the room and open the window for a good 5 minutes before going to sleep
– take off your watch! That one might sound silly, but that was recommended to me as a kid and actually seemed to help: watches (or jewellry, I guess, but watches were probably back then more common and heavy and a general case, whereas nowadays more and more people just use their mobile phones and don’t have a watch, interestingly) can add pressure to your arm and trouble your circulation, if ever so slightly.
Other people care about aligning your bed and body based on cardinal points. Never did much for me, don’t know either if there’s substantial research on that.
I agree with everything but what I am doing and what I should do are miles apart. Lack of good sleep? If I listen to the radio, comedy morning shows I am associated with. I dream of being in the corner of the studio watching. Last night? My Brother which I no longer talk to and my long lost(dead) Mother brought home three penguins! Back to a house I have never been. The penguins kept attacking me. Longer story but, I can’t sleep like that. The light the TV The Radio all make since. But Stubbornness keeps me from cutting out.
We share many of the same problems sadly. I myself have found:
1) No Caffeine After Noon
2) Limited Alcohol
3) No interactive Screens
4) Limiting Fluid Intake
…all seem to help. I also use foam earplugs when in noisy situations (aka traveling) and might look into the black out shade suggestion!
“I’d been a heavy coffee drinker from a young age, and never thought it effected my sleep one way or another.”
With rare exception, “affect” is the verb, “effect” is the noun. I’d love to edit some of your blog, if only because I find it a wonderful resource. Thanks.
I would love to include your tips on my blog. I am currently collecting information like this before I launch. I will include a link to your site along with your article. The link to submit your story is included. Thank you and great info!
Hi Darya,
I found this site which has links to research on Earthing. I thought you might find it interesting. I don’t have access to the sites where most of the research is found.
http://www.earthinginstitute.net/index.php/research
Keep on Growing,
Duane
I compete at olympic weightlifting and on heavy training days I always end up having a great sleep later that night. I am guilty of needing a tv to watch to help me fall asleep though
I have the exact opposite problem. I sleep too much and I’m sleepy at just about any time of day.
Working right after lunch is a pain.
If I didn’t have any plans, or if I didn’t feel guilty about missing most of day, I would easily sleep 12h+ a day.
I feel really bad and this is a problem no one talks about, it’s always how people can’t sleep. I feel there’s all these things to do in a day, but I mostly feel miserably tired.
Hi Fernanda the first time I heard about this problem was in the video based on Luise Hay’s book
You can watch the video on utube and check for Hay’s affirmation for the situation I am sure u can find them easily on internet
here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IELjMATnfJg
Thanks for the link!
But….Do yo go to sleep early every night? or Do you feel sleepy during the day and can’t sleep during the night? If you fall as sleep at 10 pm and can’t wake up early because you want to sleep more..that’s weird. The majority of people with sleep problems can’t sleep during the night, but they feel so tired so tired during the morning and wish they could sleep during the day. I think your confuse, you just can’t sleep well during the night and that’s why you want to keep sleeping all the time. Also go to the doctor and get check for hypothyroidism.
Thats’s the thing. I try to go to bed at 23h everynight. I absolutely pass out when I do and don’t open my eyes until it’s morning. Still it’s teribly hard to wake up and I feel tired through most of the day. Once this past holiday season I slept for 12 hours straight, woke up, had breakfast, and slept again for about 2hs.
I’ve recently been to the doctors and got a detailed blood work to see if I’m missing any nutrients, but I haven’t gone back to the doctors to see what she thinks.
I used to suffer the same symptoms.
Get a blood test for thyroid function today.
30% of people have a thyroid problem.
Don’t be in denial like me and suffer from hypothyroidism for years before you figure it out.
It robs you of your health and happiness.
I got a full blood work done about a month ago. It appears it’s not a thyroid problem. Apparently I’m anemic, really anemic. I’ve been taking iron and B12 supplements for about a month now, and I’ll get a new blood test in another month to see if I can stop taking them or if I should keep them.
I’ve already seen an improvement and I’ve been sleeping less and waking up early is not as hard as it was before. So, I’m excited about the possibilities as I improve my food intake (which is not as easy to implement as just taking pills)
I also can’t drink coffee after noon; keeps me up at least a couple extra hours. Despite that, when really sleep deprived I’ve also conked out within 20 minutes of having a double espresso. I really feel like tea affects me differently though. I seem to be able to drink black or green tea pretty late into the afternoon/evening without it keeping me up in the same way. Doesn’t make a lot of sense from the neurosci perspective…
I haven’t tried the white noise machine, and as I’m also incredibly sensitive to noise I hope that might be another step toward better sleep.
It’s actually a bit of a relief that you also suffer with insomnia – I consider myself very healthy and fit, so why the heck can’t I sleep?!! So good to know its not just me!
Yes, all useful suggestions.
The dark room, eye mask helps the body produce melatonin which gets you sleepy and helps with deep, sustained sleep. Give the mask a boost by supplementing with melatonin. It also has antioxidant properties and is inexpensive.
Yep.
- Joe
Interactive screen before bed is bad, yes.
1) But even better use dimmable light at home after sunset. I use only an accent light that reflects off the wall.
2)Cold shower and then dinner(even a heavy one) makes effective sleep.
3)Fiction, short stories, tales that are not highly exciting or suspenseful.
4) Thinking and planning about tomorrow and solving problems we don’t have is the number 1 reason i cannot sleep well. I try to avoid this.
http://stereopsis.com/flux helps.
To solve the noise problem of every little sound waking me, particularly my husbands occasional snoring, I found the best ear plugs. Called Mack’s Pillow Soft Earplugs–12 per pkg. They’re a waxy-type material that you press into your ear opening. For my ear size, I separate a plug into two. They work great. Replace them when they don’t want to stick and make a seal anymore. Get them at Target or most pharmacies.
I have chronic insomnia too, dont’t drink coffee at all, but like tea very much. Tried to minimize tea with coffeinne, but instead of good sleep I had terrible migraine. Now drinking tea only early in the morning and this is PU-ERH tea, which I like very much. I am very sensitive to noises and lights at night and sometimes whole night instead of sleep I have so many ideas in my head, it’s terrible. Maybe, yoga will help me, I hope…
I went for 30 years with many of the sleep problems described in the article and reader comments. Afer falling asleep while walking on a treadmill, I went straight to the doctor.
I had been reporting all my symptoms to doctors for about five years , but no one really took “sleepy” very seriuosly. After the fall, I had a sleep study and was diagnosed with narcolepsy. I had been struggeling for so many years trying to “fix” it on my own.
All of the things listed in this article…I do on a daily basis to manage narcolepsy. Most people think that narcolepsy is a daytime problem, but for most it’s around the clock. Sleepy all day and awake at night. There are over 84 different sleep disorders that impact lives of millions…and many go undiagnosed for years!
Sleep is vital to disease prevention, immune responses, mental accuity, blood sugar and blood pressure regulation…just to name a few. SEE a DOCTOR and get a sleep study. No one should have chronic, long-lasting bouts with insomnia!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder
Darya, it sounds like you actually probably don’t have typical clinical insomnia, and likely more a quirk in your circadian rhythm called Delayed Sleep Phase, in which for whatever reason, your body sets it’s own internal clock to be awake for a larger portion of the night time hours. It affects only about 0.15% of the adult population, but it is truly bizarre, annoying, and incredibly difficult for doctors to understand/treat and discern from clinical insomnia, so many people do not have any idea why they are suffering.
You’re story is very similar to mine, as I was a night owl from a very early age and began to have a great deal of difficulty getting a good nights sleep by my mid-teens and beyond. I’ve had a great deal of success over the years using chronotherapy (adjusting your rhythm by staying up later each day until you’ve reached a desired schedule). It can be a difficult and exhausting practice to learn at first, but it’s incredibly effective.
All of you’re tips are wonderful, but I’ve found that when all things considered that my body quite literally works like a clock, albeit a confused/delayed clock, and that tricking my body’s clock into behaving they way I want to via chronotherapy is really the most effective means to 8-10 great hours of sleep a night.
Many of the other commenters appear to have had similar difficulties, and hope many of you take a chance to research DSPD and hopefully find some relief.
Wow. I have been suffering from chronic insomnia for years. I am 41 and have a full time job from 9-5 pm but it is killing me. I am soo soo tired every afternoon, I have chronic depression because I dont get enough sleep. I fall alseep at like 3 am and wake up to go to work at 7 am, and I have a two hour commute. I am surprised I have not killed someone driving, it totally sucks. Sometimes I dont want to live anymore, but I keep going because I need the money. Everyone thinks I am lazy, but the truth is I just can’t sleep like a normal person. I have tried every kind of drug under the sun. Perscription drugs and non perscription drugs. I have seen countless sleep doctors, and have been labelled as treatment resistant insomnia. Totally sucks. I don’t know how to fix it. I guess I will have to find a way to change my career..to work from home. Any tips email me at roccodante@gmail.com
Thank you.
Hi, Tara: I’ve just developed chronic insomnia a few months ago after stopping a medication for migraines (caused rapid heartbeat) that actually HELPED me sleep. I took it for seven, yes, seven years and slept like a log for seven years. Now sleeping is a nightmare! I’m up all night! I felt so bad reading your story. I am deciding whether or not to go back on the medication…it’s called Elavil…it’s an antidepressant and is used for migraines. Can’t you find any medicine that may have a “side effect” like the Elavil and help you sleep? There has to be something out there…maybe not a sleeping pill but something like this antidepressant. It seems like this issue is causing your anxiety and depression…I’m getting that way after two months. Just a thought. I hope you get help soon!
Wow! So many great tips! I have CFS so am chronically tired, but ironically find it difficult to get a good night sleep (which really affects my mood and ability to get anything done!)
Here is my sleep-inducing regime:
* no coffee/tea in the afternoon
* I use really soft wax-like earplugs that are much more comfy than the foam ones (you can get them in Australia marketed under the name Antinois)
* a double eye mask – the one next to my face is large, soft microfibre, I have 2 so I can wash them regularly, the outer one is satin and holds it in place!
* herbal supplements – kava or a hops/lavender/passionflower supplement
* several sprays of Bach rescue/sleep remedy combo
And the biggest thing is my chronically low Vitamin D – despite exposure to the sun, I still need to have daily supplements. If I don’t, within days I’ll start waking up around 3 a.m. and not getting back to sleep. My doctor originally put me on to this, and I have discovered through trial and error that it is definitaly a BIG factor in my sleep quality (apart from all the other problems it causes!) – so if you find you’re getting up around 3am for no known reason, despite doing all the right things, it may be worthwile getting a blood test.
Thanks for the useful information Darya! This should be enough for most people, but in case it hasn’t worked for you I highly recommend the Six Steps to Sleep program. Insomnia used to have an unbreakable grip on my life, and this program helped me turn my whole life around. I can’t say enough for it. Try it out, and if for any reason it doesn’t work Peter does refunds.
http://bit.ly/16ngODa
Spend a half hour in the sun each day , with no sunscreen nor sunglasses. Our body needs the sunlight to produce vitamin D and vitamin D is very important for our sleep.
Wow hello everyone it is about 5 am been up since 3:45 I have been this wa for almost 5 years now and sometimes I want to run away. I go to sleep like a normal person thow half the time it falling asleep on the couch. Wake 2 hrs later go into the garage and smoke than I’m to the couch were I will fall asleep for a hr or so wake go into the garage smoke maybe have a cup of coffee smoke some more go to couch. Wait till 5 am till the Birds start chirping and go to my room and PASS OUT LIKE IM DEAD oh for about a hr. y
This is my life sad and true.For all of you who are going to say cigarettes and coffee in the middle of the night! TRUST ME I KNOW but after 5 yrs. of this shit sometimes it just doesn’t matter anymore. For some reason the birds and knowing its morning make me calm. Unbelievable ISNT it ;( my sympathy to all it is truly the worst feeling ever.
And by looking at my typing maybe that’s the lack of sleep. Wow sorry but I did want to add there is not anything worse than having a husband remind you daily that this will TOTALLY SHORTEN MY LIFE!!!!!! As if I don’t know these things. Good luck to all birds are chirping got to go LOL