How to beat insomnia and get to sleep - Part 2

This is Part 2 of my article series on beating insomnia. See the link to Part 1 in the Resources section below. I have battled insomnia myself for decades, and I hope that this info gives you some relief as well.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Part 1 of this series
• Comfortable bed
• Partner who doesn't snore

1. Program your body to sleep. Your body loves routine. You’ll need to make your bedtime and your wakeup time the same everyday. But first, you have to get your body ready to sleep. You have to create a deficit, and the way to do that is to set things up in advance…..

2. Moms with small kids will appreciate this step especially. When you are setting up your sleep schedule, don’t start with your bedtime. Come at it from the other end. How much time do you really need in the morning? If you have to get out of the door at 7am, and it take 45 minutes to get the kids out the door, and you need 30 to get ready and slam down a bowl of fruityoos, then logic would dictate that you should get up no later than 5:45. I would argue for 5:30 in this case. Leave some extra time to find your keys, or get a new shirt on junior, after he spreads oatmeal on the first one.

3. Now that you have your end point, we need a start point. If you feel your best and refreshed after 8 hours of sleep, take your wakeup time and back up 7 hours. Yep, short yourself. We want to build up a deficit here. You’re going to have to be ruthless. Do this for 2 nights, then give yourself another half hour for 2 nights, then set your bedtime to give you what you need. No naps.

4. If you have followed all my tips to this point, you should find that as bedtime approaches, you are sleepy. Your stomach is fairly empty, your bladder isn’t full, and you have a nice cool dark place to go. But you still may be waking up during the night. If this happens, don’t panic.
   
   Simply grab a book, and read for 20 minutes or so. Do not watch TV, work (my own issue) or do anything else that will keep you involved for more than 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, go back to bed. Give yourself 20 minutes to get to sleep. If you don’t fall asleep, get back up. Rinse and repeat. You will find that you rarely have to get up more than twice.

5. After a week on this system, you should find that you are sleeping better. You may still have the occasional bad night, but overall you will be getting more and deeper sleep. In the final installment, I will explain exactly why you do NOT need sleeping pills, and how to wean yourself off of them if you are already taking them. You can beat insomnia and get some sleep - without pills!

Tips & Warnings

• It's best to use an alarm clock that does not stay lit up - otherwise you will keep rolling over to look at it an check the time. Get one that lights up if you press the top, or not at all.
• If you are not already taking sleeping pills, please don;t start until you read Part 3
• None of my info is meant to take the place of your doctor's advice. If you think you may have an underlying condition that is causing your insomnia - get checked out!

Resources

• How to beat insomnia and get to sleep - Part 1
• How to beat insomnia and get to sleep - Part 3
• Marpac SleepMate 980A Electro-Mechanical Sound Conditioner
• Sweet Dreams Contoured Sleep Mask with Earplugs and Travel Pouch - Black

[Susang6]

on 4/2/2009 Useful tips for curing yourself of insomnia. I suffered for months and needed to train my body to sleep at nigh and not during the day.

[PhiMcRee]

on 4/2/2009 Great tips. Never thought of starting from the other end. Course, getting up early has never been my problem. I can't sleep long enough.

[tb711]

on 4/2/2009 Great tips. I've also found 30 minutes of light exercise before bed makes me sleep better. Maybe a short walk or a few games on the wii with the kids.