- Clear your mind of all the anxieties and thoughts of the
day. Avoid feelings of anger or resentment, which can be more potent than anxiety
in maintaining wakefulness.
- Don't read an exciting book or watch a thrilling film before
bedtime. Excitement is another obstacle to sleep.
- Tell yourself frequently during the day, and again last thing
at night, that you will relax in mind and body, go to sleep quickly, and sleep
right through to the morning.
- Make the bedroom a pleasant place, softly-lit, quiet and
comfortable.
- Follow the natural human sleep pattern by retiring early
and waking early.
- Unwind physically. Progressively relax your body, tensing
and then releasing each group of muscles from the toes to the head. Alternatively,
meditate for at least fifteen minutes before retiring.
- Avoid nicotine and caffeine for at least an hour before bedtime
- they both harm sleep. In small amounts alcohol, which is a depressant, can
help you get to sleep, but it is better not to rely on it.
- Try hot milk and honey or a malted milk drink as a soothing
bedtime beverage.
- Repeat a soothing formula - such as "I am drifting off
to sleep" - before sleep and if you wake during the night. Alternatively,
repeat a peaceful visual exercise, such as visualizing trees waving in the
breeze. You could even use the old trick of counting sheep. If these exercises
produce no immediate effect, persevere with them. After several nights the
unconscious
will begin to get the message.
- Don't worry about the amount you are sleeping - in the end,
our bodies make sure we get all the sleep we need. Worrying or annoyance because
you can't sleep is a guarantee of wakefulness.
Further reading:
1.The Good Sleep Guide by Michael Van Straten