Insomnia Do’s and Don’ts

 

Following are a few "Do's and Don'ts" on how you can start sleeping on your own again:

• When you go to bed try to deepen and lengthen your breathing patterns.  Try to inhale for five seconds and then exhale for five seconds. You'll be taking six breathes per minute. This takes some practice but can work quite well to help put you to sleep.
• Take a deep breath and hold it.  As you are holding your breath tense up the muscles all over your entire body and hold both for 30 seconds.  Exhale your breath and then completely relax. Take several relaxed breathes and repeat three more times.
• Think of a relaxing color, such as blue, yellow, or green.  Put your hands on your stomach and think of pulling a balloon (the same color as you have just chosen) across your stomach.  Exhale out and think of a non-relaxing color such as black, brown, or red as you exhale.  As you inhale think of the relaxing color once again.  Keep up this pattern for about 10 to 30 times or however long it takes you to fully concentrate.  You soon find yourself falling asleep. 
• Take a hot shower or bath before bed.
• Before going to bed eat 1 ounce of protein, 1 ounce of cheese, and 5 grapes.  This is considered “brain food” and can help you sleep.
• Get out of bed if you have not fallen asleep within about 15 minutes.  Your brain is very easily programmed and can quickly associate your bed with “not sleeping”, a pattern that can be hard to break. 
• Once you're out of bed do not watch TV, get on the computer, listen to stimulating music, or turn on a lot of lights.  You don’t want to do anything that is going to stimulate your brain into thinking that it’s time to “get up”.