THIS IS HOW I CURED MY INSOMNIA

We all know that having a good and healthy sleeping routine is of vital importance. Your day is just as good as the quality of your sleep from the previous night, it will dictate how you feel and how productive you will be.

I am speaking from first-hand experience since I myself have suffered from months-long insomnia in the past year. It was all uncharted territory for me since I had never experienced it before nor could I pin what the exact reason behind it was. It was most troubling because it didn’t happen gradually. It went from soundless sleeping every night to insomnia all at once.
The truth is, I do experience restless nights every now and then, just like everybody else. Various reasons are behind that usually (from caffeine to stress from work, anxiousness), and these are things that I can usually anticipate and hopefully able to work through. This time, however, it was different. It got to a point where it was severely affecting my health, my work, and my personal life. I had no problem sinking medical help and taking sleeping pills, but I was concerned about how much I would rely on them and whether or not I’d ever be able to sleep on my own again.
I started researching the subject in a quest of understanding a bit more of what makes sleep patterns so different and how to naturally preserve a healthy sleeping habit.
After all, why is it that some people can go into a soundless sleep the minute they rest their heads on the pillow, and others struggle with it?

I started thinking about the times I used to babysit my little niece and get her ready for bedtime. I remembered that, even though she was a very active little baby who rarely stood still, when it came to her bedtime she would not resist it and she would just rest her head and fall asleep almost immediately. I also remembered that my sister (her mom) had put in place a bedtime routine for her daughter that would always take place no matter what day it was and regardless if we were at home, visiting family, or on vacation. She would always give my niece a nice warm bath using lavender-scented soap, put her in her pajamas, read a story, then put her to bed. It would work every single time. I know that this is more or less the same routine all parents have when it comes to putting their kids to bed and that there is nothing groundbreaking in it, but there must be a reason for that, right?

That’s when I realized that the reason why my niece rarely contested going to bed was not that she wanted to sleep, but because there was a routine in place that triggered in her brain “Bedtime!”

After doing some research in the matter, I came to the conclusion that routines are important, and when it comes to your sleep, if you follow a healthy and consistent routine you will be able to improve your sleep quality. Based on this concept, and in an effort of putting in place my very own healthy night-time routine, I set for myself some rules to follow in order to naturally cure my insomnia and improve my sleep. After several months of following these guidelines, my sleep quality has tremendously improved and I can happily say that no longer suffer from insomnia.

Here is how I cured my insomnia:

1. Set a “Go-To-Bed Time” and Stick to It

It is very important to have a healthy bedtime routine to help you improve your sleep. Part of this routine is to set a “go-to-bed time” and stick to it no matter what. Over a certain period of time, your brain will start to unwind automatically once you reach your “go-to-bed time” and the transition to sleep will be much smoother.

2. No Cellphones or Electronic Devices 1 Hour Before Bed

I know this one is a tricky one. I myself am too guilty of not always following this rule because usually, the last thing I used to do minutes before going to bed was either setting up my alarm or checking tomorrow’s calendar, and all these things are obviously on my phone. However, I’ve been much better at it since and I highly recommend you do the same and try to make an effort of not using your phone before bed. The whole point of avoiding all electronic devices before bedtime is to reduce your bain’s exposure to blue lights, that stimulate your brain and keep you awake. So instead of browsing through your phone right before bedtime, you can use that time to meditate, read a book, connect with your partner, or listen to relaxing music.

3. Ditch Your Phone Alarm App and Get an Alarm Clock

A healthy sleeping routine also requires a healthy way of waking up, and snoozing your phone alarm 6 times before you actually gather the courage to get out of bed is not healthy. If you are not able to naturally wake up early in the morning, I would suggest you get a proper alarm clock and ditching your phone alarm. Pick a realistic time for you to wake up, and stick to it.

4. Make a List Before Bed

What can sometimes keep us from falling asleep could also be the fact that we are incessantly thinking about tomorrow’s chores and responsibilities, or just ruminating over what happened during the day and what we wish we had done to change or improve it. A good habit for you to start is writing before bed, AKA journaling. This is something that has completely transformed the quality of my sleep. You can consider it a diary where you write about your day, a vision book where you write down your goals, or simply a list of things that need to be done tomorrow. This will help clear up your mind and enable your brain to unwind smoothly.

5. Read a Book

Reading a book is also a healthy habit to include in your night-time routine. It will provide your mind with a healthy and enjoyable escape, even if it’s only a few minutes every night. Make sure to always read with dim lighting and if you’re using an e-reader, opt for a paper-like screen. It will help reduce your exposure to blue lights and enable your brain to slowly unwind.

6. Your Bedroom is For Sleeping and Sleeping Only

Try to avoid working, watching tv, eating, or basically any other activity that doesn’t belong to the bedroom. If possible minimize your bedroom furniture to just your bed and other essentials. Your brain has to associate your bedroom to sleep and sleep only. Make sure to get proper curtains to block the light and opt for dim lamps and candles instead of bright lights.

7. Use a Scent to Trigger Sleep

As we know, the human brain is capable of associating certain scents to feelings and memories. You can actually use that to your advantage to improve the quality of your sleep. For instance, I use a lavender spray mist on my pillow every single night. I not only enjoy the scent of lavender but it is also wildly known for its soothing properties and helping your muscles to relax. After a period of time of constantly using this mist, my brain has started to automatically associate the lavender scent with sleep.

8. Don’t Forget Your Blanket

Do you get cold very easily and prefer a warmer temperature in your home, or do you prefer your room to be slightly cooler? You need to pay attention to your body and determine what your comfortable sleeping temperature is. As far as I’m concerned, I cannot sleep if I’m cold and I have a preference for a much warmer temperature at night. My biggest challenge and frustration about falling asleep has always been to get warm enough so I can, well, fall asleep. That is why I have opted for a heated blanket, and that my friend has been the best purchase I have ever made! You can easily adjust the temperature to your liking, and you can take it with you whenever you travel.

9. Lighting, Lighting, Lighting

During the evening and close to your bedtime, make sure to surround yourself with dim lighting. The purpose of it is to reduce your brain’s exposure to blue lights and help your brain to slowly unwind.

10. Invest in Your Mattress

We spend most of our lives either in our beds or in our shoes, so naturally, we need to invest in both. When was the last time you bought a new mattress? If you can’t remember, then it’s probably time for a change. Make sure to do your research beforehand, such as identifying the level of softness or firmness that you prefer, and how much it will cost you. Remember, you should be looking forward to your bed at the end of every day, not dreading it and putting of buying a new one. It is true that mattresses can be significantly expensive, but it is also a matter of priorities. I remember when I got my first apartment, I didn’t have a single piece of furniture and could in no way afford to buy a good mattress and furnish my apartment at the same time. So, I made a choice to invest in a good comfortable mattress, then proceeded with furnishing my apartment little by little.

11. Give Caffeine a Curfew

You need to set a time in the day where you stop drinking any caffeinated beverage. The truth is, there is no precise time when it’s recommended to stop your caffeine intake because every person’s metabolism is different. However, as a rule of thumb, if you tend to be quite sensitive to caffeine it is recommended to stop your intake between 2 and 3 pm. For me, 5 pm is my curfew. I am not very sensitive to coffee but I do notice a lack in the quality of my sleep if I drink any caffeinated beverage after 5 pm.

12. Try a Sound Machine

I’ve always been skeptical of sound machines until I tried one for myself, and now I simply cannot sleep without it and take it with me every time I travel. I always thought that the number one requirement of healthy sleep is complete silence, but throughout some research, I realized that sleeping in complete silence might cause you even more anxiety and alter the quality of your sleep because you will be much more sensitive and alert to surrounding noises. The key here is to create a “sound cocoon” that is soothing for you yet drowning any outside noise or disturbance. That is exactly what sound machines are for.

Conclusion

Insomnia is a condition that has multiple causes, it is not the same for everyone and not everybody can overcome it the same way. While I could have simply sought professional help from the beginning, I chose to first give natural remedies a try and thankfully it has worked for me. These are all tips to help you improve the quality of your sleep over time, so give them a try and be consistent.