Insomnia: some tips on how to get some much needed zzzleep

If you, like I have trouble falling a sleep, you might dread the going to bed part of your night. No matter how tired or relaxed you feel before entering your bedroom, all of a sudden just the mere sight of your bed might make you wide awake, full of antsy nerves and stressful thoughts. Luckily there are remedies for insomnia. I will post a wonderful and relaxing yoga sequence in a post soon to come; I just need to finish taking the pictures of the poses first.

Until then; here are some tips that I've found to be helpful.

-Eat oatmeal with bananas a couple of hours before bed as this food works as nerve tonic for your brain, helping relax your nervous system.

-Try to shut off your TV and computer some hours before bed, as this stimulates your brain and make you more awake.

-Keep your bedroom cool and fresh, not too hot nor cold.

- Take some deep, smooth breaths with the focus on your EXHALATION. Deeper exhalations activates our parasympathetic nervous system which promotes relaxation in the mind and body.

-Get your partner to give you a massage with lavender or chamomile oil, or give yourself a gentle shoulder or foot massage.

-Drink chamomille tea or some hot milk with honey before going to bed.

-Try to limit your intake of caffeine til the morning, and if you (like me) really love your coffee, see if you can swap some of your cups for green tea (lesser caffeine) or ideally herbal tea (no caffeine).

-If you get easliy stressed out and feel that the whole world is hanging over your shoulders, try writing down a list of all the things you have to do. Keep a pen and paper next to your bed. It helps to clear your mind.

You can also check out this article from YJ;
 Yoga journal; Sweet Slumber