I haven’t had any trouble sleeping until recently, and would rather not go see the doctor about it yet, because all I know they’ll do is give me a ’sleep hygiene’ handout and no real advise. And I don’t want them to prescribe a sleep aid. I tried taking a Tylenol pm to see if it helped. I slept alright, but I felt horrible when I woke up!
What are some natural sleep remedies? I ordered today some loose organic chamomile and lavender, and I intend to mix them and make an herbal tea that I hope will help with sleep. Would perhaps mixing a little bit of organic Valerian in the mix help too? I heard it doesn’t make a good tea, very strong and unpleasant. But maybe only a little bit would add benefits, but still taste of more pleasant herbs.
I make sure to not do anything like read or whatnot in my bed, it is just for sleeping. I always leave time for at least 8 and a half hours of sleep in my schedule, and at the same time every night. I workout every morning (have to, Army ROTC, haha!). I get my homework and studying out of the way before sleep time, so I am not dwelling on it. So I’ve tried most of the sleep hygiene tips I can find, but alas, they aren’t doing much good. I have some nice, soothing music, and that helps a little bit.
Any tips will be much appreciated. I just want to a full night’s sleep so I can feel rested. I hate having to go running, and then go to class feeling exhausted.
A warm bath is a great way to relax to help you to sleep. If you can’t take a bath, you can give yourself a foot massage with slightly warm massage oil, sesame oil, or castor oil from a health food store.
What was very helpful to me, especially when my mind was racing, was to lie in bed and listen to relaxation CDs, especially those that contain someone speaking with relaxing music in the background. Many of these CDs are available on eBay for very low prices.
A helpful technique is to relax your body one part at a time. So you could relax your feet, your lower legs, upper legs, moving up from your lower belly up to your chest, etc., until your whole body is relaxed.
Of course, guided relaxation methods can help, imagining yourself in the country, the beach, or whatever is most soothing to you.
If you have annoying thoughts or personal issues that run thru your mind when you are trying to sleep, you might have to deal with those issues first. You might want to talk to a counselor or therapist about that. I suggest avoiding prescription sleeping pills unless nothing else helps.
There are herbs that are helpful for sleep, eg, valerian root, kava kava, chamomile, hops, passion flower, skullcap. Probably, valerian root and kava kava are the best. With some herbs, it can take a few weeks to build up in your system before it works.
You can also try 5-HTP, trytophan, GABA or melatonin (2-3 mg). I would not take melatonin for over a month unless your doctor says it is ok. It is a hormone produced by the pineal gland. If you take too much, your pineal gland might get "lazy" and produce less melatonin naturally.
This list is the one that Tony I copied and pasted from me without my permission.
- like a pirate’s chest). You grab all the thoughts that are racing about in your head (I imagine them as bits of paper flying around) and you stuff them into the chest, slam the lid shut with a satisfying thud and lock it. OK, now you can think any other thoughts except the ones you have put into the chest.