Moderated by
Claudette Pretorius, MA Counselling Psychology
Licensed Professional Counselor
I know how overwhelming it can feel when you're having a tough time. I offer clients a space that is non-judgemental and empathetic whilst navigating these times together.
Top Rated Answers
Anonymous - Expert in College/University
August 1st, 2020 5:49pm
Forget the glass of wine—winding down the day with a warm mug of milk and honey is one of the better natural sleep remedies. Milk contains the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan, which increases the amount of serotonin, a hormone that works as a natural sedative, in the brain. Carbs, like honey, help transmit that hormone to your brain faster.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) usually focuses on discovering and changing the thoughts or feelings that trigger depression and stress but it can be a natural insomnia cure, too. Research has found that CBT can retrain your body and mind for faster, deeper sleep.
For those with insomnia, a calm, relaxing sleep environment is imperative for uninterrupted slumber. Perhaps one of the most effective natural sleep remedies is removing digital clocks and other electronics that glow, such as cell phones and laptops; even if you don’t wake up in the middle of the night, the pings from your cell phone or email can disrupt your sleep cycle
If anxiety is keeping you up at night, try these natural sleep remedies: yoga, meditating, or writing in a journal before bed
Use essential oil for sleep which induce a state of rest for the brain activity and they sweet smell keeps the mind from running wild with non stop thoughts. You can use the oil by adding it to a diffuser 30 minutes prior to sleep or rub a few drops on your pillow.
If you always seem to get a poor night’s sleep, it may be because you’re not following a bedtime ritual. One of the easiest natural sleep remedies: Make it a priority to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Introducing nightly habits like reading in bed or listening to music will also help to quiet your brain for the day and prepare it for sleep.
You already know the most common drinks to help you sleep, but for an even more effective herbal insomnia cure, try valerian tea. This herb is found in health food stores, at pharmacies, or from a qualified herbalist, and when brewed into tea, it can reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and produce a deep, satisfying rest.
Turns out, you’re never too old for a bubble bath, especially when it comes to natural sleep aids.
Melatonin, a hormone produced in the brain, may also help you fall asleep faster when taken as a supplement. Triggered by the absence of light, this natural sleep aid regulates the body’s internal clock, ensuring we are tired at night and mentally and physically alert during the day.
Natural light is critical for our health and well-being. Bright light therapy, provided by your dermatologist or reputable light box manufacturers online, can reset your body clock by gradually shifting sleep patterns earlier or later, leading to better sleep.
Take care
Anonymous
July 31st, 2020 5:57pm
Insomnia seems to be a very common sleeping disorder nowadays. Sometimes, people just find it very difficult to sleep. Although it can be a serious problem as it can cause sleep deprivation which might affect your cognitive and physical ability, there are different things you can do to help improve your sleep. These include: Eliminating caffeine or alcohol from your diet, try to go sleep the same time each day, make the place where you sleep more comfortable, do not eat or drink anything before bed and try ASMR videos.
In the case of eliminating caffeine and alcohol, if you do consume products containing them, it would be best to not consume them or limit the consumption of them, especially hours leading up to your bedtime. Drinks high in caffeine such as coffee are stimulants, they keep you awake and alert. If you do drink coffee right before bed or even an hour before bed, you will find it hard to fall asleep. Trying to manage your alcohol and caffeine consumption might help if you normally drink them regularly.
Secondly, try as much as possible to sleep and wake up at a consistent time. For example, if you normally go to sleep at 8, try your best every day to get to bed by 8. Get your body used to it. Do everything you want to do before 8, and by the time it reaches 7:30 you would be preparing for bed. I know how important this is as I am speaking from experience. Whenever I sleep at any time I choose, I normally find it very hard to sleep, but whenever I keep a consistent bedtime, it’s almost automatic, every time my bedtime draws near, I always feel sleepy. That is because my body is accustom to me going to sleep around that time.
Thirdly and perhaps one of the most important and obvious is to make your sleeping environment comfortable. Try to invest in nice soft pillows and a mattress, instead of a stiff hard mattress and pillow, where you have to be rolling every minute and constantly changing the shape of your pillow for the most comfort. If you live near a roadside, try investing in some earplugs, this will help eliminate noises. Earplugs are very important as it is very difficult to sleep in a very noisy place. In addition to that, if the problem is the temperature in your bedroom, try investing in an Air Conditioner or a heater along with a humidifier. It is very difficult to sleep when the place is hot and your sweating or when the place is too cold and your shivering. Having these devices in your home would help you control the temperature in your room.
Fourthly, try as much as possible to do not eat before bedtime. It might be tempting, but you would regret it later when its time to sleep, especially if you have heartburn. Try to eat 2 or 3 hours before you go to bed, give your body the chance it needs to digest the food. If you feel very sleepy after eating and cannot wait for 2 or 3 hours before bed, I highly encourage you to only sleep on your left side. This would help prevent indigestion.
And finally, this is one that I recently found and love, it is called ASMR. A.S.M.R or Autonomous sensory meridian response is a tingling sensation you normally get typically starting from the scalp of your head and then moving down your spine throughout your body. It is normally triggered when you hear repeated soft noises and tapping sounds and it normally helps a lot of people, especially me to fall asleep. After ASMR, you might get very sleepy, but it depends, as it seems to have no effect on some people. There are currently no scientific data to say why some people experience ASMR and why others do not. But I would encourage you to try it out. If you do not like the ASMR where people whisper, just look for ASMR no taking videos.
Here are some things you can do:
1) Wake up early. Get up at 6am and have a full day awake. This will increase the chance of being tired at night.
2) Exercise. It doesn't matter when - morning, afternoon, evening. Exercise every day - run or lift weights, do jumping jacks, sit ups, push ups, play a sport, whatever. You don't have to join a gym, you can do everything I mentioned on your own except play a sport.
3) Eat healthy. Eat three meals a day, reduce the amount of fat. This will give you energy when you need it throughout the day without the ups and downs that fat, high carbs, and caffeine give you. At night you should sleep better.
3) Read in bed. Reading gets you tired and it doesn't have the negative sleep effects of TV.
4) Take melatonin or valerian, two natural herbal supplements. If you have anxiety take CBD oil.
5) I'm a grown man, I have a small glass of wine, or half a beer or cider before bed and it makes me sleepy. Moderation is key here, you don't want to wake up groggy.
We need to understand that insomnia never comes without any reason. There should be many reasons behind this illness like tension, stress and health issue, but you can get a decent deep sleep if you focus on one thing at a time like reading or writing. I am getting help with dissertation writing from https://writix.co.uk/help-with-dissertation-writing to relax without tension and complete my study on time. If you are a student too and not having a great time with a friend so I would suggest you forget the homework and enjoy your sports time with friends
Related Questions: How to get rid of insomnia?
How to make friends and socialize?What are the pros and cons of college?'m at a competitive university and struggling with imposter syndrome. I'm afraid to show my true feelings to anyone. What can I do?I'm a college senior who really wants to enjoy her last semester of college but is struggling with anxiety, depression, and homesickness that just makes me want to go home. How can I get past this?Feeling unproductive all day makes me hate myself. I feel like I could never do things with ease like others and my mind is always fighting within itself. Any tips on how I could work on these? How can I track the hours that I have volunteered here at 7 Cups?How do I find drive to push through when I'm burnt out?How do I know that I'm good enough for A Levels at college?How do I cope with all the work I am currently receiving from university? It seems impossible to keep up and stay on track. Feeling as if I'm going to pop.Why am I scared of university?