At one time or another, all of us have struggled with insomnia.  For some, it’s an annoying but rare occurrence while for others it is a nightly struggle that interferes with life on a regular basis.  If you are struggling with falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up much earlier than you need to, speaking with a doctor can be a helpful idea.  But there are also some simple things that you can try on your own.  If they work for you, then that’s great!  But even if not, you can bring that information to your doctor so that the two of you know more about what to rule out.  So either way, these tips are useful ones to consider.

1. Go to bed and wake up at about the same time every day.  While this might vary slightly depending on the day, try not to have more than an hour of difference among the different days.  For example, if you usually wake up at 7am, try not to wake up before 6am or after 8am.  And the same idea goes for bedtime too -- if you normally go to bed at 10pm, try not to go to bed before 9pm or after 11pm, even on weekends.  This tip can feel frustrating, especially when you are involved in an activity or otherwise want to stay up really late, but it really does have an impact.

2. Be careful with caffeine intake, especially in the afternoon.  Everyone’s body is different. Some people find that they can drink caffeine until late in the afternoon and still be able to sleep, while others can’t have any aside from an early morning cup.  This may take some trial and error.  And remember non-coffee sources of caffeine, including some teas and sodas.

3. Exercise, but not too close to bedtime.  Exercise can be good for tiring you out over the course of the day, but often people feel a burst of energy right after exercising.  If this is true for you, make sure there are at least several hours between when you exercise and when you go to bed.  Even better, exercise in the morning so that you can best take advantage of the burst of energy you feel.

4. When you can’t fall asleep, don’t stay in bed tossing and turning.  If you are trying for half an hour or more to fall asleep, you likely will start feeling more frustrated.  While it may feel like you should keep trying to sleep, the increased frustration can make it even more difficult.  It’s hard to feel both relaxed and frustrated at the same time.  So rather than tossing and turning in frustration, get up and do a quiet activity, preferably outside of your bedroom.  Then when you feel like you are about to fall asleep, go back to your bed.  It’s likely that you will be able to fall asleep quickly at that point.

5. Redirect your mind to something soothing or enjoyable.  Often when people find themselves unable to sleep, it is because there are things on their mind that are keeping them awake.  Rather than telling yourself not to think about these things, give your mind something else to focus on.  For example, decide that you are going to focus on planning a trip you would like to take, or what you would like to do tomorrow after work or school.  You may find that your thoughts still go back to what you are trying to avoid thinking about, but hopefully it puts those thoughts more in the background, rather than being the main focus.  Another technique to help with this is to keep a notepad near your bed, and write down things that you want to think about later.  Sometimes knowing that you have those topics written down to remind yourself of later can help you to think about them less in the moment, because you know you will be reminded to come back to them.  A Notes app on your phone can also be helpful for this.

6. Notice your own patterns.  Are there certain days where sleep tends to be easier or more difficult?  What do these days have in common?  Maybe something that you aren’t even aware of is leading to your insomnia, so thinking about this and keeping track of patterns can be really helpful.

7. Remember that resting while awake is better than no rest at all.  Ideally, you will fall asleep and stay asleep, but sometimes that just doesn’t happen.  Laying down and closing your eyes is better than being active, so if none of the above tips are working for you, keep that in mind and try to get as much non-sleep rest as you can.

I hope that some of these ideas were helpful.  I wish you all the best in getting the best sleep and rest that you can tonight.  Pleasant dreams!