Beating insomnia has been a challenge that took the greater part of two years of my life. Medication sedated me more than it helped me sleep. I would wake up feeling exhausted as if I had not slept at all. Not to mention, insomnia medication came with problems like nausea, lack of appetite, and a major hangover that lasted till it was time to go back to bed again.
My problem was obvious to everyone around me and all of them had some tips on how to deal with the issue. Desperately looking for solutions, I tried everything I was told.
For example, drink a cup of warm milk or take a bath at night. Make sure your bedsheet does not have any bright, fancy designs on it and keep it plain. Have opaque curtains in the bedroom. Exercise earlier in the day and do not have coffee after 3 p.m. or consume sugar in the evening.
Get out of bed and walk around instead of just tossing and turning. Do not keep checking the clock. Avoid electronic screens at bedtime since the blue light can suppress melatonin. And yes, I took natural melatonin supplements.
I downloaded an app called 10% Happier with one of the best sleep meditation guides I have ever heard — and I've heard many. I tried sleep hypnosis on YouTube, but hypnosis just made me zone out than doze off.
Some of these stuck with me, but the rest did not help at all.
Melatonin supplements made me drowsy and I was wide awake after only two hours of having taken it. Warm milk is a bit too filling. Aromatherapy, not so much.
10% Happier was great, but the audio only lasted a minute. On the other hand, exercising earlier in the day and sticking to one cup of coffee worked better for me.
Here is a pro tip: If you want to use your computer or check your phone even for a minute, get out of bed and sit on a chair nearby, but do not use electronics on the bed.
I am dead set about that one.
Insomnia is a nightmare.
It is a very real problem where people need to get whatever the help they need. I remember staring at my mother for 10 minutes when she fell asleep as if I was trying to learn how. As if it is a skill I lacked.
People make it look so easy. I truly do not remember how people can fall asleep naturally. It's depressing.
For me, trying to fall asleep is worse than not falling asleep. We all know that sleep is the most important thing and knowing that it is a daily struggle to achieve it makes the problem worse. It leads to so much anxiety as if going to bed is like taking on a mission.
When I go with this mindset, I am telling myself that this is something under my control when it is not.
Alleviate your anxiety by telling yourself that you do not have to do anything.
Do not worry about the next day. Tell yourself that at this point, you cannot and do not have to do anything. So just relax and know that there are probably others who are on the same boat, maybe binge-watching TV shows and eating cereal around the same time you are lying awake in bed.
Do not be too hard on yourself. I may not get a good night's sleep, and being aware of that fact just makes everything easier.
