It is 3:30 at night and you are still awake, staring at the watch. You have no idea why you are unable to sleep at night. It is insomnia. Sometimes the trouble disappear within a short period of a few days and other times insomnia becomes chronic and you may not be able to sleep well at night for weeks and months.
Emotional stress, anxiety and depression are the most common causes of sleeping troubles. Your day time activities, bed room conditions and certain health issues are another but less common causes of insomnia.
In most cases natural remedies and relaxation techniques should solve your sleeping troubles. Taking sleeping pills is not going to help in the long term, as it has many side effects.
3 Natural Ways to Induce Sleep at Night
1. Create a Conducive Sleeping Environment
If you are unable to sleep at night, then every small thing you do to create a good sleeping environment will go a long way in solving your sleeping troubles. Here are some suggestions:
Make your Room Dark - Light can be a big obstruction for sleep. Dim all the lights in the house one hour before going to bed. Make your bed room completely dark and cool.
Switch off All Electronic Screens - Electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, computer screens and TV screens are major causes of sleeping troubles. The light emitted from these devices suppresses melatonin production and severely affects your sleep. Switch off these devices at least an hour before going to bed.
No Late Night Dinners - Eat your dinner at least 3 hours before going to bed and decide on a daily routine of going to bed. If you go to bed daily at 10pm then eat your dinner before 7pm. Don't delay your sleep beyond 11:00pm as a matter of discipline. Once in a while it is OK, but don't make it a habit.
No Exercise Before
2. Change your Day time Routine
What you do during the day has a significant impact on your sleep.
Don't Take Naps during Day - If you are unable to sleep at night then you will feel drowsy during the day. You might get tempted to take a small nap.
If you just have sleeping trouble last night only then this nap is perfectly alright, but if you have been having a sleeping problem at night for some time then this nap may be the cause of your sleep disruption. Stop taking naps during the day.
Exercise - A regular routine of daily exercise is a route to good overall health. if you have not been exercising and also have sleeping trouble then getting into daily exercise will improve your sleep during the night.
You can go for a 45 minutes of brisk walk daily in the morning. A good oxygen circulation will improve your overall relaxation. Swimming and cycling or any other physical activity that you enjoy will help you to sleep well at night.
3. Relaxation Techniques
Learn yoga and meditation. These relaxation methods help in sleeping well. The least you can do is deep breathing exercise. Sit on a chair in a comfortable position.
Slowly inhale through your stomach, your tummy should pop out while inhaling. Hold the breath for a short period. Exhale slowly. Your tummy should flatten during exhalation. Your exhalation time should be longer than inhalation time. Repeat the cycle of breathing for 15 minutes. Do it 3 times a day on a daily basis.
You can also do progressive muscle relaxation. In this process every muscle is individually stretched and relaxed. Lie down on you back. Start with your foot muscle.Stretch the foot muscles for 10 seconds and relax it. Then go to calf muscle to stretch it for 10 seconds and relax it.
Keep moving up until you stretch your forehead muscles and relax it. This kind of progressive muscle relaxation technique keeps your body fully relaxed.
If none of the above methods work for you then you may have an underlying health condition that may require treatment. Contact your doctor.