Sleeping Pills – Ways to Break the Habit
Sleeping pills are available as over-the-counter medications or prescribed by a doctor. While occasionally consuming sleeping pills are harmless, some people develop a dependency for sleeping pills. When this occurs, these people are unable to naturally fall asleep. Before becoming a sleeping pill victim, attempt to find ways that will help you achieve sleep without the use of drugs.
Limit Your Use of Sleeping Pills
Despite your level of insomnia, avoid taking sleeping pills every night. If you must consume pills during the week to function throughout the day, then avoid consuming pills on the weekend. If possible, allow yourself to fall asleep naturally on Friday and Saturday nights. Moreover, limit your pill intake to one pill a night. Gradually decrease your intake of pills. By doing so, you avoid developing a dependency.
Create a Sleeping Haven
Another method for achieving a good night sleep without the use of sleeping pills is to create a good sleeping environment. The best sleep environments are noiseless, cool, and dark. If you live near a busy highway or street that produces loud sound throughout the night, consider wearing ear plugs at night. Moreover, if you are unable to sleep in complete silence and prefer background noise, ditch the clock radio for the soothing sounds of crickets, raindrops, or a water fall. Nighttime soothing music CD’s are guaranteed to lure insomniacs to sleep.
Furthermore, maintain a comfortable room temperature. Bedrooms that are too hot and too cold do not offer a great sleeping environment. If possible, keep a small space heater or fan in your bedroom. This way, you can adjust the room temperature to best suit your sleeping comfort level. Lastly, keep your bedroom nice and dark. If you share a bedroom, your roommate may prefer a night light or keeping the bright hall light on during the night. Because the extra light may interfere with your ability to get a good night’s rest, consider an eye or small facial mask while sleeping.
Aromatherapy
Scents and bath oils are very effective with relaxing your body and mind. Before bed, enjoy a hot bath or shower using relaxing body oils. These oils are available in many fragrances such as floral scents, lavender, and so forth. Bath oils that are designed to promote rest and relaxation are marked on labels. Shortly before bedtime, you may consider lighting a scented relaxation candle in your bedroom. Soothing scents promote rest and a good night’s sleep. Natural products such as hot teas and calming tablets are also great for promoting sleep. These products are all-natural, thus you avoid the risk of dependency.
Free Your Mind
The biggest factor that causes sleepless nights is stress. There are many levels of anxiety. If your anxiety is disrupting your life, you may consider speaking to your healthcare physician about prescription anti-anxiety and depressant medications. If you suffer from moderate anxiety, you may be able to discover techniques that will help you de-stress naturally. Once your stress and anxiety level is normalized, you should be able to return to aidless sleep.
Before bedtime, make a list of everything that causes you worry. This may include work related issues, family problems, etc. After completing the list, fold the paper in half and place it aside. Instead of dwelling on the problem, resolve to solve it tomorrow. Listening to a relaxation or self-help tape is effective for clearing your mind of worries and problems. If possible, get a massage before going to bed. Massages will help release tension and relax muscles.
Reading or watching television in bed is great for naturally falling asleep. Set the timer on your television for an hour. While in bed, watch the news or other late night programming. Within a few minutes, your will begin to feel sleepy and ultimately fall asleep. Moreover, reading in bed under a dim light is effective for helping you achieve sleep.
Avoid Long Daytime Naps
Surprisingly, some people do not realize that taking long afternoon naps may severely affect their ability to sleep at night. A short power nap is great for improving productivity and mental alertness. However, naps that last longer than an hour may interfere with your night sleep. Moreover, taking naps in the late afternoon or evening hours may make it impossible for you to fall back asleep. Instead, limit naps to one hour or less, and avoid taking naps five hours before bedtime.
