# Insomnia cures

[Stressful situations](happiness-2_recovering.md) are the most frequent cause of not being able to sleep.

- Usually, if you can’t sleep, your day probably didn’t have enough [work](success-4_routine.md), [learning](mind-memory.md), or [meaningful interactions](people-conversation.md).
- Assuming you're not overly stressed, working hard to the point of exhaustion typically resolves most insomnia.

## Routines

Wake up at the same time every morning.

- If you wake up before your alarm goes off, your body’s natural clock has woken you, so don't go back to bed.
- It takes a week to shift a sleeping pattern, but one missed day will revert it, so avoid binge-sleeping on weekends.

Drink plenty of water.

[Exercise](body-3_exercise.md) regularly.

- As little as 10 minutes a day can set a sleep pattern.

Make a wind-down routine:

- At day’s end, de-stress and [meditate](awareness-meditation.md).
- Listen to the same song every time you’re tired, then play it back when you can’t sleep.
- Create a bedtime routine of pajamas and a cup of tea in bed at a reliable time.
- Set a strict "screens off" time 1–2 hours before bedtime.

## Things that prevent sleep

Some things may interrupt your ability to get to sleep:

- Fasting can make getting to sleep difficult.
- - [Pets](pets.md) in the bedroom can randomly wake you up.
  - Close the bedroom door on them.

Even when you can get to sleep, some things will interrupt deep sleep:

- Sitting slightly upright
- Noise and bright light
- Caffeine (like [coffee](fun-coffee.md) and [tea](fun-tea.md)) reduces deep sleep
- Proximity to non-visible light (such as [wireless networks](radio.md)) disrupts sleep patterns

Avoid self-care that works against good sleep:

- [Alcohol](fun-alcohol.md) will induce sleep, but it sabotages sleep cycles.
- Eating elevates the heart rate from digesting food for up to 4 hours.
- [Exercising](body-3_exercise.md) increases the body's metabolism for 4–5 hours.
- Sleeping pills (such as melatonin) can disrupt circadian rhythms or your neurochemical balance.
- Using a mobile device stirs up brain activity from using it (not necessarily from blue light).

Your insomnia might be coming from a simple distraction:

- Go to sleep the moment you start feeling sleepy.
- Lie perfectly still in bed and pay attention to anything your body is telling you.
- If your allergies are acting up, take a shower to wash the pollen off.
- If you have back pain:
  - Place a towel or thin pillow under your groin area while on your face.
  - Place a pillow between your legs while on your side.
  - Place a towel under your knees while on your back.
- If your nose is congested, leave a sliced onion overnight near the bed.
- If you're coughing at night:
  - Eat a spoonful of honey.
  - Put menthol-based ointment on your feet and wear socks over them.
- If you have cramps, drink a mix of two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with a little honey and water.
- If you have indigestion, sleep on your right side to prevent your digestion from backing up.
- If you keep waking up in the middle of the night on an empty stomach, eat a slice of bread or a spoonful of peanut butter.
- If your roommate's or significant other's phone alarm is going off where you can't reach it, call the phone to disable their alarm.

Take something to calm down:

- Drink chamomile tea or passion flower tea.
- Eat a spoonful of honey.
- Drink a glass of fresh lemon juice.
- Place a mixture of 5 parts organic honey and 1 part Himalayan sea salt under your tongue.
- Night-time drink:
  1. Heat a cup of milk or almond milk on high until it's hot enough to foam
  2. Stir in a teaspoon of honey, two drops of vanilla extract, and a pinch of ground cinnamon

You will fall asleep after about 10 seconds without a conscious thought:

- Falling asleep is far easier when you're not thinking about sleeping or the next day.
- Mentally tell yourself you're tired.
- Think of sleep-related words like “relax”, “calm”, and “rest”.
- Count backward from 99, count backward every 3rd number from 400, or imagine counting sheep or cards in a peaceful setting.
- Listen to white noise or meditative music.
- Create a fun, dreamlike story where you're the main character.
- Read a book in bed.
- If you can't stop thinking, focus on what happened during your day.
- Learn to daydream and imagine fantastic stories.

Use your physical state to inspire sleep:

- Repeatedly practice 4-7-8 deep breathing (4-second inhale, 7-second hold, 8-second exhale).
- Blink fast for a minute to make the eyes tired, then relax them.
- Tense all your muscles as much as you can for several seconds, then release them.
- Relax each muscle bit by bit, focusing on tense muscles first.
- Stay completely still for 15 minutes.
- Take a hot shower.
- Stretch out your legs and back.
- Put on ear plugs and an eye mask.
- Since the body cools down naturally during sleep, cooling yourself will help trigger sleep.
  - Take a cold shower an hour before going to bed.
  - Set the thermostat to 65–72 °F and only use a bedsheet.
  - Make a wind tunnel with a box fan and a sheet.
  - Wet a t-shirt, wring it out as much as possible, and wear it to bed.
  - Place an ice pack under the pillow and flip it each time it gets warm.
- Lay down on your right side.
  - You'll get to sleep faster on your right side than on your left.
- Observe the position you wake up in and go to sleep in that position.
- If you can't sleep, get up to prevent yourself from being conditioned to think while in bed.

If you need something more severe:

- Look at photos or videos of other people sleeping.
- Read a boring book in bed.
- Cuddle with or have sex with [your significant other](people-relationships-3_marriage.md) before going to bed.
- Play the didgeridoo.
- Go camping for a week without electronics to synchronize to sunrise and sunset.
- If you can afford it, get a vibrating bed and set it at the lowest setting.