Early Riser: Three Quick Ways to Help Cure Insomnia

David Says:

May 10th, 2007, 15:52 pm

Avoid caffeine too late in the evening. That pleasant cup of coffee with friends at 9pm could really hurt you come 2 am!

Cecily T Says:

May 10th, 2007, 16:30 pm

I agree with David, that if you are caffeine-sensitive, that can keep you up for hours. When I have insomnia, I don’t stay in bed…I get up and do something, so that I don’t just lie there and chant “Sleep sleep sleep.”

I read an interesting post from Brian Armstrong on LifeHack this morning (http://tinyurl.com/38bqgs). I’m not sure if this might apply to your situation, but I think it applies to me (and the rest of my family). It’s about shifted or too-long circadian cycles. While I think you can successfully shift your cycle, having a too-long cycle sounds familiar to me, and maybe to you, too.

Here’s my question: How many hours a night are these early risers sleeping? Do you go to bed at 8:30 pm?

Anneli Says:

May 10th, 2007, 16:32 pm

I have suffered from insomnia as well. I usually go to sleep easily enough but wake up after a couple of hours and can’t go back to sleep. Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep as well.
My best tips are:
1. I have a gigant digital alarm clock with bright numbers so that I don’t have to try to guess what time it is and thereby starting my brain.
2. I listen to Internet Radio, SomaFM, channel Drone Zone. Music without beats, just sound. Very relaxing. I use a smart software - Aurora - which can be set to fade out the music for a period of time, ie 2 hours. It also shuts down the computer afterwards.
3. Earplugs. If I can’t listen to radio, I’ll use earplugs. My brain is to curious to go to sleep when there still are sounds in or outside the house.
4. Keep warm, extra socks or an extra blanket can bring wonders.
5. No coffee, tea or cola after three p.m.
Wish you all sweet dreams!

Andrew Flusche Says:

May 10th, 2007, 16:32 pm

I’ve never had an insomnia problem. But I definitely agree that exercise helps us get to sleep quicker. This especially applies for people that have desk jobs. Your mind may be exhausted and need sleep, but your body can feel like it will just keep going. If you do some vigorous exercise, you’ll tire your body out as well.

Shannon Murphy Says:

May 10th, 2007, 18:16 pm

I also have insomnia on occasion all my life. I have learned to stop worrying about it and now believe that if your body really needs to sleep you will sleep. Instead, use the time to read in bed. I find that if I don’t read I start that boring cycle of worrying which gets you nowhere except more anxious and less likely to sleep. Reading an absorbing book cuts that middle of the night chatter. If you find it coming back, push it away and get back to the story. If something is really worrying you, get up and write it down on paper or on your computer. Then put it away to read later.

As others have said, you will sleep when you need to. Just let it be.

Leo Says:

May 10th, 2007, 18:19 pm

Great tips, guys! That’s one thing I love about all of you … you take a topic that I start and make it so much better with collective wisdom. I never fail to learn something (or 10 somethings) from the comments. Keep the tips coming!

m Says:

May 10th, 2007, 19:33 pm

I need advice about how to do the last part of your suggestion: go to bed. How to get yourself to bed if you’re a night owl who just procrastinates turning off the computer, putting down the book, etc. I often lose track of time at night or do one final thing that turns into an hour long thing before I know it. Any advice?

Marc Says:

May 10th, 2007, 19:42 pm

Interesting tips, as some of them are exactly the opposite of what I read when trying to find ways to deal with my bouts of insomnia.

1) reading in bed - the sleep experts say that you should only use the bedroom for sleep and love-making so your body knows once it is in this room that it is time to sleep; but mind you if it works for you to read yourself to sleep, then go ahead - I might try this tonight and see if this works. But what do those of you do who have a spouse/partner who that goes to bed earlier than you - I’m sure having the light on to read is disrupting their sleep patterns? And what do you read, because it might backfire if you are reading something that causes you to think or dream about what you read all night long?

2) exercise - the experts also say don’t exercise too close to bedtime, as your body will be too wound up to relax and sleep - I agree with this, but just wondering if anyone has benefited from light exercise (ie. yoga, tai chi) before bedtime? I walk to/from work so get about 1.5 hours of exercise a day but still have problems sleeping most nights.

3) Anneli’s tip of warm socks/blankets - I also heard and have first-hand experience that keeping your bedroom cool helps promote sleep. I can’t sleep well if it is too hot in the bedroom - hence even in winter I open our ensuite bathroom window a crack for fresh air and coolness (we live on the west coast of Canada, where winters are not that cold - averaging about 5-10 degrees C) as the rest of Canada).

What does seem to help me is to have an evening routine, as pointed out in other blog posts. So I’m trying to come up with a routine to follow similar to my morning routine. Although I find the morning routine easier because, sometimes there are things I’m doing in the evening which spill over into the time that I should be taking for my routine, so I have to watch out for that so I can still do my routine and go to bed at the same time each night (which I read is another important aspect of sleeping well).

Getting up earlier, as Leo mentions, has helped me with my insomnia. You just naturally are more tired come bedtime and I notice on my sleep quality that night if I slept in that morning and didn’t get up at my usual time of 6am (I’m working on making it 5am, now that the sun is rising earlier) so I can do some gardening before going to work.

Whoops, sorry about the long post. :(

Sara Says:

May 10th, 2007, 19:55 pm

I suffered from a bout of insomnia this past winter and three things helped cure it:
1) no caffeine after lunch
2) unplug all electronics and put the alarm clock in the hallway - I laughed at this “electricity keeps you restless” alternative health theory but have since been put in my place..could be placebo.
3) eye mask and ear plugs

After about two months of this I no longer needed step 3. Good luck to all the insomniacs! (PS - tips to fall asleep that are weird but work: warm milk or a tablespoon of peanut butter. I think it’s the tryptophan…)

Leo Says:

May 10th, 2007, 20:00 pm

@m: On going to bed … I know that can be a problem. I don’t have any good advice except to set an alarm for the bedtime you want and try to stick to it. You have to motivate yourself somehow (see Top 20 Motivation Hacks in the left sidebar) and make this something you really want to do.

@Marc: Well, I’m not an expert in insomnia, so if I contradict the experts, I can’t offer any evidence except my own. I used to stay up late every night, sometimes only getting a couple hours of sleep. But now I go to bed at about 10 p.m. (I try to sleep at 9:30 but don’t always succeed) and get up at 4:30 a.m. and sleep pretty soundly. (I know that’s only 6 1/2 hours of sleep — I found that I don’t really require that much sleep. And sometimes a quick 10-15 min. nap after work does wonders. But everybody has different sleep requirements, so this is not a recommendation.)

Paul Martin Says:

May 10th, 2007, 20:22 pm

Those are all good tips and I’ve done them all, including getting up early to run - so much nicer in the cool of the morning!

For me another one is don’t nap late in the day, say mid afternoon or later - early evening is especially bad. If I nap early in the evening it’s like my battery is charged till 3 AM…

Nneka Says:

May 10th, 2007, 20:49 pm

Read at night, not online, but a real paper book. Even if you don’t fall asleep you might learn something. Also, you can try chanting to lull yourself off to sleep.

Hope that helps :-)

Cheers,
Nneka

maisnon Says:

May 10th, 2007, 22:36 pm

My tips:

(1) Try taking a shower shortly before going to bed. I read something somewhere (helpful, eh?) about how it affects your body temperature and mimics something circadian. Whatever the logic is, it helps me.

(2) Try sleeping naked. (Only works if you don’t already sleep naked on a regular basis.)

(3) Aromatherapy - lavendar and chamomille seem to have something soporific about them.

(4) If you’re not against lotion - try applying lotion before going to bed, it’s kind of like self-massage and can be very helpful in getting to sleep.

Anneli Says:

May 11th, 2007, 2:11 am

On keeping warm: Just a comment - cool room, warm body was what I meant. Cooconing up in an extra blanket gives me security when the daytime world seems to falling in on me. As does my extra socks!

Mehdi Says:

May 11th, 2007, 2:40 am

Good post.

Some things I’d add:

4) If you can’t sleep, don’t stay in you’re bed watching the ceiling. Get out of your bed, read a book, do something.

5) Watch your nutrition. Caffeine affects sleep (in some people more than others).

6) Clear your mind before you go to bed. Especially if you work a lot: have paper/pen ready to write everything that comes up in your mind.

Vincent Says:

May 11th, 2007, 4:19 am

Wow. Such a wealth of response to an email by little ole me. I should consult Leo more often, if not for him, then for his readers!

I’m writing this from bed with my phone - yes, another sleepless night. It’s going on 4:30 in the morning. Slightly ironic.

Like my email said, the main thing that helps me get to sleep if I’m having trouble is drawing. It calms the thoughts in my head somehow, and by the time I’m finished, my heart rate has slowed and my mind is clear. (if you’re interested, some of my strange late night sketches can be found at my online sketchbook.) but it obviously doesn’t work all the time, because here I am.

Leo’s original thoughts actually worked for me for awhile - namely, getting up earlier on a consistent basis. A friend and I decided a couple of months ago that we were going to become early risers, so every morning we’d call each other to make sure the other was up. I’m a notorious oversleeper though and after we decided to give it a try without the phone calls I began oversleeping again.

It’s rather unfortunate - I really enjoyed my quiet mornings, as well as actually looking forward to going to bed at night, but it’s just a matter of getting back into the habit. (no pun intended.) still in lazy college student mode, I guess.

I did several vigorous miles on my bike today, thinking surely that would help, and I actually do feel tired. Just can’t sleep.

Anyway - thank you all for the helpful tips. I certainly will be employing some of them. Hope mine help somebody.

Bif Says:

May 11th, 2007, 5:11 am

09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0

Edward Says:

May 11th, 2007, 5:27 am

Want to beat insomnia?
Take melatonin about 15 minutes before you go to bed.

http://www.melatonin.com/

Cured me of 30 years of insomnia.

nickelking Says:

May 11th, 2007, 5:29 am

One thing I’ve done in the past… and failed to keep up, that works wonders is only sleep in bed… if you read, play cell phone games, etc laying down in bed you dissociate laying in bed with sleep, I, for the periods of time I stuck to it, used an armchairish pillow to sit up straight in bed while doing these things and it helped a lot.

alas, I have no discipline.

Nico Poppelier Says:

May 11th, 2007, 5:40 am

The following is a summary of my own experience with insomnia and tips I received from various people.

First of all, if you suffer from insomnia it means your body has gotten used to a different day-night rhythm, so you will have to retrain your body, which takes time.

Secondly, You can turn off a light with a switch, so that a room gets dark instantly, but it doesn’t work that way with your own body. You will have to allow time between activitities of the day and activitities of the night, i.e. sleeping.

What works for me is reserving 30-60 minutes of time, just before going to bed, and not doing anything in that period that requires serious attention: no tv, books, newspapers, music, conversations, …

Toby Ricketts Says:

May 11th, 2007, 6:12 am

My issue with not sleeping is the I dont have a set routine as I have fought against this all my life :) But it when my body is tired and it really wants sleep so I got to bed but then my mind is awake and I can be there lying awake. With my mind exploding with ideas.

I dont have caffine or sugar after 7:30 and it still doesn’t help. I think my best advice is not to let it worry you or your in real trouble.

My 2cents :)

Websurfer Says:

May 11th, 2007, 6:13 am

Self loving, aka masturbation also works when you can’t have sex that night.

matt Says:

May 11th, 2007, 8:34 am

To wake up early just drink lots and lots of water before bed.

Kathaclysm Says:

May 11th, 2007, 9:14 am

Don’t sleep in on weekends! Getting up the same time, every day, even weekends, keeps your body on schedule.

I’ve tried drinking lots of water before bed, so I’ll get up early, but I usually wind up having to pee at like 4am, then can’t fall back asleep, so I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone.

If I take a nap during the day, I only nap somewhere I’m exposed to daylight, and never let the nap last past dark. I think, even though I’m asleep, my body still stays aware of what time it is as long as there is daylight.

joe Says:

May 11th, 2007, 9:18 am

Alcohol can CAUSE insomnia. Truth is, if you have a few and then wait for four or more hours, it gets hard to fall asleep. One of the first comments is from someone who had company over and then couldn’t sleep - I’m guessing that she had a drink or 2 during dinner, and then none after 10pm or so. The right cure at that point IS another drink, which is usually not a good idea. So the point is, if you start drinking, don’t stop completely - keep a buzz going. If you will have to drive home, don’t have a few and then sober up - just plain don’t start or get a designated driver.

Harlow Says:

May 11th, 2007, 10:06 am

Sleepmd works wonders. i find the smoking different herbs before bed worjs pretty nicely too. Also maybe a lava lamp for those that like them. It helps me fall asleep and have lucid dreams.

Denise Says:

May 11th, 2007, 11:13 am

I take Melatonin, works great until I get insomnia, my insomnia is stronger than the melatonin. With melatonin you don’t wake up groggy like with other over the counter sleep aids. Its a natural sllep aid. Melatonin is what your brain produces to make you sleep. I have recently discovered hypnosis. I’ve been listening to a hypnosis CD for weightloss, and it works great. I listen to it when I go to bed and it also relaxes me to sleep. Sometimes though I still don’t get to sleep very well so I got a CD for insomnia. I haven’t used it yet but I will soon, when I have to go into work early again. If the weightloss hypnosis works, I’m betting the one for insomnia will too.

Paul Tomlin Says:

May 11th, 2007, 11:18 am

I have had trouble sleeping all of my life (according to my mum!) anyway I have come to the conclusion that I cannot sleep when my brain is too active.

It seems to get into a pattern of one or more things that go round and round in cirlces. Mixed in with these is very often the fear and frustration of not being able to get to sleep and the tiredness this will cause me the next day.

I have also tried most things to stop this but things that do seem to work for me are:

Regular exercise however I do not advise right next to when you want to sleep as your muscles tend to twitch and wake you up!

Reading as what this does is clear away all of the brain patterns going on from the day and replaces with an unrelated often relaxing thought process. Again this is also why if I cannot sleep I always give up after 30 minutes and return to the book. For me personally it’s all about breaking that circle of thoughts that are preventing me from relaxing.

I sleep better when cold therefore no matter what the temperature the window is open.

I sleep better in the dark therefore eye mask.

However I only advise ear plugs should there be a specific noise just catching you awake when you are falling asleep as otherwise I have found that it can often concentrate my cycle of thought patterns and present me with a whole world of new sounds like hearing my thumping heart beat!

No caffine or alcohol! Now before I go on I would like to say that I do drink coffee I love it however first thing in the morning is good for me but in the afternoon and beyond it’s a no go! Coffee is different in strength and also affects people differently. If your heart is beating 10 to the dozen then it’s probably the coffee so adjust your coffee or drinking times.

Alcohol is often used to get people to sleep, beer can make you drowsy etc and can often make you care less about things however I am sure I am not the only one that wakes at 5am to find that I need the loo, have a headache and then cannot get back to sleep due to the circle of thoughts returning? I have simply moved the problem from the start to the end of the night.

I had the best sleep of my life during the second half of Jan 2006. I went on a no caffine, alcohol and exercised 3 times a week for the month of Jan. I believe that this is not a coincidence.

Saying all of this I believe that it is worth seeing what is best for you and then using what you have learnt to help in the future.

I still drink coffee late and suffer, still go on the booze to find I am awake at 5am. However I know that I have it in my locker to change things and sleep when I need to.

I also agree that your body is to some extent self regulating and will tell you when it wants to sleep. When you are tired and have the chance go to bed and try to sleep! If you don’t sleep after 30 mins then try again later. Tiredness comes in waves just catch the next one and be patient.

I hope my rantings have helped I know the pain of not sleeping but the best thing is not give up on trying new things and try not to worry always believing that you will not die of tiredness directly and in the end you will sleep.

Sweet dreams everyone I am off for a double espresso before I go to the pub to meet my friends so see you online all night long!

Paul

Rachel Says:

May 11th, 2007, 11:22 am

Great tips and they really seem to help…plus I’m getting in shape. I thought your article was so helpful I made a list of it on ListAfterList.com. If you have any more advice this seems to be a good place to list it. Check it out: http://listafterlist.com/ListResults/tabid/57/ListID/7047/Default.aspx

TJ Says:

May 11th, 2007, 12:25 pm

Taking a short nap in the afternoon can help you to get up earlier in the morning.

Breaking your sleep into two 4-hour chunks works for some people. This can also work (over a week or two) to shift your sleep time 12 hours without massive “jet lag”.

Arms Says:

May 11th, 2007, 12:42 pm

MUGWORT seriously this works very well. You can make what’s called a sleep pillow basically a small cloth pillow filled with mugwort and sleep with or near it. It’s amazing how well it works and your dreams will be extra crazy.

Mark Says:

May 11th, 2007, 12:54 pm

I recently had to change my diet on the advice of a physician and it cleared up a few issues including my insomnia. I no longer consume any dairy, anything spicy and and anything particularly greasy (nothing fried). I eat limited carbs as well.

It’s been a pretty big commitment but I’ve been suffering from insomnia since I was a little kid and to finally have relief in a non-drug form feels fantastic. Really makes it worth it. Plus the other health benefits and the weight loss all help reinforce mt willpower to stay on the diet.

Dan Says:

May 11th, 2007, 16:12 pm

I’ve also had insomnia since I was a child but have learned to live with it. The best tips I’ve got:

Avoid any activity in bed that’s not sleeping. This really does make a huge difference, but it can take a few weeks for you to see results while your mind adjusts. In the mean time, you can try sleeping in another room for a while or move the bed to another part of the house.

Exercise isn’t as straightforward. I’ve heard the “don’t exercise after dinner” advice too, but I’ve found that I sleep a lot better if I go for a jog in the evening a couple of hours before bed. It does a great job of reducing stress that I think outweighs the drawbacks.

As mentioned, a poor diet can also prevent you from sleeping. Heavy meals with lots of fat (Mexican food especially) seem to be the worst.

Many, many prescription drugs also have insomnia as a common side effect. You should take a close look at any pills you’re currently taking. I tried Allegra for allergies at one point and was barely able to sleep a minute.

Make sure to come back and give us updates!

Aaron Says:

May 13th, 2007, 15:19 pm

All good advice but none has ever worked consistently for me. As quickly as I get on track, I fall off. The only thing that’s worked for months at a time has been having kids. My oldest is 5, my youngest 2 months. Knowing that I’ll be getting up at 6 am, every day until time immemorial helps to keep on disciplined to get into bed.

I’ll report back in 5 years when my youngest is in school.

The coffee advice was key for me as well - if you’re the type of person who gets a good heart-racing buzz off caffeine, then chances are you shouldn’t be having it after noon. I try to keep it before 10 am.

Motorcycle Guy Says:

May 15th, 2007, 9:12 am

I’ve never really had insomnia at all, my problem is more the opposite I fall asleep way too easily. However, I wake up insanely early and I love that really.

Tomato Says:

May 16th, 2007, 9:26 am

What helps for me is to have a fairly loud background noise. I use a (noisy) air purifier in the winter and a fan in the summer. It blocks out any stray noises/voices that might keep me awake, and it also for some reason helps prevent my brain from thinking too much - my reasons for insomnia.
most likely it will cause some hearing loss over time but for me it’s worth it..

Winnie Says:

May 16th, 2007, 11:51 am

I don’t have insomnia but I have difficulty waking up. The alarm clocks is set at 7:00am and the whole household can hear it but not me. Anyone has this problem?

Drivermax Says:

May 19th, 2007, 8:00 am

I have been an insomniac for over 20 years. I have fixed it with behavioral changes. Here is what I did:

- Put a repeating reminder on my mobile phone - every day at 9:00 PM the phone rings and pops up the reminder. This reminds me that in about one hour or so I will go to bed. I found this surprisingly useful - it helps a lot because I can finish whatever I’m working on, etc - so at 10:00 PM or 10:30 PM I am ready to go to bed.

- Do all the planning activities (goall setting, GTD & stuff) in the morning, and not in the evening. Doing this in the evening used to make me excited and agitated, and I couldn’t sleep.

- Make sure I get outside every day and walk. Make some effort. Instead of exercising, I prefer to do chores inside and outside the house - for example walk to some office to give them some papers, etc.

- No coffee, cola, tea, etc in the evening.

- Melatonin and Ambien work wonders if used properly. Whenever I have problems sleeping, I take a small dose of Melatonin at 9:00 PM in the evening for 3-4 days. This restores my sleep cycle.

James Says:

May 21st, 2007, 0:11 am

I learned that, if one has not fallen asleep in 20 minutes, to get out of bed and do something for about the same period of time or until one feels sleepy. The basic idea is to not foster any mental association of the bed with not sleeping. That is why reading works sometimes and why it does not at other times: some reading is stimulating and some reading is more, soporific, for lack of a better term! I agree with the not drinking caffeinated drinks after 12 noon; even decaf coffee has enough caffeine to keep me awake. I have also cut my AM caffeine consumption down to where my coffee is now about 1/3 caffeinated.

Exercising is general inadvisable close to bedtime - it is generally too stimulating, unless it is something calming, like some yoga routines and some tai chi routines. One thing that has helped me is to place dimmers on all of my apartment lights, so that I can turn them down the later it gets, thereby mimicking natural sunlight’s diminution. This encourages the part of the brain that that has less light “hard-wired” with time for sleep to prepare the body for relaxation and sleep.

One final thing: I’ve also learned that it is all right sometimes to just simply not get much sleep and to trust that my body-mind will sort it out eventually. This attitude has served me well.

Laura Says:

May 22nd, 2007, 15:41 pm

I know this is somewhat counterintuitive, but one trick I’ve found that works to help me fall asleep is to quickly guzzle 1 to 2 cups of cool (not icy) water. Or in the winter, to drink a cup of warm herbal (no caffeine) tea.

I have no idea why it works, it just does for me, and who knows - maybe it would be helpful to someone else as well.

Kenny Says:

May 27th, 2007, 3:14 am

Melatonin and exercise are all good. When you’re still awake at 4:30a.m., reading a light book in bed can distract the monkey-mind sufficiently. My tip: get a small LED headlamp. It illuminates the book but doesn’t distract or awaken your sweetie. Keeping marital bliss discourages further insomnia.

Julia Says:

June 18th, 2007, 1:12 am

I’ve been suffering from insomnia for quite some time and it’s always gotten in the way of my schoolwork. Thank you all for the tips, they’ve helped me a great deal.

Tips to Better Sleep Says:

July 17th, 2007, 2:40 am

Exercise is indeed one of the best ways to help you sleep better. However, when you exercise and the type of exercise you do matters a lot. Too vigorous exercise and doing it close to bed-time can do more harm than any good.

If you are already drained due to lack of sleep, doing vigorous exercise will drain you further. The best way is to do light exercise 3-4 hours before bed-time. It’ll ensure that your body temperature comes down when you go to sleep, facilitating faster and more restful sleep.

Brian Says:

July 17th, 2007, 13:18 pm

Drink whiskey!!!

Sleeping Dude Says:

September 22nd, 2007, 15:35 pm

When I go to sleep I turn on mp3 player and listen to audiobooks and I pass away in no time. Only problem for me is next day to remember where I stopped :)

Teresa Says:

October 28th, 2007, 23:41 pm

I have had insomnia in one form or another for years. Lately I have been working with meditation and self hypnosis, generally, to help me find a sense of calm and with this I have started listening to various ocean/rain sounds. IAt night I will turn the TV, lights, computer, etc. off and turn on my IPOD … I have a twenty minute self hypnosis recording and then the nature sounds. As a general rule, I am asleep before I know it. This took me about a month of practice but I recommend it.

Ryan Says:

March 23rd, 2008, 21:41 pm

These are great tips but I found that they weren’t enough for persistent, hardcore insomnia, which I had for years. The thing about that kind of sleeplessness is that at a certain point, you start to stress about it so much that you start fueling it yourself and you get so out of whack that you have no idea what to do anymore. This blog has an interesting piece on this http://battlinginsomnia.blogspot.com

foodie1741 Says:

April 20th, 2008, 7:23 am

Hey! Great comments, everyone. Thought I’d throw my two cents in… I just learned about binaural beats technology which some of you may be interested in for helping you get a better night’s sleep. A good website to read about it is here:
http://www.sleepphones.com/home#binaural_beats